Global healthcare delivery standards drop sharply since COVID-19 outbreak: WISH survey – The Peninsula

Global healthcare delivery standards drop sharply since COVID-19 outbreak: WISH survey – The Peninsula

Doha: A survey by the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a Qatar Foundation initiative, showed a sharp decline in the standard of care globally since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The study showed that the incredibly high workload during the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of healthcare professionals, bringing down the standard of care delivery globally.

About 59 percent of the healthcare professionals surveyed from the UK, US, Nigeria, and India agreed that their mental health has suffered due to working throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.

Nearly half (48%) recognised that this has adversely impacted their ability to provide a high standard of patient care, with 56 percent saying they were inclined to leave their jobs since the global health crisis began.

Commenting on the result of the survey, WISH CEO, Sultana Afdhal said, "While health and care workers routinely experience physical and emotional stress from working in high-pressure environments, delivering care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these experiences, leading to an alarming impact on the mental health of caregivers on a global scale."

"It is imperative that governments, health systems and industry leaders listen to those that have been on the front line and learn from their