The Executive Director of Health Emergencies at the World Health Organization, WHO, Dr. Chikwe Ihekwuazu, has warned Nigeria and other African countries that weak healthcare systems, poor infrastructure and low public trust in government make it more difficult to contain disease outbreaks such as Ebola.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Ihekwuazu said countries with inadequate health services and limited government presence often face greater challenges in responding effectively to public health emergencies.
According to him, communities are less likely to cooperate with health authorities during outbreaks if their everyday healthcare needs have been neglected.
Ihekwuazu stressed that the challenge is not unique to any particular country, noting that governments worldwide must build trust by consistently meeting the needs of their citizens.
The WHO official said efforts to tackle Ebola should go beyond emergency response and include strengthening health systems to improve care for all patients.
He noted that supporting countries to enhance healthcare delivery is essential to rebuilding trust and improving preparedness for future outbreaks.
He said: “I think maybe there’s a lesson in this for us as well, you know. When you have a country where health services are poor, roads are poor, infrastructure are poor, and where government is not always felt to be visible across society, then it’s very difficult when there’s an outbreak for healthcare workers to come in and respond to that particular challenge that we are all interested in, because of its potential for spread.
“So, this is not about the DRC. This is not about Nigeria. This is about for every country in the world. To build trust in the people you serve, you have to be there for them all the time, whether it’s a woman giving birth, whether it’s a woman bringing a child for immunisation or for treatment of malaria.
“If you are not able to solve their day-to-day problem. Why do you expect them to jump around and welcome you when there’s an Ebola outbreak? So, this is the challenge we are facing.
“However, how we are dealing with this is not only focusing on the Ebola outbreak, we’re focusing and supporting the country to build up their health services to support the care being provided not only to Ebola patients but to everyone presenting in those facilities, and slowly we are rebuilding that trust.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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