The COVID-19 pandemic has been called the worst public health crisis in a generation. The cost – in human lives, in jobs, in opportunities and outcomes – will be tragically high. Many organisations, including the OECD and WHO, have long warned that health and well-being are key components of economic growth.
Today, the pandemic has indeed highlighted that ‘health is wealth’, in the sense that healthy populations contribute to the social and economic growth of countries and regions. The pandemic has shown Europe needs a much more holistic approach to health; for example, there is strong evidence that people with obesity-related conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are at significantly higher risk of developing complications from Coronavirus.
Does the impact of COVID-19 teach us that health been neglected as a key component of economic growth in the EU? How can Europe build more resilient health systems, incorporating prevention and digitalisation to boost public health? What should Europe’s health priorities be in the future, and what are the worries and concerns of young European citizens when it comes to public health?
On Wednesday 23 September 2020 at 18:00 CEST, Debating Europe streamed a debate on the future of European public health in the wake of the pandemic. We put questions and comments sent in from our readers to a panel of experts.
Taking part on the panel:
- Mihai Negrea, Interim Director, World Bank Project Management Unit, Romanian Ministry of Health
- Michele Calabrò, Policy Adviser, European Patients’ Forum & Young Forum Gastein Taskforce Member
- Andrzej Rys, Director, Health Systems, Medical Products and Innovation, DG SANTE, EU Commission
- Kalliopi Kalaitzi, Physician & Friends of Europe EYL
- Nicolás González Casares, MEP (S&D)
Public health after COVID-19: Has the pandemic shown that ‘health is wealth’? How can Europe build more resilient health systems, incorporating prevention and digitalisation to boost public health? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
IMAGE CREDITS: Photo by Mārtiņš Zemlickis on Unsplash
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Thanks, nice
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Its horizon is sustainable development “through the awareness that animals provide us with their help by giving us back the relationship with the ecosystems present in a natural environment, the awareness of being part of the ecosystem liturgy”.
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if we want a healthy environment we must keep to the rules that rule nature.
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I think it’s rather showing that wealth is health.
J aimerai bien en Français please
Like opbviously healthy populations will be able to work harder better, and in that way will contribute well to the economy. Did we really need pandemic to sjhow us this??
If the pandemic has shown anything it’s that ‘wealth is health’
Covid has become a global health emergency, and a massive economic shock which will blight the lives for many for years to come, however let’s not forget that regardless of Covid…a child under 15 dies every 25 seconds…mostly from preventable disease
Stop covid psychosis, this is crazy!!!!
There is a virus called hunger that kills 7000 children a day but no one talks about it because it doesn’t kill the rich.