October 19, 2022 - Read about how Hendrik Harbers views this years WHS and the current struggles and opportunities in the health sector.
This week’s central topics of the World Health Summit (WHS) are more important than ever. Just a glance at the agenda, shows that the world has understood the connection between human and planetary health based on the experience of the past years; and that there are many lessons to learn after the pandemic.
Whether these lessons will indeed be learned is not just up to the leaders of the world – it is up to all of us whereby the strongest shoulders will carry the most weight. This concept applies to an individual level but even more so on a national level: the most resourceful nations should continue to support other nations.
The past 2,5 years have shown what happens when nations join forces in the fight against a pandemic; and have also shown what happens if the fight against other viruses is temporary disrupted. The WHS’s topic of architecture for pandemic preparedness will no doubt build on the recently gained experience to better position the world, to respond to future pandemics.
The temporary disruption of the polio vaccination campaign has undone progress of many years, which has caused new outbreaks being reported in different countries. It is very encouraging to observe how many donors and UN agencies are stepping up to the challenge by doubling down on the fight against polio, while also increasing their efforts against malaria. Especially now that the first efficacious malaria vaccine is available on a larger scale, and more are expected to come in the near future.
The new malaria vaccine brings hope for millions, and just as with the COVID-19 vaccines, Berlinger is ready to support the distribution of these vaccines. Reliable temperature monitoring solutions go beyond ‘just’ the device. Robust and agile supply chains are also vital to reduce the risk of a single point of failure. That is easier said than done in a time of many disruptions in global supply chains and shortages of electronic components.
Just as world leaders apply lessons learned from the pandemic to better prepare us for the future, Berlinger's R&D use recent experience to inform product design and strengthen supply chains. Aware of the climate crisis and conscious of berlinger's stewardship, the company has launched the first climate neutral product in the cold chain monitoring industry, SmartSystem.
Berlinger is looking forward to reading about the results of this week’s WHS ‘Making the Choice for Health’ and how it will translate into action plans. This will further shape our next steps to continue to contribute to better health and well-being.
About the author: Hendrik Harbers is the Global Health Director at Berlinger & Co. AG.
Learn more about SmartSystem.