The health sector has been at the front of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic – both in terms of leading the response, as well as baring a huge proportion of the impact. Health systems in many countries have been ‘pressure tested’ to utilize and find creative solutions to the questions raised by this pandemic. Inequalities have been documented on how COVID-19 has affected certain communities more than others, in terms of race, socio-economic status and gender. COVID-19 has brought social disparities and the fault-lines of marginalization in society into sharp focus. This has been visible both for the health workforce as well as for the people for whom the sector has provided life-saving care. This session will include a personal reflection from a frontline healthcare worker in Italy who has recovered from COVID-19, followed by talks on emergency responses, disparities in health, migration and displacement and community based health measures in the response to COVID-19.
