The Ebola epidemic has taught the world a valuable lesson in how weak health systems and deadly viruses can combine to devastating effect. As international generosity funds a rapid response and our staff are being deployed in an effort to end the crisis, the whole world has been given a shot in the arm — and a reason to mobilize around comprehensive, reliable and integrated health systems.
Health crises like Ebola demonstrate the need for strong health systems but more than that, they highlight the links between health care and a child’s broader right to a happy and healthy life. Beyond the impact on health, there has been a devastating knock-on effect on education, for instance, with schools remaining closed in an effort to stem the spread of the disease. Child protection programs have needed to step up to support orphaned children coping with stigma and grief. The crisis is having an impact on food security, too. And so it becomes clear that the failure to instil robust and accessible health systems can have long-term, devastating impacts on people’s lives.
But of course, weak health systems are not only a concern while Ebola dominates the news; they are a perpetual, long-term challenge limiting the life chances of millions worldwide. Development assistance, for all the good that it does, can be criticized for being too short-term in its thinking. The business of building resilient health systems is not always the most compelling story — for instance, when was the last time you read an article in the mainstream media about the need for strong institutions to support the financing of health systems? But these are precisely the sorts of concerns that must be addressed systematically, long after the journalists leave West Africa and public attention turns to the next big issue.