Covid-19 presents opportunity to think long term

THE CORONAVIRUS has reached its peak period, with the government under increasing pressure to stem the tide against it.

Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize and some of his provincial counterparts have been crying out against the spike in trauma cases due to alcohol abuse that have threatened to overwhelm the health system. The system was already stretched to the limit before the outbreak of Covid-19.

This has revived calls for the government to invest more in public health, educational and other facilities.

The scientific data from experts assisting the government had projected that from about July to August and September there will be a peak in Covid-19 cases.

Despite the efforts of some provinces to put up more field hospitals, these seem not to be matching the demand from the new cases.

But what is more evident now is that this provides an opportunity for the government to build more field hospitals.

New field hospitals and other facilities for Covid-19 should be used in future to provide an adequate healthcare system, which has been neglected for many years.

Covid-19 also presents another opportunity for the government to upgrade the dilapidated hospitals, clinics and other facilities in rural areas, towns and cities.

This opportunity must be used productively so that after the Covid-19 has long gone and passed, the people would still be able to access these facilities with proper care.

Post-Covid-19 the government should keep newly recruited nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers in the system permanently.

This is also an opportunity to ensure social workers who have been out in the streets and had no jobs, will be hired on a permanent basis to ease pressure on the system.

This would require prudent fiscal management and there must be a budget for these new challenges.

The opportunity provided by Covid-19 requires the government to think on a long-term basis to keep newly recruited health staff and social workers on a permanent basis and address the perennial health challenges that had been neglected for many years.

If the government fails to act now this will be a wasted opportunity that it would regret for many years to come.