Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH, calls for global collaboration between health systems to manage the next pandemic.
Healthcare workers around the world agree that challenges including poor funding, labor shortages, and poor planning mean that hospitals and health systems are not prepared for another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research from the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH).
Forty-nine percent of the healthcare professionals in the U.K., U.S., Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, India, and Brazil who were surveyed say they lack the preparation needed to endure, should another healthcare crisis like the COVID pandemic arise in the next five years. In the event of a new pandemic, 60% of the healthcare workers surveyed by WISH say a lack of financial support will be a major contributing factor to their system failing to rise to the challenge. Another 55% say the workforce shortage across global healthcare systems will also play a significant role in the next pandemic.
"Our findings spotlight some of the critical challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us over the last two years, and which those that care for us are still trying to mitigate today," Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH, said in an emailed press release detailing the survey. "As an advocate for a healthier world through global collaboration, we urge governments, industry leaders, and policymakers to take these insights and work towards building next-generation health systems that are better equipped to meet similar challenges in the future, in order to improve the standard of care and, crucially, to ease the burden felt by our healthcare workforce."
Additionally, 44% of those surveyed said an inability to properly support patients is a threat to their national health systems.
"The current pandemic has strained health systems to create urgent response measures such as increasing capacity, enhancing infection control, moving to remote models of care, and enabling mass vaccination, among others," Afdhal continued. "There is a need to take stock of the challenges and for enablers to respond at a national level, as well as create opportunities for accelerating the sharing of strategies internationally."
“Our findings spotlight some of the critical challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us over the last two years, and which those that care for us are still trying to mitigate today.”
Sultana Afdhal, CEO, WISH
Amanda Schiavo is the Finance Editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Half of the healthcare professionals in the U.K., U.S., Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, India, and Brazil say they aren't ready if another healthcare crisis like the COVID pandemic arises in the next five years.
60% of the healthcare workers say a lack of money will be a big factor to their system failing to rise to the next pandemic. Another 55% say global healthcare workforce shortages will play a big role in the next pandemic.