COVID-19 and health systems resilience: lessons going forwards. (Special Issue: COVID-19 health system response.)

ABSTRACT

From the early days of the pandemic policy analysts have been trying to understand what constitutes a resilient health systems response. This article takes stock of the national responses over the past ten months and distils strategies and general lessons for enhancing health systems resilience. Among health systems functions, effective governance, while not easy to pinpoint or secure, has been key to a resilient response, constituting a mortar binding everything else together. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of solidarity, both within and between countries - bringing us to a realisation that we cannot be truly safe until everybody is safe. Over the course of the pandemic, the focus in studying resilience has broadened towards a more holistic recovery that extends beyond the health system.