To help countries in the Region, WHO/Europe has issued technical guidance to:
- make transparent and evidence-informed decisions about which health- and social-care services are essential and which may be postponed, deferred or delivered through other means; and
- train, repurpose and mobilize the health workforce to meet the surge in demand, protect the physical health of frontline health workers, and provide them with mental health and psychosocial support.
The technical guidance sets out 10 strategic and operationally focused actions to support health service planners and health-care system managers in the Region to maintain the continuity and resourcing of priority services while mobilizing the health workforce to respond to the pandemic.
Furthermore, as part of WHO’s global response to COVID-19, it has also updated its operational planning guidance to support the reorganization and maintenance of access to high-quality essential health services for all.