Post-pandemic healthcare: How to enhance inclusion & accessibility

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the vulnerabilities of the global healthcare system, prompting a reevaluation of how countries can enhance inclusion and accessibility moving forward. Dr. Harald Nusser, Head of Global Patient Solutions at Gilead, emphasized the importance of community-based healthcare, primary healthcare service delivery infrastructure, and the integration of technology for an optimal response. While vaccines play a crucial role in saving lives, it is vaccination programs that truly drive effectiveness. However, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been starkly uneven, with more than 80 percent of Africa's population yet to receive a single dose. Dr. Nusser highlighted the need to leverage existing healthcare infrastructure, such as HIV clinics, and innovative technologies like Rwanda's Babyl to bridge this quality gap. The recent Kigali dialogue showcased how Babyl saw a surge in patient traffic during the height of the pandemic, underscoring the importance of strengthening service delivery networks. Amidst international organizations' commitments to raise funds, such as the global fund mobilizing $18 billion to combat diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, Dr. Nusser expressed optimism in their impact but stressed the need for additional efforts. He advocated for incentivizing domestic health funding, leveraging data insights, increasing health awareness, improving technology literacy, and integrating population and primary healthcare services. Moreover, he urged global health interventions to adopt a broader, patient-centered approach and encouraged partnerships between the private and public sectors to drive innovation in service delivery. The pandemic's diversion of resources towards COVID-19 has posed challenges for diseases like HIV, necessitating innovative solutions. Dr. Nusser acknowledged the disruption in healthcare efforts globally and emphasized the importance of addressing stigma, enhancing awareness, ensuring service delivery to the last mile, and promoting treatment adherence. He underscored the significance of resilient primary healthcare systems and the potential for private and public sectors to collaborate on redefining service delivery paradigms for diseases like HIV. As the world navigates the post-pandemic era, inclusivity, innovation, and collaboration will be key pillars in building a more resilient and effective global healthcare system.