Project Syndicate: Investing in Frontline Health Workers
Maha Barakat, board chair of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and research director at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi

“…The power of frontline health workers to improve global health has been proven time and again. … Yet the world continues consistently to underestimate the capabilities and contributions of frontline health workers. This not only undermines their ability to do their jobs effectively; it also puts them at significant risk, with widespread misinformation about vaccines, for example, fueling attacks against those who provide them. … Such conditions are discouraging skilled people from joining the ranks of frontline health workers. … Fortunately, the international community has started to recognize this. … [W]e must make better use of innovative financing mechanisms that mobilize private capital to support the creation of resilient health systems and a strong frontline health workforce. At the same time, steps should be taken to ensure the most efficient possible use of funding. … The final piece of the puzzle is technology, which can support health workers on the ground…” (9/27).