A call for urgent action to protect health professionals and carers

THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
L’ASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE, INC
ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL, INC
CIB Immeuble A “Le Keynes” Website : www.wma.net Postal Address :
13-A Chemin du Levant Telephone : (33) 4 50 40 75 75 CS 5001
01210 Ferney-Voltaire Fax : (33) 4 50 40 59 37 01210 Ferney-Voltaire
France E-mail address : wma@wma.net France
A call for urgent action to protect health professionals and carers
We mourn the loss of our colleagues and all the health care professionals. The COVID-19
Pandemic is leading to the death of many patients every day. And it is also taking a bitter toll on
those who are caring for them.
We express our solidarity with the physicians and all the health professionals, care workers, and
informal caregivers who are looking after patients every day. Much of the time they are doing their
work without minimum standards of personal protection. It is deplorable that even in the world’s
most affluent countries the simplest standards of protection cannot be maintained and HCP’s are
sent defenceless into the burning fire of infection.
Furthermore, there are not enough staff, not enough equipment, and not enough places in intensive
care units.
We therefore urge governments worldwide and the World Health Organization to:
1) Urgently provide all health care units in need with the necessary protective equipment
(PPE)
2) Set up sustainable supply chains for PPE
3) Prioritize the delivery of PPE to health care units
4) Build and distribute a sufficient number of ventilators to care for ailing patients
5) Assure the existence of a sufficient amount of beds (places) in ICU’s to treat all patients
without compromising ethical decisions
At the end of the present COVID-19 crisis, we demand a political investigation into the availability
and effectiveness of supply chains and the risks of globalization in world threatening pandemic
situations.
Prof. Dr. Miguel Jorge Prof. Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery
President Chair of Council