The novel coronavirus pandemic has had some devastating effects on the world in a manner that has left the leaders, the led, the rulers, the ruled, the indigents, the affluent, the weak, the mighty, the theists, the atheists, the good, the bad; all affected in one way or the other even if, some hold divergent views on how it originated.
With some public figures, some others refer to as the proponents of conspiracy theories, alleging that it is a” biological weapon” created for some purposes which are closely related to economics and politics among other things.
Whatever your stance is or how you behold this existential threat, you must comprehend and regard this as what it is, an existential threat.
Rarely, has the world or probably never has the world been so hit by a pandemic of this magnitude. Glaringly, not by the number of those infected or deaths. As it stands more than 700,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus, this is a tiny fraction compared to the “black death”. “which killed an estimated 75–200 million people in the 14th century. Other notable pandemics include the 1918 influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) and the 2009 flu pandemic (H1N1). Current pandemics include HIV/AIDS and the 2019 coronavirus disease, which was declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020 by the World Health Organization”. The “Spanish flu” of 1918 which infected over 500 million and within 1 and half years 50 million people were dead.
whatever you do, wherever you may be, whichever business you do, you have been directly or indirectly affected by this Coronavirus pandemic. From the schools closed, series of flights cancelled, appointments jettisoned, wedding ceremonies postponed, seminars, conferences; put on hold, sporting events called off; talking about the “Euro 2020”, the “Tokyo 2020 Olympics”, etc. This pandemic has indeed affected us in a vivid manner that will leave an indelible mark in the history of the world.
Definitely, this will be discussed for decades, scores of years and even centuries to come. Long after we must have departed.
But what should occupy our minds now is how we can address the comatose state our healthcare system is. For so many years this crucial sector has been underfunded, unappreciated or underappreciated or even glaringly neglected.
This has led to the sector being where it is. But for the masses it is all that we have ever had, while the affluent particularly those at the helm of affairs patronise foreign medical services often at the expense of our own healthcare system. This does not imply that if we have had a world class healthcare system, it would prevent infections of this Coronavirus pandemic. But it would definitely have made us better prepared to face this pandemic.
We have seen even the best healthcare systems and advanced countries being overwhelmed by this novel virus. Thus, I am clearly aware of this undeniable fact. But if our healthcare system over the years has been given ample priority, we would be in better position to curb and possibly address it, when it reaches the stage Italy, Spain, USA, Iran and some other countries are and China was. Yes, the Chinese have had a decline in new infections and shown signs of being in control of the pandemic now, as against when they seemed helpless some weeks back, at the peak of the pandemic in China. China is planning to end two _month coronavirus- Wuhan lockdown April 8.
While I empathise with all those infected irrespective of their political position or level of social strata, we must accept in one way or the other, things have not been done rightfully by authorities in different arms and tiers of government. This coronavirus pandemic proves this. Ironically, all Nigerians regardless of their position in the society are now at a mercy of a healthcare system that has been neglected for years.
As almost all the countries are battling with coronavirus in one way or the other, most of them are obviously overstretched. So, few of them could admit any Nigerian flown there for treatments now. Given the fact that most of their countries are at the receiving end of convid_19 brutal and excruciating strokes. It is wiser to remain home or even return home at least, as we have seen many Nigerians abroad do though the latter, if not properly managed put more people at risk.
Dr Nura Alkali, a consultant neurologist had this to say about the neglect of the health sector in Nigeria and I quote. ” If Coronovirus has done us any good, it is forcing us to see how bad our healthcare system is.
Many citizens who never spared a word on our poor health facilities are now advocates of more government funding. And VIPS who would fly to London for headache are now on treatment at teaching hospitals lacking good ICUs and enough ventilators needed to treat the critically ill. Of course hospitals managers are also to blame in some of these shortfalls. On this pages, I have written of hospitals buying SUVs for management staff while vital tests are lacking for want of reagents that cost less than a million Naira. Still, it was the government that allowed it, he wrote on his Facebook page.”
Doctor Nura asserted some of the stark realities on ground which need to be tackled thoroughly if we are to improve our healthcare system. It is my hope and prayer that we learn the vital lessons this novel virus has exposed us to. That no matter what, we have no any other country than Nigeria. Therefore, we must always strive to contribute our quota to its development.
I cannot imagine what fate would await most of our leaders if this coronavirus pandemic disease was to be managed the way my friend and brother suggested, Sanusi Hammaseyo suggested that every leader should be treated in the place they are used to, “I protest taking the those who used to take medication abroad to take medication now in our local hospitals. Let them go to where they were used to, he stated.”
Nafiu Tanimu Kalajanga summed up the situation we are in today: “The system forced microbiologists to take up comedy. The system has forced medical doctors to seek refuge in tailoring. The system has forced biomedical engineers to become DJ. The system now wants them to volunteer, he stated on Facebook”.
You could obviously see that we did not do what we should have done especially, when we earned much more. But if anything, could have brought this to the fore front. This pandemic virus has. With realities that have shown, a lot of opportunities were not utilised. Although, we can and should learn lessons from this; and use them to build a much better country for all Nigerians.
A country where things work for the benefit of all Nigerians irrespective of the faith they profess, where they hail from or the position they hold in the society. We must grasp that a great country can only be built by responsible citizens who participate actively in making things great. We must unite and understand that despite our well documented differences. It is our willingness, fortitude and determination to unite for the betterment of this country that will take us to where we ought to be.
I want to seize this opportunity to thank and appreciate some of our leaders and all our medical personnel who have done their very best in containing the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. These people continue to lead our response team as we battle against one of the most terrible pandemics that have disrupted the normal schedules of the vast majority of the world.
I thank them for their sincere service to our nation in the face of clear and grand danger. You all out there are the true heroes and heroines of our country. And we obviously appreciate all your efforts from the cleaners in our various health centers up to the heads of our various hospitals. To all the government agencies, especially, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and all other ministries that continue to fight this battle with all the seriousness needed. I cannot thank them enough. Together we can and we will win this battle.
This is not the time to panic. This is the time to be compliant and unite to squarely defeat this coronavirus pandemic. This can only be achieved by listening to the advice of experts and following guidelines on how best to curb the spread of this virus and eventually control it.
“Strategies for preventing transmission of the disease include maintaining overall good personal hygiene, washing hands, avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands, and coughing or sneezing into a tissue and putting the tissue directly into a waste container. Those who may already have the infection have been advised to wear a surgical mask in public. Physical distancing measures are also recommended to prevent transmission, Wikipedia”.
We can and we will collectively defeat this pandemic virus when we follow instructions God willing. In the end, Nigeria can chart a new course, when the clear and many lessons of the coronavirus pandemic are learnt and utilised in building a great country that works for the vast majority of Nigerians.
Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani can be contacted on Facebook for further discussion.
