Our role in the response
More than ever THET is working to support health workers around the world. Our teams across the UK, Africa and Asia are working in partnership to support efforts fighting COVID-19.
Health workers stand on the frontline of this pandemic, without them there is no healthcare and
millions of us
would have nowhere to turn to.
Moments like these remind us of why we as an organisation exist: to work in partnership to build stronger, more resilient, health systems around the world which are equipped to combat pandemics like COVID-19. This pandemic strengthens our conviction and determination; we must redouble our efforts to best support health workers on the frontlines.
We are only as strong as our weakest health system, and whilst those with the strongest health systems battle to overcome the effects of the pandemic, it is fragile health systems that will be hit the hardest.
Working with our partners across the UK health community, we will work in solidarity to support health workers across Africa and Asia as this continues to move across borders.
THET has and will continue to work on the principles of mutual benefit, reciprocity and equality, not only acknowledging the global nature of health but highlighting at every step of the way how crucial it is for us to work in partnership across borders, to learn from each other and to show solidarity.
How our team are responding
With colleagues around the world, we have been working to ensure the safety of our teams and partners and wherever possible continue to deliver our programmes working to deliver quality essential health services, maintaining our support to health workers across Africa and Asia.
With all staff now working from home, Health Partnership activities curtailed and many of our Trustees, Honorary Advisors and partners working on the frontlines to provide care to patients, we are focused on working to support our global community wherever we can.
Staff in London are volunteering their time to help those in need, colleagues overseas are providing updates and guidance to Ministries of Health and Health Partnerships and we are all exploring new projects and ways of working that can support efforts to combat the pandemic.
As an organisation we are unable to offer a humanitarian response, but partnerships can help provide the grass-roots support that LMIC clinicians will need. Covid-19 is affecting every hospital speciality and every health worker. We encourage Health Partnerships to contact your partners and discuss how this might impact them.
Our COVID-19 response priorities:
- Launch the Health Worker Action Fund with the explicit aim of saving health workers lives.
- Adapt and expand THET’s programmes where appropriate to support wider health system responses to COVID-19 in low-and middle-Income countries (LMICs)
- Catalyse wider Health Partnership community action in the UK in support of LMIC actors.
- Work with international partners to raise support for actors in LMIC health systems.
- Capture learning and insight to inform Health Partnership approaches going forward.
How the Health Partnership community can respond
More so than ever, we are aware of the value Health Partnerships bring to the international health community. Thanks to the strong ties of trust, collegiality and professional respect built over years of partnership work, they are fantastically well-placed to ensure responses are targeted and responsive to local needs.
We know Health Partnerships can support each other by:
- Providing training and advice delivered through virtual means with well-established partners;
- Sharing and signposting of training resources and tools;
- Providing psychological support and solidarity by maintaining links;
- In addition, by continuing to engage within their partnerships, UK partners can benefit from frugal innovations and LMIC experience of dealing with health crises in low-resource settings.
