Prioritising women’s and girls’ health in disaster settings: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the overlapping crises affecting Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed strain on healthcare systems across the world; however, countries experiencing overlapping crises such as economic or political unrest face immense pressure in ensuring routine healthcare services can continue to operate. Despite being less likely suffer severe disease or die from COVID-19, data suggest women have experienced poorer mental health, higher rates of unemployment, and more social isolation during the pandemic. In general, we know women and girls experience multiple forms of disadvantage in disaster contexts including being more likely to become homeless, work as an unpaid carer, and to experience poverty. Research from previous disaster contexts has demonstrated that women’s healthcare services tend to be deprioritised in the emergency response, and reports suggest this has been the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper highlights key priorities for safeguarding women’s and girls’ health in disaster contexts, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, by drawing on learning from the multiple crises facing Beirut, including responding to the pandemic, economic collapse, and the Beirut Port Explosion in 2020.

KEYWORDS:

• Women’s Health
• Disaster Management
• Public Health
• COVID-19

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the anonymous reviews and editorial feedback from Global Public Health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

KS is supported by a UK National Institute for Health Research Academic Clinical Fellowship.