Navigating the health system in responding to health workforce challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Maldives (short case).
Int J Health Plann Manage
; 36(S1): 182-189, 2021 May.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1318705
ABSTRACT
Being a small island and low-middle income country (LMIC) heavily dependent on global markets for sustaining its basic needs and health system, Maldives faced specific challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was reinforced through tensions between the heavily centralized healthcare delivery and a partially decentralized public health system. Using the pillars of pandemic response proposed by the World Health Organisation, this article explores the planning assumptions, resource estimations and strategies adopted to equip the health system with resources for the pandemic response. The resource need estimates based on projections for COVID-19 identified a shortfall of medical professionals to care for patients while maintaining 55% of the workforce for regular healthcare across the atolls. The findings show that while the policy of lockdown bought time to increase hospital beds and devices, the country was unable to increase the healthcare workforce. Furthermore, as the lockdown eased, the exponential increase of cases took Maldives to the global one per capita incidence. Despite this, with cautious planning and use of resources, the country has so far managed to maintain low mortality from COVID-19. The lessons from this experience are paramount in future pandemic response planning, not only for Maldives, but other small island LMICs.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Delivery of Health Care
/
COVID-19
/
Health Resources
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Health Plann Manage
Journal subject:
Health Services Research
/
Health Services
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Hpm.3136
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