Why health budgets must not be cut amidst political and economic turmoil
In the current global situation, characterised by political and economic uncertainty, high energy costs, labour shortages and the rising cost of living, many government finance ministers around the world face difficult choices as they seek to balance their books while meeting other calls on their budgets, including defence. This makes it all the more important to protect and, where possible, to increase health budgets to safeguard our populations and ensure that our health systems are resilient to inevitable future challenges. Failure to do so means we learned little from the COVID-19 pandemic.