Addressing the Urgency and Magnitude of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India by Improving Healthcare Workforce Resilience

Abstract

AbstractThe sudden surge in COVID-19 cases during the second wave highlighted India’s lack of preparedness for critical care requirements in terms of infrastructure and human resources. It is the need of the hour to make efforts to build resilient and responsive health systems that are well prepared to handle the current COVID-19 pandemic and similar future threats. The challenges in the healthcare system during the second wave of COVID-19 included overstressed human resources in tertiary facilities, lack of trained healthcare workers, inadequate infrastructure at secondary-level facilities, and a shortage of beds, ventilators, medicines, and other requirements for tertiary-level care. Other challenges were lack of resources/capacity for setting up intensive care units (ICUs), unutilized ICU equipment at secondary-level facilities, and lack of operational planning, coordination, and support. Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported Reaching Impact, Saturation, and Epidemic Control (RISE) Program, Jhpiego is providing technical assistance in 20 states across India to respond to the urgency and magnitude of the second wave of COVID-19. It is identifying areas and modalities of implementation and aligning these to the country’s response to the surge. The project’s focus is on health system preparedness for present and future waves of COVID-19 including activities for strengthening critical care services, medical oxygen management, strengthening molecular testing laboratory, strengthening the health system to respond to future waves, and enabling effective planning and management of critical logistics. This is being done in coordination with the Government of India (GoI) and state governments and by involving both public and private sector/faith-based institutions and non-government organizations (NGOs).