Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33694207›Full record

ArticleThe International journal of health planning and management2021

Navigating the health system in responding to health workforce challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Maldives (short case).

Sofoora Kawsar Usman, Sheena Moosa, Aminath Shaina Abdullah

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The International journal of health planning and management, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sofoora Kawsar UsmanPolicy Planning and International Health Division, Ministry of Health, Malé, Maldives.
Sheena MoosaResearch Development Office, The Maldives National University, Malé, Maldives.
Aminath Shaina AbdullahPolicy Planning and International Health Division, Ministry of Health, Malé, Maldives.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4870-5558

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Being a small island and low-middle income country (LMIC) heavily dependent on global markets for sustaining its basic needs and health system, Maldives faced specific challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was reinforced through tensions between the heavily centralized healthcare delivery and a partially decentralized public health system. Using the pillars of pandemic response proposed by the World Health Organisation, this article explores the planning assumptions, resource estimations and strategies adopted to equip the health system with resources for the pandemic response. The resource need estimates based on projections for COVID-19 identified a shortfall of medical professionals to care for patients while maintaining 55% of the workforce for regular healthcare across the atolls. The findings show that while the policy of lockdown bought time to increase hospital beds and devices, the country was unable to increase the healthcare workforce. Furthermore, as the lockdown eased, the exponential increase of cases took Maldives to the global one per capita incidence. Despite this, with cautious planning and use of resources, the country has so far managed to maintain low mortality from COVID-19. The lessons from this experience are paramount in future pandemic response planning, not only for Maldives, but other small island LMICs.

Indexed as

COVID-19Delivery of Health CareHealth ResourcesHumansIndian Ocean IslandsPandemicsSARS-CoV-2COVID-19health workforceLMICMaldivespandemic response

Identifiers

PMID33694207
PMCPMC8207061

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.