Strengthening Post-Ebola Health Systems: From Response to Resilience in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone - Paperback

by Ramesh Govindaraj (Editor), Christopher H. Herbst (Editor)

The Ebola virus outbreak ravaged parts of West Africa during 2013-16, particularly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The epidemic had very high human, social, and economic costs; food became scarce, schools were shut down, and ongoing development programs shifted to support the immediate response efforts. The rapid spread of the disease demonstrated the urgent need to invest in health systems and to establish surveillance and preparedness programs for long-term resilience. Strengthening Post-Ebola Health Systems was initiated when Ebola was still raging, in 2015. The book focuses on some of the most critical needs for public health resilience and emergency preparedness: adequate fiscal space, an effective health workforce, and ongoing disease surveillance. Drawing on the Post-Ebola Planning Strategies of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the book highlights key strategies and investment opportunities that governments and partners might leverage to make health systems more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. The lessons from this book are expected to help guide efforts to rebuild the health systems of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but they can also be applied to other low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This book will be of interest to policy makers, health practitioners, and development partners who support pandemic preparedness and health-system-strengthening efforts around the world.

Author Biography

The World Bank came into formal existence in 1945 following the international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements. It is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. The organization's activities are focused on education, health, agriculture and rural development, environmental protection, establishing and enforcing regulations, infrastructure development, governance and legal institutions development. The World Bank is made up of two unique development institutions owned by its 185 Member Countries. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries and the International Development Association (IDA), which focuses on the poorest countries in the world.