‘We need to pool our knowledge and strengths’: a conversation about international pandemic preparedness and cross-border health threats
At the launch event of the Dutch Global Health Hub in late September, members of the three communities of practice made each other’s acquaintance. One of these communities focuses on improving pandemic preparedness and minimising cross-border health threats, made up of representatives of a diverse range of organisations.
Improved access to essential health products worldwide
Taking future cross-border health threats and the right to health for all as their main themes, the community of practice brainstormed about possible solutions. One of the aims of cooperation is equal, affordable access to essential health products worldwide. During the introduction, the partners discussed ways in which they could work together to improve the regional production and distribution of medicines.
Successful cooperation is interdisciplinary
Carla Vos of the Innovative Medicines Association (Vereniging Innovatieve Geneesmiddelen) advocates global cooperation. ‘Health issues don’t respect borders, as COVID-19 showed us,’ she said. ‘In order to improve health worldwide, we need to pool our knowledge and strengths. That’s the only way to confront worldwide challenges, like antibiotics resistance and future pandemics. That’s why we’re taking part in the Dutch Global Health Hub.’
Dynamics between local, regional and global levels
Besides antimicrobial resistance (AMR), this community of practice also focuses on better policy on zoonotic diseases. ‘Here too, we all need to consider the dynamics between the local, regional and global levels,’ said Ana Maria de Roda Husman of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). ‘The Global Health Hub enables us to speed up local and regional capacity building worldwide in the fields of primary healthcare, climate change and health, pandemic preparedness, AMR, wastewater management and water quality.’
‘Health issues do not stop at national borders. In order to improve health worldwide, we need to pool our knowledge and strengths. That’s the only way to confront worldwide challenges, like antibiotics resistance.’
Carla Vos, Innovative Medicines Association