Health systems resilience
Health system’s resilience is the ability to prepare for, manage (absorb, adapt, and transform) and learn from disturbances, such as the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the focus is typically on sudden and extreme shocks, it is increasingly evident that the ability to transform and evolve will also be critical in meeting long-term structural challenges to health systems.
This page showcases some of the European Observatory's work on health system resilience.
From the perspective of those interested in health system performance, resilience means maintaining and ideally also improving performance of core health system functions, i.e. governance, financing, resource generation and service delivery.
Its ultimate aim is to ensure that a health system’s goals, especially that of improving the health of the population, can be maintained following a shock. As such, resilience is of relevance for all themes covered in the Observatory’s programme of work. On this page you can find our key publications as well as recordings of events where multidisciplinary experts discussed the subject.
Related publications
Flipbook: Read interactivelyIn an era marked by pandemics, natural disasters and geopolitical tensions, the resilience of health systems has never been...
This special issue of Eurohealth provides a pre-reader for the 2022 European Health Forum Gastein, one of the leading health policy conferences in Europe...
COVID-19 meant non-emergency procedures were postponed which led to backlogs of care (and particularly hospital and specialist care) in virtually all countries....
Health system resilience post-COVID: Moving towards more European cooperation (Eurohealth)
View onlineThe resilience of health systems and cooperation between Member States have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the...
La résilience des systèmes de santé post-COVID : Vers une plus grande coopération européenne
View onlineLa résilience des systèmes de santé et la coopération entre les États membres ont pris une importance particulière...
Rise like a phoenix: Health at the heart of a resilient future for Europe (Eurohealth)
This special issue of Eurohealth provides reflections on the main themes of the 2021 European Health Forum Gastein, one of the leading health policy conferences...
View onlineThe COVID-19 pandemic represents a health system shock of unprecedented scale. Health systems resilience – defined as the ability to absorb,...
Use of digital health tools in Europe: before, during and after COVID-19
This brief’s key messages are:Digital health tools hold the potential to improve the efficiency, accessibility and quality of care. Before...
Health system resilience is key to coping with catastrophic events, such as the economic crisis and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but there is much...
Health system responses to COVID-19
Many countries across the European region and beyond have faced another steep surge in transmissions and a continued challenge from COVID-19. This special...
Multimedia
Health system resilience and COVID-19: Lessons and strategies for building back better
COVID-19 as an opportunity to strengthen health system governance
Healthcare reform trends across Europe: What have been the key issues
Skill-mix for health system resilience: The role of patient navigators for providing integrated care
Skill-mix for health system resilience: How can innovations foster integrated care?
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign Up