Protecting essential health services in emergencies

When a crisis occurs, pregnant women, children and newborns face the most adverse effects. Any disruption to essential and routine health and nutrition services, like family planning, immunisation and maternal health care disproportionately impacts the health outcomes of women and children, especially those most impacted by poverty, inequalities and discrimination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that sustaining essential health services during emergencies is crucial and must be prioritised to mitigate negative health impacts and to avoid preventable maternal, child and infant deaths. The WHO Pulse Surveys, tracking the continuity of essential health services throughout the pandemic, found 92% of respondent countries were still experiencing disruptions to at least one essential health service by the end of 2021.

At the peak of the pandemic in 2020, widespread disruptions in access to antenatal care, immunisation and family planning were caused by the diversion of health staff to the frontlines of COVID-19 response, closure of community-based outreach services and supply chain interruptions leading to poor infection, prevention and control. Widespread and ever-changing lockdown mandates also discouraged demand for these services due to the fear of catching the virus. Since 2020, there have been fewer well-child visits, fewer deliveries with skilled birth attendants at a health facility and estimates from WHO and UNICEF show that routine immunisation coverage has dropped significantly over the past two years.

In May, global health leaders, donors, decision makers and partner governments will come together at the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly, in a world still suffering from the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firmly on the agenda is public health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response, as the WHO and its Member States work to strengthen our collective ability to support countries against future health threats. At a time when economies are faltering and resources for health are scarce, it is critical that global health institutions, financing mechanisms and national governments work in a more aligned manner to pool resources and build strong primary health care systems that can stand up to the challenges of future pandemics.

Join us, as we facilitate a discussion with maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) partners to explore how to better support the continuity of essential health services in emergencies. We will reflect on lessons learned from the pandemic and highlight key interventions and policies needed to place the health needs of women and children at the heart of discussions around health emergency preparedness and response.