Health workers deserve support in the fight against COVID-19

Health workers deserve support in the fight against COVID-19

We have a lot to thank our health workers as they battle the raging, unknown and stealthy COVID-19 pandemic with heroic dedication. But distinctions are not enough and the need to rethink the entire health worker support system has never been more urgent.
The world faces a precarious global health workforce shortage and the pandemic has further underscored the enormous impact of this shortage. Health workers have had to deal with a calamitous influx of COVID-19 patients over the past two years, forcing many to work long hours, unvaccinated and without personal protective equipment.
Various studies around the world have captured the consequences of such harsh working conditions on health workers, many of whom suffer from fatigue, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and depression. In addition to this, the World Health Organization announced in a recently released discussion paper that COVID-19 may have claimed the lives of up to 180,000 health workers between January 2020 and May 2021.
These difficult working conditions are further compounded by the constant fears of health workers for the safety of their family members, which is made more difficult by the duties of care for dependents, such as children and the elderly. . More dramatically, many healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 for a long time, defined as exhibiting symptoms related to the virus for more than four weeks after the initial infection. For example, the latest UK Office for National Statistics survey found that 3% of healthcare workers in the UK suffered from a lengthy COVID-19, a figure significantly higher than other professions. No wonder the health sector is witnessing an exodus of workers.
It is widely accepted that the resilience of a population depends heavily on the robustness of its health system. Going forward, governments have a central role to play in supporting health workers in multiple ways to ensure that they are qualified, protected and have working conditions that allow them to thrive.
First, a national health workforce planning strategy needs to be formulated to map a number of important determinants, such as population growth, demographic changes, and epidemiological forecasts. With more and more countries committing to universal health coverage for their populations, the demand for health workers will experience unprecedented growth. Policymakers need to assess the number of health workers needed based on different specializations, qualifications and different geographies. It is imperative that rural communities receive a sufficient share of health workers to ensure that they are well served.
Thus, an ambitious recruitment campaign must be deployed to encourage students to pursue careers in health. It is also important to mention that countries should strive to build local health care capacity to ensure that a minimum of critical manpower is available to manage emergencies or epidemics. Thus, it is essential that the investment in the training of health professionals be strengthened, with the introduction of flexible financing solutions and scholarships allowing students to pursue a medical career. Continuing development programs should also be provided on an intermittent basis throughout the career of health workers, with particular emphasis on managing health emergencies.
Work-life balance solutions must be integrated into employment policies for health workers in order to maintain their motivation and protect their well-being. Many health workers face difficulties in providing care for their children while carrying out their duties at work. With schools and daycares forced to close during closures imposed by the pandemic, many parents have been placed in particularly precarious circumstances, causing burnout and stress from relentless juggling the two chores.
Progressive governments, like those in Austria, Germany and France, have sought to address this problem by allowing some schools and daycares to remain open to healthcare workers. For example, during the peak of the pandemic, Ottawa offered free child care to workers in essential and critical services in municipal child care centers. In another example, Romania distributed special allowances to health workers to pay for childcare costs.

Many suffer from fatigue, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and depression.

Sara al mulla

Investing in telehealth services for elective care services, gender equality policies, flexible working hours and manageable workloads can also improve work-life balance.
The physical and mental well-being of health workers must be the top priority. Access to vaccines and personal protective equipment is a crucial step in protecting them. Given the immense pressures that health workers face, it is vital that mental health programs are also deployed. Successful initiatives by various governments include the creation of helplines with trained professionals offering counseling, remote counseling sessions on stress management and prevention, outreach programs by psychologists at various workplaces around the world. frontline and mindfulness sessions to build self-care and personal resilience.
Financial assistance programs for health workers should consider special allowances for housing, work accidents, hardship, education and child care. During the pandemic, for example, governments offered health workers financial support in the form of one-off bonuses or salary increases for the duration of the crisis. France has distributed financial bonuses of up to € 1,500 ($ 1,690) to all health workers in public and private hospitals and nursing homes. On a more practical level, many countries, including Poland, Malta and Romania, have funded temporary housing for health workers who isolate themselves from family members. In other cases, such as in Hungary and the UK, health workers were offered free access to public transport.
The provision of quality health care is an essential part of the well-being of a nation. Decision-makers must design comprehensive and holistic strategies to support, protect and motivate health workers in the accomplishment of their noble mission.

• Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policies and children’s literature. She can be contacted at www.amorelicious.com.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the authors of this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arab News