'The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the capacity of health systems to continue the delivery of essential health services. While health systems around the world are being challenged by increasing demand for care of COVID-19 patients, it is critical to maintain preventive and curative services, especially for the most vulnerable populations, such as children, older persons, people living with chronic conditions, minorities and people living with disabilities.' World Health Organization https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/related-...
Our sister forum HIFA (general health) and CHIFA are collaborating with WHO to promote sharing and learning of experience and expertise around how to maintain essential health services during (and after) the pandemic, in a spirit of solidarity and codevelopment.
Together we are working to:
1. Strengthen the development, dissemination, awareness, understanding and engagement of WHO guidance: Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context interim guidance (June 2020).
2. Strengthen uptake of WHO Guidance and briefs, including contextualization, implementation and problem-solving of challenges.
3. Identify and harness country practices and solutions to help inform the collective global response to COVID-19.
4. Disseminate emerging COVID-related research (in liaison with the WHO Science Division, WHO Incident Management Support Team and HIFA partners).
Read more: https://www.hifa.org/projects/essential-health-services-and-covid-19
We especially want to hear from frontline health professionals and public health professionals. How has the pandemic affected delivery of child health services for your patients? What measures have you taken to maintain access to services?
Our first major thematic discussion on this topic will start on HIFA and CHIFA on 16 NOVEMBER 2020. Please forward this message to your networks and contacts, and invite them to join us!
www.hifa.org/joinhifa
http://www.hifa.org/joinchifa
Best wishes, Neil
Let's build a future where people are no longer dying for lack of healthcare information - Join HIFA: www.hifa.org
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of the HIFA global health campaign (Healthcare Information For All - www.hifa.org ), a global community with more than 19,000 members in 177 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages in collaboration with WHO. Twitter: @hifa_org FB: facebook.com/HIFAdotORG neil@hifa.org
