Public Health Management in the Face of a Crisis – Literature Review

Public Health Management in the Face of a Crisis – Literature Review
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Public Health Management in the Face of a Crisis – Literature Review
Public health management encompasses admirative, managerial, and organizational structures and systems required for the efficient, equitable, and effective delivery of health care services. At the time of writing this paper, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged countries across the world, exposing the fragility of the public health systems. Such an epidemic is among the crises that affect the management of public health as the world braces for more disasters such as climate change, migrant and refugee surges, terrorism, resistant antibiotics, and emergencies of scarcity, among others (Burkle Jr, 2019). At the moment, these crises are beyond the operational capabilities and decision-making of traditional disaster management structures and public health providers. The role of public health systems is to prevent and treat diseases to keep the communities safe and healthy (Bloland, Simone, Burkholder, Slutsker, & De Cock, 2012).
A crisis in public health systems is a danger to the health of communities. Crisis management refers to processes through which organizations navigate unexpected and sudden emergencies. In such cases, the crisis is ahead of the responders, and therefore, the responders must find solutions. Given the unpreparedness of such disasters, crisis managers must assess the seriousness and extend of the crisis and prioritize resources for upcoming events based on realistic goals and meticulous decision making (Panos, Dafni, Kostas, & Zacharoula, 2009). A crisis is often a result of undetected or neglected health risks or threats. Risks develop into crises in two ways. First is when the general public trust in decision-makers control has diminished significantly. Second, a chance may develop into a disaster when a health risk gets notable attention from the media.
Some crises can cause a complete breakdown of the public health system. COVID-19, for instance, has made hospitals a risk zone, so people with other health needs cannot access services. Furthermore, the rate of infection of a pandemic such as COVID-19 is such that all public health resources must be directed channeled towards resolving it. Conseque...