Supplies to vulnerable communities and protection of healthcare workers, as Africa battles COVID-19 - an article by Dr. Fatoumatta Darboe and S. Suliman.

Fatoumatta Darboe is a MMEG grantee from 2017. Mrs. Darboe has a Ph.D. in Clinical Sciences and Immunology from the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Medical Research Council at Gambia Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

According to Dr. Darboe and co-author S. Suliman, COVID-19 can damage the healthcare system in the African continent, and thus the goal should be to stop the spread of the virus so it does not compromise the healthcare system infrastructure: “COVID-19 is bound to spread and cause irreversible damage to African nations and their healthcare systems. (..) the goal should be to limit the spread of the virus to prevent at once overwhelming an already devastated healthcare infrastructure and overstretched healthcare workforce in many African countries.”

They also mention that one of the priorities for governments in Africa during the pandemic should be to ensure the equitable distribution of supplies for vulnerable populations: “(..)ensuring equitable distribution of supplies, particularly to vulnerable communities should be a central priority in COVID-19-issued lockdowns.(..) The sustainability of the lockdown will rely on everyone having enough food and basic sanitary supplies, as well as medications for other medical conditions, which will not suddenly cease to exist during periods of COVID-19 management.”

The article also highlights the importance of manufactured materials to protect healthcare personnel and avoid further transmissions of COVID-19: “This necessitates that we create resources to immediately manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), especially if Africa-based manufacturers (..) Failure to provide PPEs may result in the providers falling sick, and transmitting the infection to other patients, as well as to their communities, thus exacerbating the crisis.”

The article concludes on how important it is to take action to avoid the collapse of healthcare systems in the African continent: “(..) this crisis will highlight and exacerbate many existing deficiencies and inequalities in the African healthcare (..)Some of these healthcare systems may collapse entirely if immediate action is not taken. These are unprecedented times that call for urgent action.”

Dr. Darboe is a committed researcher calling all stakeholders to take action to prevent a catastrophe in the healthcare system in Africa. As a medical researcher, she is contributing to the fight against COVID-19, and at MMEG we are proud of her work during the pandemic. If you want to read the complete article, please click on this link.

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