Health systems in both developed and developing countries are now struggling to respond to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Bangladesh has already taken several immediate actions to combat COVID-19. ARK Foundation proposes to develop a ‘Comprehensive National COVID-19 Response Management Policy’ under the leadership of MOHFW of Bangladesh, outlining short, medium and long-run action plans. The policy must adopt a whole-society approach, consider both preventive and curative measures, and strengthen the World Health Organisation’s six building blocks of the health system.
To strengthen the health service delivery to address COVID-19, ARK Foundation recommends:
Short term actions
- Prioritise safety of health professionals, procure and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) as per need
- Update treatment protocols, guidelines and manuals to include new knowledge and evidence
Medium and long-run action
- Develop ‘District level planning’ to assess the need of each district, and allocate resources based on need, develop the capacity of diagnosis and treatment at district and sub-district levels, and procure and distribute test kits as per requirement across the districts.
- Plan for increasing the capacity of government hospitals at national, district and sub-district levels to diagnose and treat patients, including serious and critical patients, requiring mechanical ventilation and intensive care.
- Adequately address mental health of the people.
- Coordinate with other ministries and private health care providers for a comprehensive management of COVID-19.
Health service delivery is just one part of the comprehensive plan when considered the entire health system.
More upcoming. Stay tuned.
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