After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic and despite the measures that have been taken in the meantime, humanity remains “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, warns the report that accompanies the publication of the second World Health Index (2021 Global Health) Security Index), which ranks 195 countries according to their estimated ability to respond to future epidemics and pandemics. The US ranks first, while Greece is in 42nd place, although the main conclusion of the authors of the Index is that no country is currently at the desired stage in terms of preparing for such serious health crises.
The Index was created by the Center for Health Safety of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, the Economist Impact, and the international nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative. More than 90% of countries – nine out of ten – have no plans to distribute vaccines or medicines during an emergency, while 70% or seven in ten have insufficient capacity in hospitals, clinics and health centers, according to the report. While many states have raised funds to tackle Covid-19, few have invested in generally improving infrastructure and overall preparedness for a future health crisis.
As epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Nutso of Johns Hopkins told the New York Times, “If political leaders do not act to ensure that what we have achieved through hard work in the midst of Covid-19 will not be lost after its end of the pandemic, we may be back, where we started or even worse. “
The Index rates each country on a scale from 0 to 100 based on various criteria (health system, health workers, scientific laboratories, supply chains, health infrastructure, trust in government, etc.). The average score of all countries is 38.9 (compared to 40.2 in 2019, when the Index was first published) and no country exceeds the threshold of adequate preparation which is over 80, as well as the top US scores with 75 , 9. Australia, Finland, Canada and Thailand complete the top five (surprise).
Greece, with a score of 51.5, is in 42nd place, just below Italy (51.9) and above countries such as 46th Turkey (50), 47th Russia (49.1), 52nd China (47 , 5) and the 53rd Israel (47.2).
Other scientists have expressed skepticism as to whether the United States is indeed the best-prepared country in the world for another pandemic. Nutso clarified that the Index reflects how many tools and resources a country has at its disposal and can not predict whether these tools will be used quickly and efficiently in an emergency. As he put it, “just because something is on paper does not mean it is going to work.”
The report suggests, among other things, that countries include in their national budgets specific funding for health insurance and related preparation. It also proposes closer cooperation between governments and the private sector in the field of early preparation, as well as greater activation of charities in this direction.
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