COVID-19 underscored importance of investing in public health: WHO chief scientist

COVID-19 pandemic has underscored importance of investing in public health and primary healthcare, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, ting that at least a couple of coronavirus vaccines could be available by early next year.

dressing 15th JRD Tata Memorial Oration from Geneva, Swaminathan highlighted impact of COVID-19 on education, violence against women, reproductive health and services.

“Of lessons that I have learned over last nine or ten months, most important one is importance of investing in public health and primary healthcare," she said.

"We see examples of countries where investments in primary healthcare over past dece or two have paid off. On contrary, you have high income countries where y've been overwhelmed and haven't been able to put in place some of mechanisms that have been needed,”  she said.

Swaminathan said immunization for vel coronavirus may be available by early next year.

"We are working on vaccines, which hopefully by early part of 2021 we will have at least a couple of vaccines that have been proven to be safe and effective and that we can n start using in most vulnerable and high-risk populations,” she ded.

Emphasising on differential impact of pandemic on women and children, Swaminathan identified some key factors to dress ed impact that included social services for women employed in informal sector, importance of sex and disaggregated data and universal health cover schemes such as Ayushman Bharat.

On biggest learnings from COVID-19, Swaminathan said pandemic taught importance of global collaboration and solidarity, political will and leership and community engment and empowerment.

On impact of COVID-19 on maternal and child mortality in low and middle income countries, she said estimated cover of essential mor and child health interventions reduced by 10-52 per cent and prevalence of wasting increased by 10-50 per cent.

Population Foundation of India's Executive Director, Poonam Muttreja, said, “This year's oration is a special time for us – It is our 50th anniversary. JRD Tata is among our key founders. We strongly believe that if our founding fars were here today, y would be proud to see difference Population Foundation of India has me to lives of millions of people, particularly girls and women.”