COVID-19 has laid bare that access to primary health care for everyone, everywhere is not only critical to the well-being of all people, but also to the stability, growth, and equity of economies and societies the world over. The pandemic has provided a painful reminder that individual health has a greater impact on our quality of life and is more interconnected with health across the globe than those with sufficient access to essential health services may have appreciated.
Building the resilient, equitable health systems necessary to achieve universal access to quality, community-based health care should be a priority for decision-makers across sectors. And there are some positive signs that leaders are reorienting approaches to health care, including G-20 nations’ creation of a global body to respond to future global health threats. Yet even if this profound crisis yields greater collective commitment to health for all, will front-line expertise and leadership be adequately valued?