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COVID19-COMMONWEALTH
Commonwealth urges member states to maintain essential non-COVID healthcare
DHAKA, May 8, 2020 (BSS) – Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland
today urged its member states to maintain essential healthcare to non-COVID-
19 patients while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Patricia Scotland came up with the call in a message issued by Commonwealth
Secretariat ahead of the Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting to be taken
place virtually on 14 May.
Some countries have temporarily suspended cancer treatment and surgery to
help hospitals manage an influx of COVID-19 patients. At the same time,
contagion suppression tactics such as lockdowns and border closures have
limited the delivery of mosquito nets, insect repellents and vaccination
schedules.
Treatment and vaccination disruptions for preventable and curable illnesses
could significantly increase mortality, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO).
The Secretary-General said: “The spread of COVID-19 has brought home to us
with greater immediacy the devastating impact that disease can have on every
aspect of our lives.
“The global response to COVID-19 has been impressive, but let us not lose
focus on other health threats which kill thousands daily and put millions
more at risk,” she said.
“Authorities should follow guidelines issued by the World Health
Organization. They need to determine which health services ought to continue
based on their local context and deploy whatever resources are available to
deliver maximum treatment and care for all in need,” she added.
A study by Johns Hopkins University predicts that about one million women
and children could die in the next six months because the pandemic is
disrupting routine health services in the low- and middle-income countries.
These disruptions include a lack of access to family planning, ante and
postnatal care, vaccinations and limited equipment, supplies and medical
staff available during childbirth.
Patricia Scotland said: “Even before the present pandemic, our Commonwealth
focus has been on the priority of providing Universal Health Coverage, so
that all citizens have access to essential health services without financial
hardship.”
“This is particularly important for pregnant women and young children, to
avoid unnecessary mortality, and becomes even more so in mobilising
healthcare resources in order to respond effectively to the pandemic,” she
said.
As of 7 May, COVID-19 has killed about 264,000 people. Based on the 2017
data, COVID-19 is far behind other diseases in terms of mortality, while
heart disease and cancer were the leading causes of death globally killing
nearly 18 and 10 million respectively.
Kathleen McCourt, President of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives
Federation, said: “Over the past few months, countries across the world have
implemented unprecedented measures to contain the spread of the infection at
great economic and human costs.”
Since last week, health organisations have warned that COVID-19 could
trigger a spike in malaria and measles cases as some vaccination and
prevention measures are on hold.
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