At the beginning of the pandemic, one of the first and most difficult lessons was that a country’s healthcare system is as much a part of its critical infrastructure as its ability to supply energy, water or food. When the infection wave reached its peak, many industrialized countries that were able to ensure that their citizens received good health care had already encountered bottlenecks. Too little protective equipment, too few beds, too little equipment and over and over again, the staff is not enough to help too many patients. Smart investment can alleviate these problems (partially through further digital medicine), but adding more technology is only part of the solution. Appreciation is also crucial-under the magnification of the crisis, it is clear that some societies urgently need to consider how to motivate people to join the health service.

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In many places, the shortage of medical services is no exception. For billions of people, this is an eternal fact. At least half of the world’s population does not have access to safe, affordable and timely medical services. Even in industrialized countries, there are health and medical gaps: in the United States, Covid-19 has widened the average life expectancy gap between blacks (72 years) and whites (78 years) to the current six years. Although the world has been paying attention to Covid-19, many campaigns to improve living conditions warn that the world has suffered serious setbacks in the fight against hunger, poverty and disease. This means that privileged countries and organizations now need to do everything they can to support the UN’s sustainable development goals now more than ever. At the beginning of the pandemic, one of the first and most difficult lessons was that a country’s healthcare system is as much a part of its critical infrastructure as its ability to supply energy, water or food. When the infection wave reached its peak, many industrialized countries that were able to ensure that their citizens received good health care had already encountered bottlenecks. Too little protective equipment, too few beds, too little equipment and over and over again, the staff is not enough to help too many patients. Smart investment can alleviate these problems (partially through further digital medicine), but adding more technology is only part of the solution. Appreciation is also crucial-under the magnification of the crisis, it is clear that some societies urgently need to consider how to motivate people to join the health service.