RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
JF BMJ Global Health
JO BMJ Global Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e004111
DO 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004111
VO 6
IS 3
A1 Paolo Lauriola
A1 Piedad Martín-Olmedo
A1 Giovanni S. Leonardi
A1 Catherine Bouland
A1 Robert Verheij
A1 Michel L A Dückers
A1 Martie van Tongeren
A1 Ferdinando Laghi
A1 Peter van den Hazel
A1 Ozden Gokdemir
A1 Evelyn Segredo
A1 Ruth A Etzel
A1 Alan Abelsohn
A1 Fabrizio Bianchi
A1 Roberto Romizi
A1 Giuseppe Miserotti
A1 Francesco Romizi
A1 Paolo Bortolotti
A1 Emanuele Vinci
A1 Guido Giustetto
A1 Mariagrazia Santamaria
A1 Alice Serafini
A1 Samantha Pegoraro
A1 Raymond Agius
A1 Ariana Zeka
YR 2021
UL http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e004111.abstract
AB In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission and burden of disease, it is essential to ensure that there is adequate coordination of population-based health services and public health interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the primary and community healthcare (P&CHC) system’s weaknesses worldwide. In many instances, P&CHC played only a minor role, the emphasis being on hospital and intensive care beds. This was compounded by political failures, in supporting local community resilience. Placing community building, social cohesion and resilience at the forefront of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis can help align solutions that provide a vision of ‘planetary health’. This can be achieved by involving local well-being and participation in the face of any pervasive health and environmental crisis, including other epidemics and large-scale ecological crises. This paper proposes that P&CHC should take on two critical roles: first, to support local problem-solving efforts and to serve as a partner in innovative approaches to safeguarding community well-being; and second, to understand the local environment and health risks in the context of the global health perspective. We see this as an opportunity of immediate value and broad consequence beyond the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.There are no data in this work.