HIFA-Zambia and WHO: Q1. How has COVID-19 affected the delivery of essential health services in Zambia?

15 November, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the capacity of health systems to deliver essential health services. All around the world health services are being disrupted across all areas: child health, maternal health, diagnosis and management of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and non-COVID emergency services. It is critical to maintain preventive and curative services, especially for the most vulnerable populations.

On behalf of HIFA and WHO, I welcome you to Day 1 of our thematic discussion here on the HIFA-Zambia forum. This week we invite you to explore the key question:

Q1: HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED THE DELIVERY OF ESSENTIAL HEALTH SERVICES IN ZAMBIA?

We look forward to hear and learn from your experience. You may like to talk about your personal experience, or perhaps someone you know (a friend, a patient) who has been affected by disruption in services. Or you may choose to describe how the pandemic has impacted your health facility and your colleagues.

We are especially keen to promote cross-country learning. Each of us may know much about what is happening in our own country, but little about what is happening in other countries - please do share what is happening in your country so that others may learn.

As always, the email address is: hifa-zambia@dgroups.org

Thank you all for sharing your observations in a spirit of solidarity and co-development.

Best wishes, Neil

Coordinator, WHO-HIFA Collaboration: HIFA project on Essential Health Services and COVID-19

https://www.hifa.org/projects/essential-health-services-and-covid-19

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 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages in collaboration with WHO. Twitter: @hifa_org FB: facebook.com/HIFAdotORG neil@hifa.org