Vol 5, No 2 (2020)
Editorial
Published online: 2020-05-28

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The outbreak of COVID-19 — medical leadership challenge

Eldad Katorza1, Arnon Afek1, Elon Glassberg1, Elhanan Bar-On1, Yitshak Kreiss1
Disaster Emerg Med J 2020;5(2):61-63.

Abstract

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak surprised humanity with its scale and speed. Starting in Wuhan, the capital city of Central China’s Hubei province, it rapidly spreads to East Asia, Iran, Europe and the United States of America [1]. So far, only a few countries on earth have not yet been affected by the pandemic. Dealing with an emerging new disease is particularly challenging and requires complex decision making and leadership, of both medical leaders and statesmen. Factors such as logistical and technological capabilities, medical staff training level, operational flexibility and leadership, will determine how well healthcare organizations (and nations) will cope with the challenge. In this paper, we present six major leadership dilemmas and possible solutions, in an attempt to provide tools that will assist in confronting such an extreme event.

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References

  1. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200226 sitrep-37-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=6126c0a4_2.
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