What COVID-19 Can Teach Us About Global Healthcare

The coronavirus knows no borders in its breadth and scope. With over 200 countries and territories reporting cases of COVID-19, “flattening the curve” has become a universally accepted method to combat its spread. This precaution is so effective because it limits the growth of cases so as to not overwhelm the healthcare system. But what happens when the healthcare system’s threshold itself is low?

“In countries with under-resourced medical staff, one doctor’s death could mean a loss to more than 100,000 people.” This article from the World Economic Forum outlines the burden COVID-19 can place on healthcare systems in African countries by examining the situation as it unfolds in Zambia and Sierra Leone. 

Another article about the harrowing effects of COVID in underdeveloped countries comes from the UN. In this report, they urge policy makers in LDC’s (Least Developed Countries) to adopt policy that can help mitigate the COVID pandemic and return to working towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

Finally, this article reveals the secondary effects of COVID’s stay-at-home order. Disruptions in agriculture, education, and other sectors of life have uprooted thousands of lives. One report predicts that the coronavirus could even plunge half a billion people into poverty. 

So how can we help? 

What all of these articles serve to highlight is that reliable access to healthcare is essential. A strong healthcare system is the backbone of the community and its transformation begins at the most foundational level: with education.

Join us for an educational mission aboard to enrich the knowledge of medical professionals in such under-resourced communities.