22 May 2020 | Organisers: Global Health Centre, Women in Global Health, and GENDRO
The side event featured speakers including Shirin Heidari, Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Michelle Mclsaac, Sneha Krishnan, and Roopa Dhatt. They addressed various issues concerning women health workers, who constitute 70% of the total health workforce. Among the main issues raised were assaults on women health workers, the need to prioritize mental health and psychosocial support for health workers at all levels, challenges faced by women health workers due to prolonged wearing of PPE without sufficient breaks, the dearth of data on women, and the necessity to generate both quantitative and qualitative gender data to comprehend the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shirin Heidari emphasized the imbalance in health research resources and publications, which are predominantly produced and published by men, leading to greater visibility for their expertise. She stressed the importance of engaging men in conversations to address the gender data gap. The session concluded by emphasizing the imperative to focus on building resilient health systems, emphasizing the importance of supporting the health workforce and creating equitable environments for their support.
Event recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIO1r0s64EI&ab_channel=GenevaGraduateInstituteÂ
Event website: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/73WHA-Health-WomenÂ