Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003675

Review

. 2020 Oct;5(10):e003675.

doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003675.

Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Karl Blanchet¹, Ala Alwan^{2

3}, Caroline Antoine⁴, Marion Jane Cros⁵, Ferozuddin Feroz⁶, Tseguaneh Amsalu Guracha⁷, Oystein Haaland⁸, Alemayehu Hailu⁸, Peter Hangoma⁹, Dean Jamison¹⁰, Solomon Tessema Memirie^{11

12}, Ingrid Miljeteig^{13

14}, Ahmad Jan Naeem⁶, Sara L Nam¹⁵, Ole Frithjof Norheim⁸, Stéphane Verguet¹⁶, David Watkins³, Kjell Arne Johansson¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneve, Switzerland karl.blanchet@unige.ch.
² Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
³ University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁴ Action Contre la Faim, Paris, France.
⁵ Global Financing Facility/World Bank, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁶ Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan.
⁷ Global Financing Facility/World Bank, Addis Abab, Ethiopia.
⁸ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁹ Health Policy and Management, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
¹⁰ Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
¹¹ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Universitetet i Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
¹² Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
¹³ Department of Global Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Bergen, Norway.
¹⁴ Department of Research and Development, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
¹⁵ Options Consultancy Services Ltd, London, UK.
¹⁶ Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Global Public Health and Primary care, University of Bergen Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Bergen, Norway.

PMID: 33028701
PMCID: PMC7542611
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003675

Review

Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Karl Blanchet et al. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Oct.

. 2020 Oct;5(10):e003675.

doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003675.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Geneve, Switzerland karl.blanchet@unige.ch.
² Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
³ University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁴ Action Contre la Faim, Paris, France.
⁵ Global Financing Facility/World Bank, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁶ Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan.
⁷ Global Financing Facility/World Bank, Addis Abab, Ethiopia.
⁸ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁹ Health Policy and Management, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
¹⁰ Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
¹¹ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Universitetet i Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
¹² Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
¹³ Department of Global Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Bergen, Norway.
¹⁴ Department of Research and Development, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
¹⁵ Options Consultancy Services Ltd, London, UK.
¹⁶ Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Global Public Health and Primary care, University of Bergen Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Bergen, Norway.

PMID: 33028701
PMCID: PMC7542611
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003675

Abstract

In health outcomes terms, the poorest countries stand to lose the most from these disruptions. In this paper, we make the case for a rational approach to public sector health spending and decision making during and in the early recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on ethics and equity principles, it is crucial to ensure that patients not infected by COVID-19 continue to get access to healthcare and that the services they need continue to be resourced. We present a list of 120 essential non-COVID-19 health interventions that were adapted from the model health benefit packages developed by the Disease Control Priorities project.

Keywords: control strategies; health economics; health policies and all other topics; health systems; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

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References

1. Graham WJ, Afolabi B, Benova L, et al. . Protecting hard-won gains for mothers and newborns in low-income and middle-income countries in the face of COVID-19: call for a service safety net. BMJ Glob Health 2020;5:e002754. 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002754 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Roberton T, Carter ED, Chou VB, et al. . Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study. Lancet Glob Health 2020;8:e901–8. 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30229-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Jamison DT, Alwan A, Mock CN, et al. . Universal health coverage and intersectoral action for health: key messages from disease control priorities, 3rd edition. Lancet 2018;391:1108–20. 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32906-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. World Health Organisation Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2020.
1. World Health Organisation, American Red Cross U.S, CDC, UNICEF, UN Foundation . More than 117 million children at risk of missing out on measles vaccines, as COVID-19 surges. Geneva; 2020.

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[1] Graham WJ, Afolabi B, Benova L, et al. . Protecting hard-won gains for mothers and newborns in low-income and middle-income countries in the face of COVID-19: call for a service safety net. BMJ Glob Health 2020;5:e002754. 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002754 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Graham WJ, Afolabi B, Benova L, et al. . Protecting hard-won gains for mothers and newborns in low-income and middle-income countries in the face of COVID-19: call for a service safety net. BMJ Glob Health 2020;5:e002754. 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002754 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Roberton T, Carter ED, Chou VB, et al. . Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study. Lancet Glob Health 2020;8:e901–8. 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30229-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Roberton T, Carter ED, Chou VB, et al. . Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study. Lancet Glob Health 2020;8:e901–8. 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30229-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Jamison DT, Alwan A, Mock CN, et al. . Universal health coverage and intersectoral action for health: key messages from disease control priorities, 3rd edition. Lancet 2018;391:1108–20. 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32906-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Jamison DT, Alwan A, Mock CN, et al. . Universal health coverage and intersectoral action for health: key messages from disease control priorities, 3rd edition. Lancet 2018;391:1108–20. 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32906-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] World Health Organisation Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2020.

[8] World Health Organisation Maintaining essential health services: operational guidance for the COVID-19 context. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2020.

[9] World Health Organisation, American Red Cross U.S, CDC, UNICEF, UN Foundation . More than 117 million children at risk of missing out on measles vaccines, as COVID-19 surges. Geneva; 2020.

[10] World Health Organisation, American Red Cross U.S, CDC, UNICEF, UN Foundation . More than 117 million children at risk of missing out on measles vaccines, as COVID-19 surges. Geneva; 2020.

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Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

Protecting essential health services in low-income and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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