COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY General Patricia Scotland has said that the coronavirus pandemic will provide new challenges for health systems across the world and force them to re-evaluate how operate.

Marking World Health Day yesterday (Tuesday April 7) Baroness Scotland said that while the day had “been, rightly set aside to celebrate the contributions of nurses and midwives, it is important that we take the opportunity to re-evaluate the status quo and the current models that support our daily lives; and begin to assess the lessons that are already emerging from this catastrophe.”

She noted that while some wealthier countries had been successful in providing access to basic healthcare to all individuals and communities without them experiencing financial hardship,  known as Universal Health Coverage, other countries, including many in the Commonwealth, had yet to achieve this. 

Top agenda item

“This particular lesson has been a top agenda item for Commonwealth health ministers at their annual summits for the last four years” she said. “Their meetings have critically assessed various strategies to help countries achieve Universal Health Coverage.

“It is now undoubtedly clear that addressing human resources for health shortages and financing sustainable healthcare systems that cater to the needs of those in poverty and the most marginalised in any society, is critical if we are to win the fight against COVID-19 and be ready for any future outbreaks.”

Shortage of health supplies

Baroness Scotland added that there would need to be major discussions amongst government leaders about how they could share resources to prevent a similar future pandemic. 

According to the Commonwealth Secretary-General what coronavirus had exposed was “the acute shortage of essential health supplies, drugs, equipment and tests. 

“Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Commonwealth had developed strategies to help countries to pool procurement of essential medicines. This was presented at the 2019 Health Ministers Meeting chaired by Fiji.

“And since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been exploring how we can tailor approaches such as a price sharing and pooled procurement platform to provide important information on these essential health supplies, drugs, tests and equipment necessary to combat the pandemic across the Commonwealth.”

She continued: “There is no doubt that this pandemic is affecting us all – its impact leaking into every aspect of our life. Both physical and mental health is on the line, as people lose their way of life, their livelihoods and their loved ones. Many of us will feel the long-term effects of poor nutrition, decline in fitness and the disruption of human relationships. But COVID-19 does not affect us equally.

“There is certainly a disproportionate impact, for example, on households that depend on daily paid labour and people at risk of domestic abuse. So, governments stand before a goliath challenge that requires a coordinated response involving all sectors.”

There is no doubt that this pandemic is affecting us all – its impact leaking into every aspect of our life.

Baroness Patricia Scotland

However she said she agreed with Queen Elizabeth’s recent address to the nation where she said that “better days will return”. 

“If we work together, share resources and equipment and follow advice of governments and the World Health Organisations, we will, eventually, be able to wake up our cities, return to work, school and leisure, to meet and chat, or to hug each other she said.

“But it is important that we never go back to the business-as-usual that we knew before coronavirus.

“We must use the opportunity to learn from this outbreak and decide, not only how we could have more resilient, connected and accessible healthcare systems, but also how we could address connected issues such as climate change and access to quality education for all.”