The pandemic laid bare the inadequacies in the health systems, highlighting the need for health policies applicable locally and globally

The Covid-19 pandemic crisis has exposed the world's unpreparedness for dealing with the global disaster because of the lack of a scientific approach to sustainable developmental goals including crucial health care systems.  However, the pandemic has also had its positives in terms of uniting the world, otherwise divided along the lines of development, economics, society, race, and climate,to collectively face the challenge. The nations had similar, shared experiences of how the virus impacted people, the symptoms of infection, the modes of treatment, the type of medicine used, and the precautionary and safety measures to be adopted by the people. Innovations in digital communication helped make lives easier by imparting online education, enabling work from home and information sharing, and connecting the world of patients, doctors and health care. Advanced scientific research helped treating the infection better by identifying new mutants and variants of Covid-19 in time and coming up with viable solutions.

The pandemic laid bare the inadequacies in the health systems, highlighting the need for health policies applicable locally and globally. A strong global policy platform brings together all kinds of resources - medical practitioners, politicians, researchers, economists, disaster management specialists, health organizations,  and socialists.  The support of all sectors will be required to build strong health systems and ensure uniform population health. One such initiative is the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) which is a global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It has enlisted the support of organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, WHO, World Bank, Unitaid, The Global Fund, Gavi, FIND, CEPI, etc. With the motto — 'there is no time to waste in the fight against Covid-19;no-one is safe until everyone is safe' — these organizations have helped equitable distribution of tests, treatments and vaccines across the world and helped reduce mortality.  A global health conglomerate is required to ensure a connect between nations, their individual health priorities, and managing health crises in a collaborative spirit. A robust health systemcomprises a well-managed supply chain, emergency services, disaster preparedness, globally connected scientific research platforms, and firm government policies that streamline the processes involved in emergency preparedness. This is also a time to learn how to address health inequities, whether due to differences between developed and developing nations, within provinces in countries, the urban-rural divide, and inequities due to income, education, gender, and disability.

Having a global scientific leadership and a strong data analytic system is critical to handling any global health crisis. Authentic health data and strong information systems can track the progress of health-related goals and individual needs of countries. Ilona Kickbusch, Director of Global Health Programme, Geneva, calls the current political focus on global health as a political revolution,given the fact that the global health agenda stems from a shared security agenda driven by fear of a global pandemic that also drives the global economic agenda in terms of impact on employment, business, trade, and markets. It is also a social justice agenda and a human right. Global health policy initiatives need to be integrated through global agreements that support health programmes at the global, country and local levels. The debate on health strategies is also influenced by the funding gap which needs to be filled by having efficient financing structures and social protection mechanisms. In countries, the global health issues need to be discussed by the concerned ministries, which should be aware of the trade and economic implications of alliances and geo-political networks. In post-pandemic times there is an urgent need to re-define global health governance.The only way to win is by fighting together.

(The writer is Registrar, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The views expressed are personal.)