COVID-19 Exposes Weaknesses In Health System In West Africa

The West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) says the scale and nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the health system in the West African sub -region. Briefing newsmen on Thursday during the commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the organisation via a zoom meeting with 15 countries, the Director-General of the organization, Prof. Stanley Okolo, said the weaknesses in the health system undermined response efforts. He cited weaknesses in infrastructure, human resources, diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, manufacturing capacity particularly of medicines and vaccines, and deficits in the level of community engagement required to effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the pandemic offered both an insight into our shortcomings and opportunity to resolve to do better.