ADEZE OJUKWU
Coronavirus has forced the world to an unprecedented halt, leaving in its wake an avalanche of deaths and bitter lessons. The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, has become the most prominent victim of the deadly virus. He has since been buried at Gudu cemetery, Abuja. Among the lessons already leant is the urgent need to revamp the global public health structure. The sector has long been groaning for change, in countries, such as Nigeria. That change, has undoubtedly commenced.
But it has come at a phenomenal cost, precipitated by the dreaded virus, codenamed COVID-19. It is spurring an international action to advance human life and economic empowerment. As nations report new cases, World Health Organization(WHO) harps on physical distancing, hand washing, early testing and treatment. The pandemic has obviously, reached a tipping point, with community transmissions threatening high density populations. The crises has accentuated weaknesses in clinical services across nations. Many hospitals lack essential supplies and protective equipment, even for front line care workers. During 2014 Ebola epidemic, American philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates upbraided leaders for paying scant attention to this vital sector. Today the world is traumatized for this unjustifiable negligence.
‘If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war – not missiles, but microbes,’ he warned.
‘We have invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrents, but we’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic,” he explained. ‘Clearly, we’re not ready for the next epidemic. We don’t have a system to deal with the next epidemic,’ he warned.
‘World Economic Forum(WEF) simulation, in October 2019 showed we are unprepared for a pandemic, but it’s not too late to work together on COVID-19,’ he added. President of the forum, Børge Brende made similar submissions. ‘What did we learn? We are woefully unprepared. COVID-19 is the whole world’s problem and the most serious threat to global health security in decades.’ ‘COVID-19 demands global co-operation among governments, international organizations and the business community.’
The group’s Global Health Security leader, Ryan Morhard, said ‘outbreaks of infectious diseases are inevitable, but the economic damage is not.’ ‘Sustained attention from a broad multistakeholder coalition is needed in advance of a severe pandemic to save lives and minimize economic and societal consequences,’ he stressed. Indeed such a multi-sectorial synergy can de-escalate humongous health emergencies.
Millions of people remain vulnerable, while hundreds of doctors and nurses have died, despite billions of funds released to combat the epidemic. The world has never witnessed such a monumental humanitarian-cum-economic disaster, in recent history. Not even the Spanish flu had this tsunami-like force. Even the most sophisticated countries are petrified and overwhelmed.
Indeed no nation was fully prepared for an emergency of this magnitude, as efforts to stop the virulent devil seem deficient.
With millions of cases worldwide, United States (US), the epicenter, has the highest numbers, followed by Italy, Spain, France and Germany.
China, which reported lower rates, has been widely criticised for lack of transparency and racial discriminations against people of African descent in Guangzhou over a resurgence.
In Africa, the situation looks grim and complex. Its peculiar exigencies, pose serious factors for exponential spread of the disease especially in slums and conflict zones. Nigeria, with its intractable poverty and defective leadership is inundated.
Government’s characteristic inertia over critical issues may have compounded the burden. The country is currently facing grave consequences, for failing to respond promptly to early warning signals from experts to impose quarantine and containment regulations. Relevant agencies are scurrying to curb its foray into rural communities, mostly bereft of basic social-cum-health facilities and surveillance systems.
Director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC), Dr John Nkengasong said despite expansion of testing capacities and extensive training for medical workers, the region lacks critical emergency supplies notably ventilators. In an interview with John Hopkin’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr Nkengasong said: ‘We are in the morning of the outbreak at the moment. China is in the sunset. However I think our situation is getting complicated.’
Nkengasong, a virologist who worked for over two decades in the US CDC continued. ‘I am very worried about the virus seeding itself into vulnerable communities, like in the slums of most capital cities, or in refugee camps. There are quite a good number across the continent. That would be a big challenge.’ Latest report from Africa Center for Strategic Studies, identified risk factors in the region as ‘international exposure, weak health system, urban density and population. Others are population age, government transparency, press freedom, conflict and internally displaced persons.’
‘This multilayered risk portfolio underscores the vulnerabilities and the importance of limiting spread of the virus before it extends to high density settings.’ ‘High levels of poverty, weak health systems, and crowded urban areas, the virus could be particularly devastating. However some argued that Africa’s warmer climate, youthful population, and experience in fighting infectious diseases,’ enable it to overcome the scourge,’ it stated. Sadly the region is saddled with endemic socio-economic plagues.
Nigeria, for instance, recorded its index case through international exposure, but witnessed a rapid spread, due to ineffective management. Opposition parties and critics blame Federal Government for failure to enforce adequate restrictions of land borders and international flights, thus exacerbating the infirmity. Coronavirus has further unmasked the nation’s decrepit health framework. A recent statement attributed to Secretary to Federal Government and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19,
Boss Mustapha is revelatory. ‘I can tell you for sure, I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in the state in which it is, until I was appointed to do this work.’
Several decades of inadequate health investments have diminished the country’s capacity to grapple with basal medical conditions.
Maj (Ret.) Iwuozo Obilo summed it succinctly. ‘This pandemic has put our shared humanity into sharper focus and exposed decades of greed, selfishness, and malfeasance perpetrated by politicians on the nation, not just the poor, so easily forgotten.’
It is time for government to utilize the nation’s enormous wealth for the greater good of the populace.
Ojukwu a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow and journalist writes from Lagos via [email protected]