- Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global health challenges today.
- According to the WHO, there could be a deficit of 15 million health workers by 2030.
- The pandemic has made the healthcare divide more apparent around the world.
During the next decade, infectious outbreaks that will become more frequent and widespread, in a context of chronic diseases, could push global health systems on the verge of failure, in addition to endangering human integrity.
Now, according to the Global Risk Report 2023global public health is under increasing pressure and such systems are at risk of becoming fit for purpose.
The Covid-19 pandemic amplified emerging health risks, including vaccination reluctance, antimicrobial resistance and nutritional and infectious diseases exacerbated by climate. Likewise, it diverted resources from other illnesses and affected aspects such as quality of life, occupational status, and people’s mental health. Added to this and given the current crises, mental health has also been affected by the increase in stressors such as violence, poverty and loneliness.
Other global health risks
While the effects of the pandemic have been persistent, the report notes that there is a diminishing perception of infectious disease risk among respondents, likely due to pandemic fatigue and the human tendency to focus on new, recent, and more visible crises. .
Similarly, the potential of “silent crises” to create complex damage is noted. In this sense, Covid-19 is estimated to have been linked to at least 6.6 million deaths globally. On the other hand, compared to this, 4.95 million deaths were associated with drug-resistant bacteria in 2019 alone.
In addition, in the last decade there has been a trend towards non-communicable diseases, related to the growth and aging of the population in addition to the delay in the coverage of health systems. One implication of this, rather than death, is the resulting loss of functionality and increased disabilities.
Medical advances have made it possible for people to live longer, but with multiple, complex, and costly comorbidities, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.
Alarming shortfalls of health workers
As inflation persists, healthcare systems are likely to face more intense financial pressure, with revenue losses or budget cuts, as well as higher costs for goods and labor. Even before the pandemic exacerbated staff shortages, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted a global shortfall of 15 million health workers by 2030.
Skills and infrastructure gaps have further undermined work capacity as staff have been overwhelmed by challenges they are not equipped for, potentially leading to further protests from the industry.
The experts also predicted that medical inflation would exceed GDP growth in many countriess, and that financial pressures on working populations would intensify as dependency ratios rise. A persistent mismatch between demand and supply would gradually weaken the ability of health systems to adapt to their respective environments, even in the richest countries.
Inequalities and ideological conflicts also harm global health
Fragile health systems could be overwhelmed by catastrophic events, such as cyber attacks, wars, weather events or infectious diseaseswhich would cause an unexpected increase in deaths.
The restrictions applied to the export of medicines and medical products could cause a humanitarian crisis and turn into stricter controls on existing resources, especially food, with effects on health.
Disparities in access to health care could be made worse between and within countries by economic inequality. While advances such as personalized medicine, genomics, and proteomics may improve outcomes in chronic and degenerative conditions, they come at a high price that limits their widespread use; for example, gene therapies can cost more than $2 million.
Coupled with the fragility of health systems, there is a risk of an increase in “syndemics”, which refers to a set of concurrent health problems that reinforce each other and affect the general health status of the population in certain political contexts. , structural or social.
In this sense, inequality and ideological conflicts could have undesired aggravating effects on certain diseases and specific population groups. Chronic financial stress and the rationing of basic resources, such as having to choose between energy and food, would have long-term physical and psychological impacts even in healthy people.
The report highlights the need to incorporate the lessons learned in preparation for the next health crises. Achieving the public health benefits will require governments and companies to promote the conditions that support well-being and encourage healthy lifestyles, good nutrition, clean air, safe housing and social cohesion.
Also read:
The 6 worst global health crises the WHO has faced
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