The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption worldwide highlighting once again the interdependency of health and socioeconomic development, and the global lack of health systems resilience. Two years into the pandemic, most countries report sustained disruptions across service delivery platforms and health areas with a profound impact on health outcomes. The impact of these disruptions is magnified within marginalized communities and in countries experiencing protracted conflict. There is an urgent need to focus on recovery through investment in the essential public health functions (EPHFs) and the foundations of health systems with a focus on primary health care, and whole-of-government and -society engagement. The aim of this Research Topic is to gather, transfer and promote operationalization of key experiences from COVID-19 to inform global and country level recovery that better promote health; guide policy direction towards building health systems resilience; and thereby ensure economic and social prosperity. Experience with COVID-19 has demonstrated that traditional approaches to health system strengthening have failed to achieve the complementary goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health security with the divide between the most vulnerable and well-off only widening. Much of what had been learned from previous experiences such as Ebola in West Africa has not been widely applied. This has left health and economic systems vulnerable to 21 st century public health challenges, ranging from conflict and natural disasters to aging demographics and rising rates of non-communicable and communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance. These challenges require intentional focus and investment as well as whole-of-government and -society engagement with health to build health system resilience. Greater action is needed to prevent the devastating effects of war and conflict on the health of the most vulnerable. This Research Topic will convene the knowledge and practices of leaders in public health, health systems, and humanitarian and development sectors. This is to ensure lessons from COVID-19 inform the recovery agenda and promote sustainable health and socioeconomic recovery for all. Lest we forget and find ourselves again unprepared and vulnerable in the face of an even greater threat.

The UHC Partnership (UHC-P) is a collaborative agreement between WHO, several donors (namely: the EU, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Irish Aid, the Government of Japan, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Germany, Canada, Belgium and the UK Department for International Development) and a number of partner countries (currently, 125 partner countries across all six WHO regions) to support policy dialogue on national health policies, strategies, and plans (NHPSPs) and UHC -and it is part of the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care (SP-PHC). Its overall objective being to improve health sector results in concerned countries, it aims at building country capacities (and strengthening country processes) for the development, negotiation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of robust and comprehensive NHPSPs with a view on promoting UHC; health in all policies; and people-centered primary care -as indeed, investments in quality primary health care (PHC) will be the cornerstone for achieving UHC around the world. The purpose of this publication is to document accomplishments of the UHC-P in 2022 for the 125 partner countries. The annual UHC-P report serves as a single report to all nine donors supporting the Partnership. It will provide a synthesis of activities and results achieved in all the participating countries; present a range of country examples related to the major areas of work; and also elaborate on how the UHC-P achieved sustainable buy-in of partners and stakeholders at the country level in the different countries concerned.

Resilient Health: Leveraging Technology and Social Innovations to Transform Healthcare for COVID-19 Recovery and Beyond presents game-changing and disruptive technological innovations and social applications in health and mental health care around the world for the post-COVID age and beyond, addressing the urgent need for care. In this first-of-its kind comprehensive volume, experts and stakeholders from all sectors - government and the public and private sectors - offer models and frameworks for policy, programming, and financing to transform healthcare, address inequities, close the treatment gap, and “build back better,” especially for under-resourced vulnerable communities globally, to “leave no one behind” and advance development globally. Contributions from world experts cover 8 essential parts: The context and challenges for resilient health systems to shape the future; developments and directions (AI, VR, MR, IVAs and more); an innovations toolbox, also targeted for special populations and settings (women, youth, ageing, migrants, disabled persons, indigenous peoples, in the workplace); the role of stakeholders (governments, the public and private sector); forums and networks; innovative financing; resources, lessons learned and the way forward. Addresses the “hot” topic today in the ever-emerging landscape of disruptive digital healthcare delivery, covering critical issues and solutions in digital health, big data, and artificial intelligence as well as benefits and challenges, and ethical concerns Provides case examples of transformative and radical solutions to urgent health needs, especially in remote low-resource settings as well as in less well-covered regions of Central and South America and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Positions health innovations at the nexus of the global framework of Universal Health Coverage and of the United Nations Sustainable Developing Goals to achieve SDG3 - good health and well-being –at the intersection with climate action, gender equality, quality education, eradication of poverty and hunger, sustainable cities, environmental protection and others. Serves as an exceptional resource, reference, teaching tool, and guide for all stakeholders including civil society and NGOs, government, think tanks, investors, academia, researchers and practitioners, product developers and all policymakers and programmers involved in planning and delivering healthcare, including an extensive section of resources in the digital health space in various categories like publications, conferences, and collaboratives. Provides examples of, and encourages, multi-stakeholder partnerships essential to re-imagine health systems, delivery and access, and to achieve intended healthcare objectives

Health system recovery from disruptive events presents a window of opportunity for substantial improvements, applying lessons from ongoing or past experiences with shocks to build back better. Therefore, in addition to facilitating restoration to the pre-shock state, health systems recovery processes including planning can also address pre-existing and ongoing gaps, weaknesses and inequities by facilitating continuous and systematic improvement leading to better performance and resilience. This WHO technical product aims to support countries to prioritize and mainstream health system recovery through effective planning as part of efforts to build health system resilience in support of universal health coverage, health security and socioeconomic development. While this document is developed for application in recovery context, it is adaptable to other health system strengthening and reform processes initiated in recognition of gaps in health system functions, not necessarily in the context of a shock event. The target audience is health authorities at national and subnational levels in countries, WHO, other United Nations agencies, technical partners, and donors with a role to support health systems in any context.

The Syrian crisis is one of the most serious humanitarian disasters in recent history. Yet the widely reported numbers--more than 6 million displaced, including 5 million refugees--reflect only a fractional toll of the conflict. Numerous international organizations, states, and civil society movements have called for the laws of war to be respected, sieges lifted, and humanitarian access facilitated. But beneath each of these humanitarian appeals lies a complicated reality extending beyond the binary narratives that have come to define the war in Syria. Everybody's War examines the complexities of humanitarianism in Syria and the wide-ranging consequences for both Syria's populations and humanitarian responses to future conflicts. Organized by M?decins Sans Fronti?res, this edited volume brings together academics and humanitarian practitioners from across the globe to provide a multitude of perspectives on the politics of aid in the Syrian war. Contributors explore the humanitarian crisis behind the Syrian conflict through the history and fragmentation of Syrian health care, the role of international humanitarian law in enabling attacks on health facilities, and the lived experience of siege in all its layers. Further attention is given to the ways in which humanitarian actors have fed the war economy and joined the information wars that have raged throughout the region over the past ten years. While the Syrian crisis has been everybody's war, it has certainly not been everybody's victory. This volume shares the intricate story of aid delivery and humanitarian complicity within one of the defining conflicts of the twenty-first century.

This book presents the latest developments in translation and interpreting (T&I), which has been at the forefront to face the challenges brought by COVID-19. The contributions in the book contain both quantitative and qualitative empirical studies as well as personal accounts of the impact and opportunities T&I has faced in the global pandemic, covering topics including metaphor translation, delivery of and access to T&I services during COVID-19, renewed perspectives on T&I practice and profession, and technological applications in the T&I classroom. The various themes in the book, through examining the role and many facets of T&I against the backdrop of COVID-19, have demonstrated that T&I as a vital means of intercultural communication is assuming immense importance at a time of uncertainties and disruptions. As one of the books addressing crucial issues of T&I at a time of global crisis, this edited book is of interest to many T&I professionals, researchers, teachers, and students who have been impacted by the pandemic and yet showed a continued interest in T&I and its future emerging practice in the post-pandemic era.

Health system resilience is not an inevitable byproduct of any investment in health but must be intentionally programmed and developed with necessary input, investment and contextualization. This technical product aims to guide national, subnational and global health actors to operationalize the concept of health system resilience for advancement of universal health coverage, health security and ultimately better health for all. It supports the translation of relevant conceptual guidance and high-level recommendations into practical actions. The specific objectives are to: present a concise overview of the concept of health system resilience; provide a roadmap outlining practical and foundational steps for building health system resilience to be adapted to different contexts; share examples of actions and tools, including stakeholder roles, to support country application of the roadmap. The target audience for this work is the various stakeholders involved in strengthening health systems and public health including management of emergencies (from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery) and other public health challenges in countries. This ranges from the donors, policymakers and decision-makers at global, national and subnational levels to the implementing institutions and line managers of health system functions and services across the health system building blocks.

Tanzania’s economy is gradually recovering from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While IMF emergency financing (0.8 percent of GDP) in 2021 helped address fiscal pressures, preserve stability, and finance the authorities’ COVID-19 economic and health response, Tanzania continues to face development and reform challenges to unleash its economic potential. The authorities are seeking renewed Fund assistance to support the country facing protracted balance of payments needs associated with the two external shocks—the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine—and to support the authorities’ reform agenda summarized in their Five-Year Development Plan.