Health
Fight against coronavirus will define our era – Bill Gates
The novel coronavirus pandemic will define the modern era in the same way World War II shaped an earlier generation, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates writes in an 11-page memo outlining his ideas on how best to tackle the disease.
“This is like a world war, except in this case, we’re all on the same side,” he writes.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed 250 million dollars to the battle and Gates has been speaking up regularly to influence its direction – something that has sometimes placed him at odds with President Donald Trump and made him a target of right-wing pundits and conspiracy theorists.
Gates’ memo barely mentions politics, focusing instead on the technological innovations necessary to bring the virus to heel.
But he warned it would not be a fast or easy process.
“It is impossible to overstate the pain that people are feeling now and will continue to feel for years to come,” he said.
Gates said the social-distancing measures enacted around the world saved millions of lives and had not been an overreaction.
He pointed out that even without government mandates and lockdowns, people would probably have changed their behaviour anyway to avoid infection.
He noted that even as restrictions were eased, many people would not immediately resume their old routines until they felt safe.
He said that in the coming months, the drop-off in new infections would be precipitous in places where social-distancing had slashed the rate of transmission.
“A lot of people will be stunned that in many places we will go from hospitals being overloaded in April to having lots of empty beds in July,” Gates wrote.
“The whiplash will be confusing, but it is inevitable from the exponential nature of infection,” he added.
But as restrictions loosen, infections will flare and begin to grow rapidly at many sites.
Gates said that it would be impossible to return to normal or control the virus in the long term without advances in testing, contact tracing, treatments, and vaccines, thus echoing the view of public health officials and epidemiologists around the world.
The Gates Foundation is leveraging its funding and influence to accelerate research and development; many other organisations and companies are also in the hunt.
Dozens of new tests are coming on the market, including a rapid diagnostic test that works like a home pregnancy test.
According to him, home testing is the best approach to detecting and controlling new infections.
His foundation has been pursuing approval for self-swabs that would be analysed at a central lab.
Gates warned that other companies were likely to follow suit – which could drive up the cost of testing machines for government labs.
Gates said that although more than 100 potential treatments were being studied, most of them would not work.
He ranked the antiviral drug remdesivir as one of the more promising prospects, along with plasma and antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The Gates Foundation is funding trials on hydroxychloroquine, the drug often touted by Trump, but Gates said it appeared its benefits would be modest, at best.
Since a miracle drug is not likely, the only long-term solution is a vaccine.
With greatly accelerated research, it could take as little as nine months – or as long as two years – to develop one, Gates added.
Then it will have to be approved by governments and mass-produced so that the world’s 7 billion people can each get one or two doses, depending on the vaccine type.
As most countries move into what Gates calls the “second phase of the epidemic” over the next two months, he foresees a “semi-normal” world.
“People can go out, but not as often, and not to crowded places.
“Picture restaurants that only seat people at every other table and airplanes where every middle seat is empty,” he said.
One model is the approach taken by Microsoft China, which has about 6,200 employees.
About half are coming into the offices, where social-distancing is in place, while others work at home.
Masks are required, as is staying home when sick and travel is limited.
“The basic principal should be to allow activities that have a large benefit to the economy or human welfare, but pose a small risk of infection,” Gates wrote.
But the picture is complicated and sorting out the details will be difficult.
For example, if some states lift restrictions quickly and experience a rebound, should other states restrict travel across their borders?
The economic impact so far has fallen disproportionately on lower-income people, while the disease itself is hitting hardest among racial minorities and poorer communities, Gates pointed out.
But at the same time, he said, the level of cooperation has been impressive as the world confronts the first modern pandemic.
“No one who lives through Pandemic 1 will ever forget it,” Gates said.
(tca/dpa/NAN)
The Federal Government has facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Hospital and four private institutions to enhance the capacity of the healthcare workforce.
The participating institutions include Nile University, Cosmopolitan University, Yangongwo College of Nursing Sciences, and Concerned Medix Foundation.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Alaba Balogun on Friday.
Alaba revealed that during the signing ceremony, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasized that the MoU aligns with the administration’s policy to expand training capacities.
Prof. Pate further highlighted that this initiative reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to increasing the training of health workers, addressing workforce gaps, and maintaining professional standards through the Regulatory and Professional Schools Division of the Hospital Services Department of the Ministry.
He stressed the government’s responsibility to tackle multiple challenges, including infrastructure, equipment, and human capital development, noting that Nigerian health workers are highly sought after due to their excellent training.
“Thankfully, because they are well-trained, we are very proud of them. If we weren’t training them, they wouldn’t have been attractive to other countries.
“Unfortunately, that has implications on the service delivery at home. So as a government, we took a progressive stance to say, look, let’s train more.
“So that even if those who are trained leave, some will stay. And even those who have gone away might come back to serve. And, that is the driving force behind this policy approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the Coordinating Minister pointed out.
Prof. Pate also underscored the crucial role of the private sector in achieving the government’s objectives, noting that Nigeria’s healthcare system operates as a mix of public and private institutions.
“So, the private sector has a space, and I am very pleased that you have joined hands with the National Hospital to be able to really see how the capabilities of the hospital can help you train more clinicians”, he said.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Prof. Raji Mahmud, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritizing improvements in the healthcare system.
He affirmed that the collaboration and signing of the MoU between the National Hospital and private institutions would significantly expand healthcare workforce training.
Prof. Mahmud further noted that three out of the four institutions are primarily training centers focused on medical and nursing education in partnership with the National Hospital, Abuja.
In a bid to enhance medical care for Nigerians, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed six new Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) for Federal Hospitals across the country.
Among those appointed is Dr. Ikrama Hassan, who will now serve as the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State. Dr. Hassan, a seasoned consultant physician, previously served as the Medical Director of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital before its elevation to a teaching hospital.
The full list of newly appointed CMDs includes:
Prof. Olusegun Sylvester Ojo – Federal Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State.
Prof. Yusuf Mohammed Abdullahi (Reappointed) – Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.
Dr. Dauda Abubakar Katagum – Federal Teaching Hospital, Azare, Bauchi State.
Dr. Ikrama Hassan – Federal Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Dr. Ali Mohammed Ramat – National Orthopedic Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State.
Dr. Haruna Abubakar Shehu – Federal Medical Centre, Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
Each appointment is for a four-year term, effective from the date of assumption of duty.
President Tinubu congratulated the appointees, urging them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and service delivery. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving medical infrastructure and ensuring quality healthcare access for all Nigerians.
Senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Maidoki has called for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre to be situated in Zuru to cater for the health needs of the District and its environs.
The lawmaker in the 10th National Assembly made the call during a public hearing on the Bill to establish Federal Medical Centre in Zuru organized by the Senate Committee on Health.
In a memorandum presented at the hearing by the lawmaker, he explained that the aim is to provide tertiary healthcare facilities to the people of Zuru in Kebbi State in the North West Nigeria.
He further noted that the establishment of FMCs across the country was initiated by Decree No. 10 of 1985, with the aim of providing tertiary healthcare services.
According to him, the FMC Birnin Kebbi was established on June 6, 2000, and has since been upgraded to a University Teaching Hospital.
The lawmaker stated that the large population and the challenges faced in accessing healthcare services, necessitates the establishment of FMC in the state.
“In Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, the distance between Zuru Emirate and Birnin Kebbi is approximately 240 km, making it difficult for patients, especially children and pregnant women, to access secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities”, he lamented.
Senator Maidoki charged his colleagues and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support the bill, saying healthcare is a fundamental privilege expected from any government.
The lawmaker who is the sponsor of the bill told journalists during a chat that the Federal Medical Center, when established will not only cater for the tertiary healthcare needs of Kebbi State, but will also serve the adjoining states like Niger and Zamfara.
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