According to the WHO, the Ebola virus has so far claimed more than 2000 lives in West Africa since it broke out in March. The outbreak has proven to be the deadliest in the history of the disease although compared to other less frightening diseases like tuberculosis and Malaria, the mortality figures are just a drop a in the ocean . However, the purpose of this pieces is not to compare the Ebola and malaria epidemics but to look out how the Ebola virus has once again brought to the fore the issue of the unjust and unfair health inequality in our society. For those that have been following events in this outbreak, two names will be very familiar, one is Dr Brantly, an American and the other is Dr Adadevoh, a Nigerian. Both of them participated, courageously risking their lives, in the treatment of Ebola patients in West Africa but as you will probably be aware, one is dead and the other is now hale and hearty and already discharged from the hospital after surviving the horrendous disease. The question that should pop up in any curious mind is ‘why’ and not only why, how did one survive and the other wasn’t so fortunate. We can choose to propose a simplistic answer and say that one got treated with the newly discovered experimental drug, ZMapp, while the other was not privileged to be an American citizen hence she could not benefit from the gesture from the American government. Some school of thought might further point out that ZMapp supply was limited and not everyone could have gotten it but if you consider the fact that the epidemic started well before March but no one heard about ZMapp until August when the Americans got infected and were certain to die if nothing was done. I will not be naïve to think or argue that the ‘wonder drug’ should have been provided to the ailing West Africans because I know the Americans were not and are still under no obligation to save the lives of African citizens when they fall ill. It is only the African governments that have such obligations. However, that is not to say that an American life is worth more than a Nigerian one or even a Liberian-American one but the ‘facts of the case’ tends to support that notion. This is a classical example of the inequality that exists in our health systems and even the society at large. Two individuals, very similar in a lot of respects contracted a disease, at about the same time, in the same region. One dies and the other gets to live. It was a death that am sure was avoidable and from a disease that was preventable. This death and many more like it that has occurred in West Africa and that still continue to occur has nothing to do with skin colour, wealth or status. To think like that will be childish of even ‘victim-minded’ as one my colleagues will like to call it. Rather, it is reflection of how some people we call our leaders have failed us in Africa and we ourselves have failed our children. We have failed our children and are still failing them because we have not held those that failed us accountable, we have not stood for a change, we have not challenged the status quo. This should be a wakeup call for all stakeholders in the African Project. The issues transcend the health sector and will have to be addressed from a much broader perspective as being satisfied with our earlier ‘simplistic’ reason will not allow us to truly understand and address the deeper and pertinent issues attached. An American life will continue to be more valuable than an African one until our governments realise the need to properly fund critical sectors of the economy like education, research and health sectors as well as be more committed to raising the socio-economic status of its citizens as opposed to the status quo of corruption and ‘stomach infrastructure’. The Americans still remain the biggest spenders on health forking out about $8500 per citizen per year. Although they do not have the highest life expectancy in the world, that will be a topic left for another day. Compare this to the Nigerian situation in which the doctors even just called of a 65 days industrial action, leaving the already comatose health sector in an even more dire situation. Furthermore an American life will continue to be worth more than a Nigerian one until we as a people also begin to realize that although the government has the power to improve the situation of the country, the ultimate power lies with us because every now and then we get to choose who runs the government. We get to choose between development by voting credible people into office, or suffering and despair by subscribing to the politics of ‘chop I chop’, politics of ‘rice and kerosene’ and politics of ‘oga find me something’. We will need to begin to exercise this power in our day to day lives as well by saying NO to corruption in any form or under any guise. Officials in public institutions, whether junior or senior’, should say no to collecting bribes before moving files to the appropriate places for processing, a job that are already being paid a salary to do. Law enforcement agents should begin to say no to the culture of 20:20 naira. They should refuse to be tempted to collect bribes for freeing people on bail as we are often told that bail is supposed to be free. Businesses should believe more in using their competencies to secure contracts instead of using ‘Ghana must go’ bags. The list of ways and forms by which we can say no to corruption is endless but every man definitely will know where his shoe needs an adjustment. It is only then that we can begin to demand, by way of right, the good governance that our blessed nation deserves from our politicians. Only then can we begin to hold them accountable for every dime they spend on our behalf while in office. Only then can the politicians begin to value performance in office as a means of winning the next election instaed of distributing money and materials during campaigns. Only then can we honestly begin to question why an American life should be worth more than a Nigerian life.
Can we meet?
Hello friends,
My name is Okikiolu John and I like to introduce myself as a health professional with a keen interest in teaching, education and public health. I intend to use this medium to reach out to people, share information, educate, sometimes entertain and also to help improve the health of the population, something am very passionate about. So whether you a health professional, a patient with a health condition, someone looking to improve your health or just interested in health issues, this is a place to be. I will also appreciate comments, observations and of course constructive criticisms. I am sure we will all be better for it in the long run.
touchstonehealth 