By Dr Authur Kirungi
We have seen countries like the US, UK, India, Cuba and others with the most celebrated health systems in the world loosing 50, 100, 600 upto over 3000 people in one day due to this pandemic.
Countries with health budgets that you may arrive at after multiplying our health budget as many times as possible; that’s if you are lucky that the funds are released in time for you to prepare or do all you need to do to save a situation like we are in. They have buried and even seen a situation like having to parade dead bodies outside their doors and gates with hope of being considered for the next lot of mass cremation.
And Ugandans are here abusing Ministry of Health officials for failing to control the pandemic before even reaching half way the second wave!
This is the stage at which I think we should politic less and support the system that we have in its nature to protect us as a country. When you abuse them now that the deaths have started increasing just like you abused them when they warned you that this would happen if you did not follow the SOPs among other measures, then you don’t know what you want.
It is understandable that most people are scared and mostly acting out of emotions but what if those we are crucifying for their efforts, calling thieves and all sorts of belittling statements before their own friends and families chose to give up?
When you blame them for not procuring enough ICU beds, Oxygen plants, vaccines and other scarce requirements for this fight without putting in mind the fact that access to these in the world market has been made next to impossible by the most powerful countries then we are demanding for miracles from them without naming them prophets.
We should learn from what those countries that we call developed have gone through with this pandemic and judge our leaders basing on resources and environment provided to them to address some of these concerns but also listen and appreciate them for what they have been able to do.
You may fault a decision like that of buying double cabins from donated money because you are comfortable in Kampala and do not know how much that vehicle can help once deployed to support health services in that subdistrict where your mother is living deep in the village. It might be the possible ambulance to rush her to hospital or to transport the vaccines to her village today and to later deliver lunch for the vaccination teams so that they don’t close the site at 2pm to walk back to their homes.
Let’s continue protecting ourselves and using our heads.
