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When a crisis strikes, it truly tests the strength of a health system. Unfortunately, all too often, it reveals its weaknesses. Emergencies, whether it be a devastating earthquake destroying health facilities, a conflict displacing millions into overcrowded camps, or a rapidly spreading outbreak overwhelming hospitals, always expose the vulnerabilities in health systems worldwide.
Tragically, many lives are lost during emergencies due to preventable shortages of health workers, medical supplies, financing, and coordinated response mechanisms. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa from 2014 to 2016 demonstrated how health systems can exacerbate the outbreak when they struggle to screen, triage, and safely treat patients. More recently, Somalia’s prolonged drought has forced over 6 million people into acute food insecurity, putting additional strain on already fragile systems.
In our interconnected yet volatile world, fostering health system resilience has become increasingly urgent. Health system resilience refers to the ability to absorb shocks, adapt, and transform in response to emergencies while still providing essential services. Proactive and systematic efforts across key pillars of the health system are necessary to anticipate hazards, withstand disruptions, and rapidly restore functionality.
Building stronger core public health capacities, such as detection, preparedness planning, and emergency operations centers, is crucial for enhancing foundational resilience. We support nations in conducting comprehensive risk mapping to model scenarios ranging from disease outbreaks to natural disasters. Through stress tests, we identify gaps in service delivery, workforce, supply chains, governance, and more.
Strengthening the capacity of the health workforce for emergencies is crucial. This can be achieved through safety protocols, mental health support, deployment mechanisms, task-shifting models, and equipping community health workers as frontline responders. Healthcare facilities must be fortified against hazards and adhere to disaster-resilient standards in construction and retrofitting.
Emergency preparedness plans, contingency funds, and mechanisms for surge financing in humanitarian crises should be incorporated into comprehensive health policies and budgeting frameworks. Innovative risk pooling mechanisms, such as regional insurance policies, can facilitate quicker disbursement of funds.
Fortifying medical supply chains involves reviewing procurement processes, stockpiling essential commodities based on risks, establishing logistics capacities for last-mile delivery, and diversifying supplier networks. Digitizing supply chains enables real-time monitoring, ensuring timely and efficient distribution of supplies.
Fundamentally, emergency preparedness cannot be isolated; it requires a “whole-of-society” approach that coordinates stakeholders across sectors and levels. Engaging communities in risk communication, prevention, and responsive decision-making is essential for long-term sustainability.
From our experience in developing these multi-component health system resilience programs, we have witnessed how prioritizing planning, capacities, and coordination before disasters pays exponential dividends in absorbing shocks. Resilient systems save lives and protect the progress achieved in development.