Future Proofing against Pandemics

The COVID- 19 pandemic brought the world to its knees. It shook entire systems. Millions of people died, families were destroyed, friends were lost and hearts were broken. It has affected lives more than we could imagine. There will surely be a time when this will get better. However, research says that this is not the last pandemic we could face. This pandemic has opened a Pandora's box of possibilities of more viruses like this. While this is upsetting to hear, I would say that here we have the advantage. We have the Power of Knowledge. We should use this power and be better prepared to fight future pandemics. The virus caused so much destruction because we made a lot of mistakes along when we were trying to fight it. We didn’t start research sooner, proper information could not reach the public, we couldn’t enforce the preventive medical system on time due to the unpreparedness and we lacked proper treatment facilities. These are the areas that need to be focused. Below I have discussed what the leaders and scientists should be doing to face the next pandemic in a more efficient way.

To start, you need to have information about the virus as early as possible. On 31th December, a man told a few people that there is a SARS-like virus that is affecting people in Wuhan. After this first detection, it took India 3 months and 360 cases before any action was taken or information about the virus was known to the common public. The government had information about the virus but dismissed it. Now that we know the early action on this situation would have saved many lives and softened the blow of the pandemic. As soon as any news like this is received the scientists should start the research immediately.

Second step is to make sure the information reaches the common public as quickly as possible. The government should be more open about any information they receive about such situations. Informing the citizens as soon as possible can lead to faster execution of plans.

We should also initiate compulsory teaching of the basics of what needs to be done individually if there is an outbreak like this. In India, a lot of false information regarding the precautions that need to be taken to protect oneself from the virus was spread. A concise but factual, tangible and scientifically researched survival guide should be taught in school, colleges and should also be easily available to everyone. Keeping citizens informed about the procedures that need to be followed during national medical emergencies is essential.

Next system we need to work on is Preventive Health Care. This means that if there is even a minor threat of a virus, a system should be prepared to prevent it as much as possible. If and when anything is detected by the scientists or researchers, this system should become active.

We should have physical safety requirements that could protect citizens from the risks. Masking should be integrated into the system of being safe not only during a virus but also to be safe in day-to-day life as they also protect you from everyday infections like the common cold. At the beginning of the pandemic, the supply of masks fell short because of the sudden increase in demand. Masks are called a “Physical vaccine” and the research very evidently shows that masks reduce a major risk of getting the virus. Hence, Masks shouldn’t be in dearth.

Next is increasing the number of quarantining facilities. This way, we would not have to shut borders every time there is a virus outbreak. If someone is visiting from another country or if they are infected with the virus, they have a place to live in until they are cleared to be safe from the virus. A compulsory 14-day quarantine and giving a place to live which can be monitored and procedures are dutifully followed will greatly reduce the chances of the virus spreading.

There needs to be a better contact tracing system in our country. At the beginning of the pandemic, it took days, even weeks, to trace down people who have been in contact with an infected person. Till then the disease had been spread to more people who would spread it to more people. The sooner we can detect the disease in the person the better we can curb the spread.

These facilities should be a fundamental part of our medical system and should be well thought out and prepared for managing future pandemics well.

Finally and most importantly, we need to strengthen the basic treatment facilities of our country. India has one of the lowest public healthcare budgets in the world. We have allocated a measly 1.3% of the annual budget to health. We desperately need to increase this percentage. Every medical facility that we lacked as a country to face the pandemic should be tackled immediately. We need to train more doctors, nurses and other medical staff specifically in the field of pandemic. We as a country saw a lack of ventilators and beds. We should make sure there are always more on standby. We also saw a dearth of oxygen supply which should be fulfilled as soon as possible. This can only be done if we increase our spending on public health. We need to make sure that no one dies because they could not get the basic necessities of treatment. Every citizen getting good public healthcare facilities should be a right, not a privilege.

To conclude, we must focus on information, prevention and treatment ecosystems. Establishing and strengthening these systems should be the main focus of all leaders and scientists. This pandemic brought into light the vulnerable links in our systems. This is the cue for us to work on improving them. Only if these pillars are strong will we be able to fight the future pandemics in a much better way.

Jai Hind!

PS - During this time we must be grateful to the health care workers who have risked their own lives to help people. It is extremely important we listen to professionals and experts since they dedicate their lives to this profession. So please reach out to a health care worker and express your gratitude to them.

Another side note-This was my entry for 'The Written Word' , a Competition conducted by Sai university. I am glad to inform you all that I won 2nd place in my category. 

You can check out the competition and the details here -https://saiuniversity.edu.in/event/the-written-word-an-essay-competition-for-school-students/