At risk of catching the corona virus, battling a lack of PPE and oxygen, treating patients in hostile environments while war planes drop bombs, and not being able to hug their loved ones- humanitarian health workers across the world are putting their lives on the line to help others during an unprecedented global pandemic.
COVID-19 has impacted aid workers across the globe in new and complex ways. Many aid workers have lost their lives over the first seven months of this year. Despite these dangers, thousands of them put themselves into harm’s way every day to support people under dire circumstances – sometimes at great personal cost.
Not only has this COVID-19 impacted health care workers psychologically. They are more vulnerable to this virus than general population because they are more frequently in contact with the infected individual. They have been required to work under stressful conditions, without proper protective equipment and had to take difficult decisions involving ethical implications without thinking about their personal interests and families. Health and social systems across the globe are struggling to cope. The situation is especially challenging in humanitarian, fragile and low-income country contexts, where health and social systems are already weak. Services to provide sexual and reproductive health care risk being sidelined, which will lead to higher maternal mortality and morbidity.
Therefore, to pay homage to health aid workers; WHO’S campaign presents the inspiring personal stories of humanitarians who are treating and preventing COVID-19, providing food to vulnerable people in need, providing safe spaces for women and girls in lockdown, fighting locusts and running refugee camps, all amid the pandemic.
Signup With IGI