P009 – Countries’ Experiences on the Impact of Conflicts on Health Priority Setting

Many low- and middle-income countries are currently facing conflict, be it from war, political unrest, or sanctions. The consequences of these conflicts have led to a direct impact on access to and availability of health care services and goods. This has caused an increase in mortality rates posing a threat to public health.

The complex economic, social, and political circumstances resulting from these disputes provide significant obstacles for health systems to operate effectively. In this context, it is essential to highlight that in chronic and acute conflicts, differing impacts are at play. Acute conflicts are transient and temporary, while chronic conflicts exert prolonged and destructive effects but also provide opportunities for better planning to rebuild the health system.

Within this panel, the experiences of several countries such as Iran, Sudan, Somalia and Thailand will be examined in the context of priority setting within the prolonged context of chronic conflicts spanning several decades. These discussions will encompass various domains, including healthcare systems and health research, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges and potential solutions associated with health priority setting and its financing in the context of chronic conflicts.

This session is relevant to the sub-theme of priority-setting during crises: preparing for future health threats. Countries experiencing conflict need to be familiar with the challenges of health priority-setting in their circumstances and consider possible solutions to address them. Moreover, there is a need for effective collective action to introduce a practical way of setting priorities in fragile health systems.