Five years ago, the world faced one of the greatest health crises in modern history. Since the WHO declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020, hospitals became the epicenter of an unprecedented battle: collapsing health systems, lack of resources, healthcare personnel at the limit and extreme pressure that tested the global response capacity.
Today, although the most critical phase is behind us and the pressure on hospitals has eased, the scars are still open. The pandemic left an indelible mark on hospital management, accelerating changes in infrastructure, protocols and medical technologies. In addition, the impact of long COVID continues to fill up surgeries, and the risk of new variants keeps health systems on alert.
Five years on, how has the hospital sector evolved? What lessons have healthcare professionals learned? This anniversary is an opportunity to analyze how the pandemic transformed healthcare and what challenges continue to shape the future of hospitals.