Contribution of healthcare professionals towards the 2030 Global Health Agenda

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Ananya Roy, currently an intern at Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College Ahmedabad, India. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

As evident from the current Covid-19 pandemic, wars are no longer being fought with ballistics and mercenaries. Wars in the wake of this decade are being fought by PPE clad medical personnel. As the world reels under the pressure of this deadly virus, we realize that it’s imperative to reinforce the strength of modern medicine through a multi pronged approach.

Being a frontline worker, I can relate to the trauma and distress the medical fraternity has been through. Mental health issues have become rampant among healthworkers, now more than ever. Hence, it is vital that this issue is acknowledged and treated at the core because a healthy doctor indicates an effective healthcare system.

Having said that, as we hope to recover from this crisis, we need to take a step back and analyze all the shortcomings in the healthcare chain so we are better equipped to deal with such outbreaks in the future. The first hand experience of managing a pandemic is going to place the current batch of young healthcare professionals at an undeniable advantage. This experience can be put to good use as they are in a position to head planning committees for infectious disease control and research in the near future.

By 2030, we expect to see smarter planning, guidance and management in these situations. As the medical fraternity continues to form the backbone in mitigating this pandemic, it is expected that in the coming years, young healthcare professionals with unparalleled access to technical support and resources will not only be experts at handling virus outbreaks, but would also be equipped with the knowledge of dealing with the devastating mental agony that comes along with it. This ofcourse cannot be achieved without government aid. With sufficient funds, manpower and technology, the youth of today will be able to make a solid impact on the global health agenda by 2030.

This also means that with the expected rise in population by the next decade, a massive recruitment of health personnel is vital, mostly in remote areas like Afghanistan, Syria and Sub Saharan regions. Expert nurses and doctors can make a contribution in this recruitment as they strengthen midwifery and safer child birth practices in these areas since they are particularly prone to high maternal, infant and neonatal mortality rates. The aim is to ensure that nobody is left behind when it comes to receiving medical care. Even the most marginalized sections of the society can afford treatment readily. This can be achieved only when the locals join hands with healthworkers.

The main focus is to provide tertiary care in the remotest villages, train locals in CPR, triage and take preventative measures to curb morbidity and mortality from easily curable diseases. In the past, Leprosy, Smallpox and Polio have claimed millions of lives. But the fact that they are not as serious threats now as they used to be is an indication to strive for better.

About the author

Ananya Roy is currently an intern at Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College Ahmedabad, India, with an inclination towards writing in between her ward shifts. She believes that voicing concerns over issues keeps her in touch with reality, meanwhile feeding her creative conscience. Loves animals, dogs in particular, strong advocate for women’s rights and takes a staunch interest in lending voice to the voiceless and oppressed. Roy dreams of opening a shelter home for strays in India and embark on rescue missions to save dogs from the slaughterhouses of Taiwan, Bali and Cambodia.