Trillions of dollars, euros and yuan pouring into post-pandemic economies must build a "healthy and green recovery", 200 medical groups representing 40 million health professionals worldwide told G20 leaders Tuesday in an open letter.
The twenty nations accounting for 90 percent of global GDP should prioritise investment in public health, clean air, clean water and a stable climate in order to boost resilience against future health crises, said the letter.
"We have witnessed first-hand how fragile communities can be when their health, food security and freedom to work are interrupted by a common threat," the letter said, describing the COVID-19 pandemic that has sickened more that five million and claimed nearly 350,000 lives since the start of the year.
"These effects could have been partially mitigated, or possibly even prevented, by adequate investments in pandemic preparedness, public health and environmental stewardship."