Treat other diseases too: Doc

HEALTH authorities have been advised not to ignore or neglect other preventable disease over the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Deputy National Pandemic Response Controller Dr Daoni Esorom directed this to the officers of the Health Department and the provincial health authorities (PHA). “We know there are surges in most provinces and the natural reaction is to redirect resources, including manpower, to take care of the Covid-19 cases,” he said.
“PHAs must ensure that priority is given also to the malaria programme, maternal-child health, expanded programme for immunisation, tuberculosis, HIV and non-communicable diseases.
“We are seeing an increasing number of people dying from other diseases. So the PHAs, hospitals and health facilities as well as the health workers must ensure that focus is also given to priority programmes, because if we don’t, we will have a lot of deaths not only from Covid-19 but also other preventable diseases.” Dr Esorom said resources including funding must be shared equally between all health programmes.
“Now that the focus is on the pandemic emergency, the Health Department and PHAs must focus on the basic blocks of a health system which are:

• GOVERNANCE, leadership and management;
• SERVICE delivery;
• HEALTH infrastructure;
• HEALTH financing;
• HEALTH information; and,
• HEALTH workforce.

“If we focus equally on building these basic blocks of our health system, we will emerge from the pandemic having a better health system,’’ Dr Esorom said.