Covid crisis has underscored the unpreparedness of health systems, says expert during webinar

During the webinar, Dr JS Thakur, Professor of Community Medicine, PGIMER and President, World NCD Federation shared his obervations regarding the impact of Covid-19 on NCD resources and services and the manner it has deepened the existing epidemic of the NCDs. He also highlighted that the Covid-19 crisis has underscored how unprepared most health systems are and emphasised on strengthening the health system, an additional health workforce and new models of integration within health sectors to bridge the gap.

The second speaker in the webinar was Professor Mukesh Kapila, Professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester, UK, who spoke on building partnership for Covid- 19 and NCDs. Moving forward, he highlighted, there is a need for comprehensive health systems and usage of all resources to control Covid-19 and prioritise people who are vulnerable clinically and with NCDs.

The series has been launched with an objective to generate evidence on Covid-19 and specific chronic disease outcomes, and to disseminate the best practices in combating Covid-19 and associated co-morbidities. It also aims to strengthen the public health response for Covid-19 and NCDs by defining research priorities and discussing the psychological dimensions of Covid-19 from a clinical point of view.