Health systems must prepare for new threats
There are two distinct elements to health policies: first, the ‘Healthcare Policy’, which focuses on removing obstacles – financial or otherwise – that impede the provision of accessible and affordable (if not free) healthcare services. The second element, meanwhile, is a ‘Policy for Health’; it focuses on improving the overall health of general population. Both elements are indispensable components of sound and effective health policies, whose objectives go beyond just providing guidance and preventing infections; they seek to promote public health on a larger and more sustainable scale.
The UAE is far from ‘less developed’; the country has set up a robust infrastructure for virtually all key sectors in the span of a few decades, firmly placing itself among the advanced nations of the world.
As the pandemic swept across the world, the agile government was able to swiftly execute effective policies, measures, and programmes to contain its spread.
These measures were enacted to support the UAE’s health policy with its two key elements, namely, supporting the healthcare system and ensuring the overall health of the community. The procedures proved successful, the situation is increasingly under control and the community feels a lot safer for it.
Meanwhile, policymakers worldwide are preoccupied with analysing and sharing health, epidemiological, and virological data to develop policies that curb COVID-19’s effects. The focus should, nevertheless, go beyond the present; it is critical to draw lessons from our current circumstances to develop a country-wide emergency preparedness plan.
Health policies are never complete; contagions and other health challenges are
Health policies are never complete; contagions and other health challenges are
unpredictable. We need to be prepared at all times to face any threat. This calls for constantly revisiting and reimagining health systems, establishing effective structures for engaging the public, building trust, communicating transparently, and laying down the infrastructure for taking on the next crisis.