The Value of Strong Health Systems: Preventing Disease Outbreaks and Ensuring Global Health Security
On October 27, 2019, The New York Times highlighted an HIV outbreak in Pakistan that has affected an entire community, including almost 900 children.
This tragedy could have been prevented — and is a clear sign that weaknesses in a health system can exacerbate outbreaks to become global health security issues, as happened during the recent Ebola outbreaks in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
John Snow, Inc. (JSI) is helping the government to strengthen Pakistan’s complex and decentralized health system. An effective health system requires synergy between components including: clear health policies and regulation; well-trained health workers who follow protocols and ensure quality of care; a supply chain to ensure that essential medicines and commodities are available; an accessible and transparent e-health management information system that is used to make decisions (read my recent blog The Power of Data and the Global Health Security Agenda); and public financing that prioritizes investments in core health system functions for healthier citizens.
All these measures take commitment, time, and resources. Furthermore, people need access to reliable, affordable care and health information, and to understand the care they’re entitled to. In remote parts of Pakistan — and many countries around the world — where literacy rates are low, lack of information, choice, and empowerment fuel the outbreaks that we are seeing today.
JSI is working closely with the government of Pakistan to solve these complex challenges, and while many improvements have been made, many more are needed. We look forward to continued partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including national, provincial and district health offices, and USAID and other donors, to help Pakistan detect, report, and respond to outbreaks and ensure global health security.
