The world has seen the disturbing impression of epidemics comparable to cholera, smallpox, leprosy, measles, polio, yellow fever, COVID-19 and Ebola. These outbreaks haven’t solely claimed hundreds of lives however have additionally wreaked havoc on economies, healthcare techniques, and societies as an entire. The query that arises is, might these catastrophic penalties have been prevented or mitigated if nations had been higher ready for such epidemics?
The reply, in fact is sure. The neglect of epidemic preparedness has confirmed to be a expensive gamble, with dire penalties for many who have chosen to disregard the warnings and suggestions of specialists within the discipline. The shortage of funding in healthcare infrastructure, surveillance techniques, and response mechanisms has left many nations ill-equipped to deal with the fast unfold of infectious illnesses.
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious illness that spreads by means of human populations throughout a big area, a number of continents or globally. These are illnesses that infect people and might unfold simply. Pandemics develop into disasters after they trigger massive numbers of deaths, in addition to sickness, and have extreme social and financial impacts.
Epidemics and pandemics could be prevented and mitigated by means of a variety of family and group measures, such nearly as good hygiene and sanitation, handwashing, vaccination, use of antiviral medicines, social distancing, good scientific follow, proactive surveillance, early warning techniques, vector management amongst others.
One of the obvious examples of this neglect was the case of COVID-19. Regardless of warnings from public well being officers and specialists concerning the potential for a worldwide pandemic, many nations have been caught off guard when the virus started to unfold quickly. The shortage of testing capability, private protecting gear (PPEs) and hospital beds left a toll on healthcare system main to very large deaths.
It is for that reason that SEND Ghana, a civil society organisation (CSO), rallied its community members to petition the Presidency and Parliament for the institution of a Public Well being Emergency Fund (PHEF) to allow the nation to reply adequately to epidemics. The petition obtained endorsement from nearly 600 people and different CSOs in 2022.
In line with SEND Ghana and its companions, the impression of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressure it placed on the well being sector underscored the significance of such a fund—PHEF.
The petition mentioned the thought of a PHEF was nothing new however originated from the federal government itself by means of a coverage to arrange the PHEF as a part of the nation’s Medium-Time period Nationwide Improvement Coverage Framework (MTNDPF) from 2022 to 2025.
“Such a fund can be important in serving to improve resilience in Ghana’s well being system to organize and reply with urgency to present public well being dangers and future epidemics and pandemics,” the petition indicated.
The petition additional indicated that even with none new epidemic, the nation proceed to expertise re-occurring illness outbreaks comparable to cholera, meningitis and influenza, which must be dealt with successfully and effectively.
It might be recalled that Ghana scored poorly within the 2021 International Well being Safety Index, which was a measure of nations’ preparedness to forestall epidemics. Ghana scored 27 out of 100 with no change from 2019. Which means that there’s extra work to be executed, significantly within the areas of constructing infrastructure, buying medical logistics, creating human sources, and investing in well being analysis.
Paul Welaga, a Senior Analysis Officer Navrongo Well being Analysis Centre (NHRC) is of the view that the important thing to managing epidemics lies in investing in epidemic preparedness and response.
This he emphasised embrace strengthening healthcare techniques, enhancing surveillance and monitoring capabilities, and constructing capability for fast response to outbreaks.
He mentioned it additionally required worldwide cooperation and coordination to make sure a unified and efficient response to international well being threats.
He mentioned although the price of neglecting epidemic preparedness was excessive, the worth of inaction was even greater.
“It’s time for nations to prioritise public well being and put money into the mandatory infrastructure and sources to forestall future epidemics from spiraling uncontrolled. The stakes are too excessive to proceed playing with the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of individuals world wide. It’s time to take motion and be certain that we’re ready for the subsequent inevitable well being disaster” he acknowledged.
Dr Welaga mentioned funding for analysis was very key and was the idea for no matter researchers do.
He mentioned if there was no funding, one couldn’t have the proper gear in place saying “you can’t have the wanted reagents that you should do the testing”.
He mentioned you want to have the ability to check and provides very dependable outcomes including that you just want some huge cash to get them.
“Correct prognosis is essential. It is best to have the ability to say any person has the an infection, if the individual actually has it. If an individual doesn’t have it, you must also have the ability to check and precisely say the individual doesn’t have that an infection. In terms of the COVID, individuals must be quarantined if they’ve the an infection” he acknowledged.
Dr Welaga added that if you’re not in a position to precisely diagnose, then samples can be delivered to you, and you’ll say, oh, it’s unfavourable. In the meantime, the individual has the an infection.
So, if that one individual is left to be shifting round, she or he will unfold the an infection.
Talking on whether or not the Nation has the capability to deal with epidemics he mentioned some infrastructure has been developed following the emergence of COVID-19. However referred to as on authorities for extra to be executed in preparation in the direction of the subsequent epidemic.
The President of the Ghana Affiliation of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS), Dr. Abu Abudu Rahamani in an interview confused the necessity for Ghana to arrange an epidemic preparedness and response fund.
For him, will probably be “disastrous” ought to the nation fail to arrange a devoted fund and put together itself adequately when it comes to logistics and human sources to deal with any future outbreaks.
He defined that establishing an epidemic preparedness and response fund will allow the nation to reply well timed to the threats of sure illness outbreaks including that it has develop into important and a must-do for the nation to have a fund that it may well simply fall on ought to there be any epidemic or outbreak within the nation.
He mentioned will probably be incorrect for the nation to attend for an outbreak of a illness earlier than marshaling efforts to include it.
For him, contemplating the impression of the COVID-19 pandemic along with different rising threats of infectious illnesses, the nation has no different possibility than to organize itself, financially and logistically, to answer the threats of epidemics.
For him, even within the absence of rising epidemics or outbreaks, sure illnesses are seasonal in some elements of the nation which could be dealt with successfully when sufficient preparation and responses are deployed.
“We all know some circumstances. So, ours is to guarantee that we get the mandatory funding and logistics; get the mandatory professionals well-trained and have our services prepared. We shouldn’t look ahead to epidemics to occur earlier than we begin creating some services to include them,” he defined.
Mr Jalil Yusif, a Neighborhood Chief at Navrongo mentioned authorities ought to put aside portion of the nation’s Gross Home (GDP) for analysis including that authorities after authorities has pledged to it however has by no means occurred as a result of the cash was at all times not sufficient for different issues.
He subsequently charged the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to put aside a devoted price range to finance epidemic preparedness and response within the nation, explaining that setting apart a devoted price range by the Ministry for epidemic preparedness and response will present an sufficient response to the specter of epidemics and guarantee equitable and efficient well being care supply in occasions of outbreaks of any illness.
Mr Yusif additionally expressed concern that many Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) throughout the nation wouldn’t have funds to help epidemic combating on the district degree, a scenario he mentioned wanted to be modified.
He bemoaned how a lot of the funding that the nation had for analysis got here from exterior donors.
Ms Gifty Owusua Asiedu, Resident, Navrongo, defined that establishing a devoted fund for epidemic preparedness and response “will assist to strengthen inter-governmental, private and non-private sector collaboration to enhance well being service supply and include future epidemic outbreaks.”
Including his voice, Mr Alfred Amanor CEO of Regality, a Style agency acknowledged that epidemic might have important impression on the financial system, resulting in disruptions in provide chains, decreased client spending and total financial instability and that establishing an Emergency Preparedness Fund can mitigate these dangers and make sure the continued functioning of companies.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
…. to be continued
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