From Ebola to Covid-19
FROM PAGE 1
“Their health minister was very fast. They coordinated with NGOs. No one acted alone; everyone acted together.”
Hasina pointed out that although the first case was confirmed in the first week of June, the first suspected case was on May 25.
On May 27, the government even held the first coordination meeting, exemplifying the promptness of their response.
“They knew they did not have enough resources. So, they went for speed, the fastest they could help people.”
THE FRONTLINERS
Hasina noted how vital community-based health workers proved to be.
“The health ministry’s resource mapping was done very smartly. They used the lessons learned from earlier outbreaks. During these pandemics, there is no substitute for community-based health workers.
“Even in terms of Bangladesh, how many actually have access to health services? They [Ugandan government] mapped it out the week the first case was identified, and it went a long way in slowing the spread of the virus.”
She also pointed out how during the crisis, the healthcare sector could become overwhelmed.
But since the government had restricted mobility early on, and suspected people were being identified quickly, it was easy for surveillance teams to provide healthcare to those who really needed it.
“That is why the healthcare infrastructure in Uganda did not breakdown, even being weak and almost non-existent in rural areas.”
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
In the first week of June, the Ugandan government instituted social distancing and mass gatherings were restricted, before being banned altogether.
No form of physical contact was allowed, including handshakes.
“Before any cluster was identified, they had gone for a lockdown. They found out in which counties and sub-counties there were outbreaks, and quarantined people from those places.”
Awareness was also spread through religious preachers who are influential in their localities.
“What stood out is how much the people actually listened to what the government was saying.”
“They read instructions and followed those carefully. Radios also proved to be very helpful.
“The government gave situation reports on TVs and radios. Newspapers also brought out a bulletin to give an update on the situation,” Hasina said, stressing how the media played a key role, both in informing people and playing the role of watchdog.
Special responsibilities were given to resident district commissioners to supervise the Ebola response and preparedness. Their only mandate was to take care of Ebola-related issues and these were not always state actors.
“When it comes to something like this, despite all the challenges, all the problems, people unite. They come together.”
The social distancing measures lasted a few months.
“When we were finally allowed to shake hands with each other again after a gap of five months, it was such a big moment, that we brought a cake just to celebrate the occasion.”
BACK IN COX’S BAZAR
“In Cox’s Bazar, we have around 4,000 volunteers and some 2,300 staffers. Around 2,000 are on the frontline,” Hasina said of her current undertaking.
Hasina praised the speed at which authorities in Cox’s Bazar have been working, especially when it came to inter-agency coordination.
“Physical distancing measures are in place from our side when it comes to those visiting our healthcare or information centres or when food is being distributed, but it is still a challenge to make the community understand and follow all the instructions.
“When I heard our workers were cleaning around 4,400 metres of the drainage systems, I asked how they were doing it while maintaining distance. They sent me pictures. They had even fashioned a scale to measure how far to stand from each other,” she said, the pride evident in her voice.
Asked how she responded to being summoned to the Ebola crisis in 2019 and how she feels in the current situation, she said, “With Ebola we knew how it was transmitted. This time, we are not fully sure...”
Asked what being in the thick of things meant, she said, “The thing is, in the line of war, we can only see what’s in front. Nothing else matters.”
Nervousness. Fears. They aren’t there. Nothing exists but the here and the now, she said.
“When I look back and realise what I had been through, I ask myself, ‘Really?’”
The full story is on www.thedailystar.net