NAIROBI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The healthcare systems in Africa should be revamped in a bid to ensure that they are more resilient as threats of future pandemics linked to climatic stresses, pollution, and habitat degradation mount, a researcher said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday.
Affiliated with the Nairobi-based African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), a pan-African policy think-tank, the researcher stressed the need to establish health systems that can withstand pandemic-related shocks.
Michael Chipeta, a senior research and policy analyst at AFIDEP, said the risk of future pandemics in Africa is profound, hence the need to invest in an agile and resilient healthcare system to avert mass fatalities and economic losses.
According to Chipeta, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of Africa's healthcare infrastructure, necessitating the need to reorganize it and ensure that it will not buckle under the weight of unforeseen outbreaks.
Chipeta noted that maternal and child healthcare services suffered the brunt of the pandemic amid lockdowns, disruption of routine immunization, and limited access to diagnosis and life-saving drugs.
He added that though the continent was spared the worst impact of the pandemic, governments should prioritize investments in early warning, diagnostics, essential drugs, and community engagement to help cope with future outbreaks.
In addition, Chipeta said evidence-based research combined with political goodwill will be key to enhancing the resilience of Africa's healthcare system as the continent grapples with recurrent disease outbreaks. ■
