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Majority agrees Dutch government should invest more in epidemic preparedness 

News Health care
Netherlands -

The Netherlands must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and make sure we are better prepared against future pandemics. This is one of the main conclusions of a recent survey conducted by Validators.

A health centre in Ethiopia that runs with support from Cordaid.
A health centre in Ethiopia that runs with support from Cordaid. Image: Frank van Lierde/Cordaid

Epidemic preparedness is the ability to prevent a dangerous viral outbreak from turning into an epidemic or worse, a pandemic. As we saw with COVID-19, vaccines play a central role to combat a healthcare catastrophe. 

Insufficiently prepared

Aligning with the recent concerns expressed by the public health service in the Netherlands, 60% of the Dutch population believes that their country, as well as the rest of the international community, was insufficiently prepared to face the COVID-19 pandemic.  

More than 70% of the Dutch population agrees vaccines are crucial to preventing and fighting a pandemic and that the Dutch government should invest more in vaccine research and development.

80% of the population believes the Netherlands should be better prepared for a potential future pandemic. 

Global Health, Global Access

Cordaid has initiated this survey to support the message of its advocacy campaign Global Health, Global Access. 

Health is a basic human right. Cordaid wants to ensure that everybody has access to quality health care. By combining public awareness and policy-influencing actions, the organisation aims to restore the Dutch commitment to spend 0,7% of the Gross National Income on development aid, of which 0,1% should go directly to improving global health. 

In the meantime, Cordaid supports the work of institutes and global health initiatives like COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access), Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance) and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to achieve our common mission: good quality health care for all.