The meeting, held in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa (SA) was a four-day gathering that brought together health leaders, policymakers, and global experts to strengthen international cooperation in pandemic preparedness and prevention.

According to Dr Anban Pillay from SA’s Department of Health, countries must be financially prepared to respond the moment a pandemic is declared. He said ministries of health and national treasuries must have concrete plans in place to release funds without delay in the event of a global health emergency.

“This morning we had a joint financing in health task force meeting. It's the health ministries together with the treasuries talking about financing of various aspects of preparedness,” Pillay said. “One of which is what we call day zero financing. So, if a pandemic started tomorrow, each treasury must have a plan on where the money is going to come from.”

Pillay emphasised that national health institutions must also be sufficiently resourced and supported to serve as the frontline response agencies when outbreaks occur.

“We also spoke about how national health institutions should be appropriately funded and resourced, so that when a pandemic does arrive, they’re able to respond effectively because they would be the primary response vehicle for most countries around that,” he added.

The G20 meeting, which included representatives from both developed and developing nations, underscored the importance of global solidarity in pandemic response planning. Delegates also discussed mechanisms to improve health system resilience, vaccine access, and international data sharing.

--SABC/ChannelAfrica--