Addressing backlogs and managing waiting lists during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

In order to restore services to pre-pandemic levels and catch up on care, we need to understand and act on what we have learned from the pandemic, including investing in the health workforce, increasing funding for the health infrastructure of the future, and maintaining the innovative forms of service delivery that proved useful in reaching out to key groups affected by the pandemic. This brief is a valuable resource for policy-makers seeking to understand the extent of disruption to health services caused by COVID-19, the reasons behind this, and what different countries are doing in response. Its aim is to provide options to reduce service backlogs for those who are addressing this challenge in their national contexts.