The current COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be devastating for health systems globally. To slow the spread of the virus and reduce its toll, country leaders must manage strong systems-focused, multi-sectoral coordination, planning, and monitoring. To support countries, Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN) and the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (Accelerator) facilitated a year-long learning collaborative to help country leaders learn from each other on various topics, including how to create and manage cross-sectoral teams to mount a coordinated response to the pandemic, to develop pandemic/epidemic preparedness and response strategies, and to strengthen coordination across sectors and different levels of government to ensure a prompt and effective response.
On February 8, 2022, the JLN and the Accelerator hosted a final webinar to:
- Articulate key actions countries and partners will need to take to improve coordination of the COVID-19 response as we enter the third year of the global pandemic
- Highlight the key lessons and promising practices identified through the Collaborative’s work over the past year
- Reflect on the impact and value of the Collaborative to improve national responses to pandemics
The webinar included a moderated dialogue on the best practices for an effective national response to pandemics in low- and middle-income countries.
Opening Remarks
- Professor Samba Sow, World Health Organization Special Envoy for COVID-19 and Director General of the Center for Vaccine Development in Mali
Moderators
- Professor Raquel Duarte of the University of Porto in Portugal
- Professor John Ryu of Yonsei University in South Korea
Panelists
- Dr. Beza Aseffa – Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
- Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiano – Ghana Health Service, Ghana
- Ms. Meboh Abuor – Council of Governors, Kenya
- Mr. Steven N Kabwama – Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda
