The World Health Organisation (WHO), Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, has highlighted some of the key lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moeti spoke at a session moderated by Dr Ebere Okereke, the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Public Health Foundation, at the Africa Health Agenda International Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
The conference had the theme: “Resilient Health Systems for Africa: Re-envisioning the Future Now.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had on Dec. 31, 2019, announced detection of pneumonia of unknown cause in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
Within a month, cases are reported in five WHO regions, leading the health agency to hold an Emergency Committee meeting of its International Health Regulations on Jan. 30, and declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
On Feb. 11, 2020, it named the virus COVID-19, a choice that will help guard against the use of other names that might be inaccurate or stigmatising.
On Feb. 14, 2020, the COVID-19 infection was confirmed in Africa with the first reported case in Egypt.
On March 11, 2020, WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic due to its concern by its alarming levels of spread and severity, and the levels of inaction.
The high transmissibility of the virus led to panic among the global populace with countries effecting measures including lockdown, curfew, travel bans, and many persons broadcasting unverified information on how to prevent infection from the disease.
At the peak of the pandemic in 2020, increased hospitalisation, high mortality rate, shortages in medical supplies including personal protective equipment (PPE) left health workers and other frontline workers dangerously ill-equipped to care for COVID-19 patients.
The global community rose to the challenge with strategic cooperation leading to the formation of the ACT-Accelerator partnership, launched by WHO and partners, to support the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease.
L-R: Dr Ebere Okereke, CEO of Africa Public Health Foundation and Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa
Moeti said: “What we have learnt from the pandemic is that first, health is a determinant of development, a determinant not only of development but also of national security. That is what we saw from the COVID-19 pandemic
“It had such an impact on other sectors, economies, security across board. So, what that teaches us is that it’s very important to invest in health.
“It can knock out the economy, education and it can have positive effect on development. We can no longer refer to health as a social sector that is just swallowing up money.
“And then, secondly, we saw with great encouragement, that there’s a strong connection between politics, connections of politics, political leaders and health outcomes.
“And we saw it in the kinds of action that political leaders took to be the ones that convened the coordinating bodies that advised on what to do in response to the pandemic.
“We saw suddenly the leadership of health ministers, an issue for determinants to reach the highest political decision makers in countries for their action.”
She noted that it was encouraging and interesting that countries were involved not only at the national level but at the continental level.
Moeti said that African political leaders came together when they recognised that the continent was being disadvantaged, particularly in terms of access to certain tools.
She added that they created a platform which took decisions, actions, kept some champions and really made a difference.
“Thirdly, one of the questions we didn’t ask ourselves earlier as we were planning for the response to the pandemic was, what risks were there?
“What we saw was that since international goodwill could be vulnerable, then every country needed to look after itself.
“So, we need to factor that into our planning. But, I think more importantly, we will need to factor that into some of the global conversations that are going around the pandemic.
“Then, on the treaty, how countries should work together at the global level.
“So, I would like to really emphasise the fact that equity should move forward at all levels, at a global level and national level across the continent.
“And then finally, we also saw that it’s important to obtain tailored approaches that are relevant for countries,” she said.
Moeti affirmed that there were many discussions on the pandemic, about social media, lockdowns in African settings where people live in very crowded conditions, slums and others.
“But we saw some countries take courage and adapt some of the global guidance and make use of them for their own safety.
“And then finally, we really learned that communities are at the epicentre of everything that we do.
“The fact that as scientists and experts, we need to translate what we say so that communities will understand was one of the painful lessons of COVID-19.
“We need to articulate science in such a way that politicians can make the right decision, understand it, and be connected to communities.
“Before all of these, we need to be investing in all of these in peacetime, so to speak, so that we build the kind of resilience in our health system,” she added. (NAN)www.nannews.ng
