Global lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic

As part of RCGP's partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), RCGP International team ran a webinar on Global Lessons Learnt from the COVID pandemic. Some 600 participants registered for the event from across the world.

The webinar explored challenges experienced at the start of the COVID 19 crisis, ways in which health services adapted at speed to manage increasing demands and the public health lessons learnt during the pandemic. Four International experts took part to provide expert perspectives on topics including :

• Overall public health management approaches around the world
• Learnings from the healthcare response to the pandemic in the United Kingdom
• Learnings from the healthcare response to the pandemic in China 
• Learnings from the healthcare response to the pandemic in Nigeria

Webinar chair:

• Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick, Chief Operating Officer, The Royal College of General Practitioners 

Webinar speakers:

• Dr Jim Campbell,  Director, Health Workforce, World Health Organisation 
• Professor Martin Marshall,  Chair of Council, Royal College of General Practitioners 
• Professor Yuanli Liu,  Founding Dean, School of Health Policy and Management at Peking Union Medical College
• Dr Lola Dare, President , Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development 

Presentation slides:

Dr Jim Campbell

Dr Jim Campbell, Director WHO Health Workforce gave a global overview of the pandemic with some 102 million reported cases and 2.2 million deaths to date since it began. Key lessons included: ensuring adequate qualities and type of health workers; enact rapid mobilisation and redeployment policies/mechanisms; international solidarity to allow human resource investments; agile working with partners to gather data and  synthesise learning innovations.

Professor Martin Marshall

Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of RCGP Council gave a comparison of the UK against other countries. He outlined 5 key points:

• General practice in the UK is making a massive contribution to the COVID response
• Technology can and should play a greater role in the delivery of general practice but it must not become a transactional medical speciality - high quality general practice is based on effective relationships
• The population health or community health improvement role of general practice is currently under-developed and needs more attention in the future
• there is a large amount of bureaucracy in UK General Practice which adds little value and Is a distraction
• Integration between health professional groups and between health and care sectors is fundamentally important.

Professor Yuanli Liu

Professor Liu, Founding Dean of the School of Health Policy and Management Peking Union Medical College gave a China perspective from when the virus began early last year. China is now one of the few countries experiencing positive economic growth. Key points were:

• Science can help and save us
• Traditional measures still work including controlling infections, blocking transmission, and protecting the vulnerable
• Importance of leadership from the President downwards
• Solidarity goes a long way as we are all in it together.

Dr Lola Dare

Dr Lola Dare, President of the Centre for Health Services Training and Research and Development gave an overview of Nigeria's experience and lessons. These include:

• How 'fast and furious' the virus struck both Africa and the world with a need to respond across sectors
• No health service was prepared but some had residual capacity
• Urgent need for learning from regional/global lessons for national adaption
• Lockdowns do not work in parts of Africa
• Protect, support and resource a fit-for-purpose front line
• Invest in a technology-driven sustainable and equitable supply chain management
• Build public trust in health and anti-COVID measures through management of information
• Strengthen public health and social protection from public and other budgets
• Strengthen solidarity and health diplomacy.

All speakers felt it would and pointed to the need for learning from the current pandemic, recognising the challenge of making it more effective, to be ready and more cooperative globally.

The panel agreed on the importance of solidarity and investing in health and education.