2.C. Round table: COVID-19 - strengthening governance for health and health systems resilience
Authors:   Organised by: WHO/Europe, European Observatory,   Chair persons: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat (WHO/Europe), Josep Figueras (European Observatory)
Published: October 2021

Objective

The aim of this panel discussion is to contribute to build back better after the pandemic, for enhanced public health and health system resilience. One key strategy to do this is to address key governance deficiencies. This includes:

siloed preparedness and response efforts were. Responses were largely isolated from regular public health and health system structures. In many countries we have seen that crisis responses have not made use of existing public health infrastructure including sickness-funds, public health offices, social partnerships and professional associations, let alone the existing governance structures for patient participation. a lack in health leadership. During the pandemic health has been high on the political agenda as never before, but instead of having a Health in All Policies response, we had an All-Policies-in-Health-response. Prime ministers, regional heads of states and ministers in charge of the economy, interior and education have been usually much more central and influential in formulating a pandemic response than the minister of health and other health leaders.

Background

Europe's countries should have responded better to the pandemic given its vast resources. It has highly developed public health services and high performing health systems embedded in comprehensive welfare systems and thriving economies. Explaining Europe's surprisingly disappointing response to the pandemic needs to go beyond arguments based solely on geography, political system, demography or wealth of the nation. These arguments can neither explain the variations within Europe nor the ones between the world regions. Therefore panelists will discuss the following topics in the light of the above mentioned governance deficiencies:

From failure to resilience: the contribution of governance Drawing lessons on better governing emergencies: systems Integration and health leadership Governing COVID-19 within countries at all levels - national, regional and local Governing the private sector in pandemic times: towards new public-private-partnerships Governing health professionals surge capacity

Added value

This round table brings together governance deficiencies and how to remedy them and eventually strengthen health and health systems resilience. This is key if we want to better address the challenges to come. Coherence presentations/workshop topic: All presenters will need to lin their talks and topics to the two governance deficiencies identified.

Interactivity

After the chair persons have introduced the topic the panel discussion will go in three rounds addressing different aspects: a) core message (related to the topic); b) the problem of ‘siloed preparedness and response effort c) Insufficient health leadership. In between these rounds the chairs will pick up questions coming through the chat-box and feed them to the panelists.

Speakers/Panelists

Anna Sagan European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK Dorit Nitzan WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark Dimitra Panteli European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels, Belgium Tomas Zapata WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark Scott Greer University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Key messages

Resolve the siloes and integrate emergency preparedness and response efforts into regular health and health systems structures. Health high on the political agenda is not good enough, health leadership is needed too addressing external shocks and challenges.