Over one year into the Covid-19 pandemic, about 90 percent of the world’s 105 countries surveyed still report disruptions to their essential health services, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
A recent WHO survey has found that about 66 percent of countries continue to report health workforce-related reasons as the most common cause of service disruptions, and in nearly one-third of countries supply chains are also still disrupted, affecting the availability of essential medicines, diagnostics, and the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to safely and effectively provide care, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
More than half of the countries surveyed reported service disruptions due to patients not seeking care, because of community mistrust and fears of becoming infected, while 43 percent cited financial challenges as a major cause of the disruption.
