WHO: Once pandemic ends, we will be left with even greater challenges than before it started

Once the pandemic ends, humanity will be left with even greater challenges than before it started: poverty, hunger, inequality, noncommunicable diseases, climate change and more, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the 10th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Geneva, Report informs.

“We have to fundamentally change the way that leaders in politics, the private sector, and international institutions think about and value health, and to promote growth that is based on health and well-being for people and the planet, for countries in all income levels,” he said.

“The pandemic has shown that when health is at risk, everything is at risk. But the opposite is also true: when health is protected and promoted, individuals, families, communities, economies and nations can thrive. That’s why health must not be seen as a cost, but as an investment in productive, resilient and inclusive societies,” he added.

“It is time to move away from thinking of health as a component of the economy, and instead look at how the economy can support the societal goal of Health for All, as an investment that is the foundation of productive, resilient and inclusive economies. We cannot – we must not – go back to the same exploitative patterns of production and consumption, the same disregard for the planet that sustains all life, the same cycle of panic and neglect, and the same divisive politics that fueled this pandemic. The pandemic has brought us to a fork in the road. Behind us lies the path of business as usual – the path that led us to this crisis. Before us lies a new path: the path that leads to healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable societies.”