UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s heartfelt praise of that country’s publicly funded National Health Service (NHS) and the two migrant nurses he credited with saving his life went viral on Sunday last. His statement was shared widely on news and social media platforms around the world. But many commentators, particularly in Britain, could not ignore the opportunity it afforded them to highlight the ironies therein. It is a well-known fact that PM Johnson and his Conservative Party have long been anti-NHS and opposed to migrants. Were this fiction, Shakespeare could not have written it better.
To put it mildly, the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world has proven to be a great, if unexpected, leveller. To reiterate what is widely known, Covid-19 is highly contagious, aggressively fatal if not treated quickly and correctly, and no respecter of status, creed, colour or gender. Therefore, no country, no matter how well-developed, had a health care system that was ready to deal with the scope of the current pandemic. As a result, every country has been affected and most have reported deaths. Not surprisingly, the US, with its grossly unequal, money-grabbing healthcare system and uncaring leadership, floundered badly in the early days of the pandemic and therefore now has both the highest number of cases and deaths in the world.
In some other countries, the swiftness of the response by government and health teams may have made the difference in keeping the infection rate and by extension death rate low. But in truth, the full picture is far from visible and perhaps will never be known. Too many countries are unable to do the testing required to even begin to frame that picture.
At the beginning of this week, the total number of infected cases reported in the world was over 1.9 million and climbing. And though the count of those who had recovered from the illness was three times the total deaths, this had only occurred because for the most part, the world has come to a standstill. Unnecessary, and even necessary travel was completely cut as many countries basically closed their borders to any entry not deemed absolutely vital.
Before Covid-19, there had been countless appeals made for people to curb their excesses in view of how their actions were hurting the planet. Few listened. It took the great leveller Covid-19 with its immediate threat to life to hammer home the fact that we would live rather than die if we led simpler lives. In most places, at present, essential services, restricted to healthcare, food, transport, sanitation, information and utilities are the only ones still operating, many with no semblance of what used to be normal.
This week, however, there has been optimistic talk of relaxing restrictions and phased re-openings possibly by mid next month. While for economic reasons, the ability to quickly get back to business once the worst is past would be paramount, it would be foolhardy to jump into it before it is completely safe to do so. China, for example, has seen a rise in coronavirus cases since it reopened its businesses and borders.
One would expect, too, that considerations about yet another new normal would be among the conversations surrounding the ending of lockdowns. At the individual level, the current situation, though deemed restrictive by some, has allowed for introspection and creativity by others. For some, this period has proven so sobering that henceforth they never will look at life quite the same way, particularly those who contracted Covid-19 and recovered or had relatives, loved ones or friends who were infected, whether they lived or died. Also, there is bound to be trepidation about venturing forth once more.
At the macro level, one hopes governments finally recognise the value of real investment in healthcare. If all of the people in any country are not in a position to afford quality healthcare, then the entire country is at risk in the event of a national or global pandemic. This is a lesson from Covid-19 that nations ought not to ignore. Providing quality healthcare also means investing in the industry’s human resources; ensuring they receive pay and benefits commensurate with the work they do and that they have the proper equipment to do their jobs. All the blessings, applause, prayers and good wishes being extended to healthcare and other essential workers all over the world during this pandemic should, at the end of it, translate to something more.
