How to prepare Primary Healthcare Facilities for Future Pandemics
Tracks
Meeting Room 1.63 - 1.64
| Wednesday, July 2, 2025 |
| 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM |
Overview
Speaker: Mrs Reshma Misra
Speaker
Mrs Reshma Misra
KZN Department of Health
How To Prepare Primary Healthcare Facilities For Future Pandemics
Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical vulnerabilities in healthcare systems worldwide, underscoring the need for robust preparedness and response frameworks. Existing, re-emerging and emerging diseases place an increased burden on an already constrained healthcare service. Risk of transmission is further exacerbated by long waiting times and overcrowding. This paper explores strategic and practical approaches to strengthening primary healthcare (PHC) facilities to ensure resilience against future pandemics. Ideal Clinic is defined as a clinic with good infrastructure, adequate staffing, adequate medicine and supplies, good administrative processes and sufficient bulk supplies.
Discussion
Emphasizing the central role of PHC in early detection, triage, and continuity of essential services, we highlight key areas including IPC, workforce training, explore digital systems integration and available resources accessible to patients, supply chain management and community engagement. It also examines the importance of adaptive policy frameworks and intersectoral collaboration to support scalable and context specific responses. By drawing lessons from recent global health emergencies, the paper outlines the role of IPC and essential supporting structures in a roadmap for transforming PHC into frontline defense mechanism capable of withstanding public health crises while maintaining core service delivery.
Conclusions
Strengthening PHC is not only crucial for pandemic preparedness but also to advancing universal health coverage and health system equity. Ensuring that PHC is equipped to handle any health threat by acknowledging and supporting IPC and provision of effective structure to support implementation thereof can protect and improve the health systems and community resilience.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical vulnerabilities in healthcare systems worldwide, underscoring the need for robust preparedness and response frameworks. Existing, re-emerging and emerging diseases place an increased burden on an already constrained healthcare service. Risk of transmission is further exacerbated by long waiting times and overcrowding. This paper explores strategic and practical approaches to strengthening primary healthcare (PHC) facilities to ensure resilience against future pandemics. Ideal Clinic is defined as a clinic with good infrastructure, adequate staffing, adequate medicine and supplies, good administrative processes and sufficient bulk supplies.
Discussion
Emphasizing the central role of PHC in early detection, triage, and continuity of essential services, we highlight key areas including IPC, workforce training, explore digital systems integration and available resources accessible to patients, supply chain management and community engagement. It also examines the importance of adaptive policy frameworks and intersectoral collaboration to support scalable and context specific responses. By drawing lessons from recent global health emergencies, the paper outlines the role of IPC and essential supporting structures in a roadmap for transforming PHC into frontline defense mechanism capable of withstanding public health crises while maintaining core service delivery.
Conclusions
Strengthening PHC is not only crucial for pandemic preparedness but also to advancing universal health coverage and health system equity. Ensuring that PHC is equipped to handle any health threat by acknowledging and supporting IPC and provision of effective structure to support implementation thereof can protect and improve the health systems and community resilience.
Biography
Mrs Reshma Misra is a medical technologist with considerable experience in all aspects of Medical Microbiology. She took a keen interest in education and training, policy development, quality assurance and participated in accreditation. She served on the Board of the University of Technology, Chairperson of the Microbiology Committee, assisted with College for Medicine South Africa exams and developed a Microbiology Training Manual for Student technologists and technicians.
Her interest in academia prompted her to complete the Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours): Infection Prevention and Control, for which she was admitted into the elite Golden Key and then the Master’s of Medical Science. She was awarded by the Infection Control Africa Network for recognition of original African research.
Reshma is currently the Assistant Director: Provincial Infection Prevention and Control – KwaZulu Natal, with 13 years of experience in IPC. She has contributed to the development of the section on hand hygiene in the Practical Manual for the Implementation of the National IPC Strategic Framework, developed many provincial documents and served on the national IPC technical working group.
