Local solutions will help the developing world cope with virus

Lifeline Express of Indian Railways already in service. PHOTO | COURTESY 

By JAI KUMAR SHARMA

Summary

• Global Health Security Index (GHS) published a report on global pandemic preparedness and revealed that no country was truly prepared to manage a pandemic.
• Several developing countries are coming up with far more viable ideas for them to combat Covid-19.
• India is gearing up for its worst case scenario where five million people are infected and need isolations wards.

Super-speciality hospitals and swanky operation theatres are of limited use — need of the hour is, isolation centres, ventilators and medical staff who can isolate and attend to coronavirus patients till the immune system develops antibodies naturally.

In developing countries — where billions of people live in proximity to calamity even in the best of times — the dangers are amplified. We all need each other’s help right now. It is clearer than ever that none of us will be safe until all of us are safe.

Global Health Security Index (GHS) published a report on global pandemic preparedness and revealed that no country was truly prepared to manage a pandemic.

This report was published before the eruption of coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The GHS Index ranked countries on a scale of 1-100 and explained that 73 percent of the world’s population lived in the countries that scored below 50, including India, China, Nigeria, Mexico and Kenya. Surprisingly, the US, the UK, France, Canada, Spain and Germany were among the top 10 on the preparedness index — but are worst hit by Covid-19.

Looking at the crisis in developed countries, the global media underestimated preparedness, fighting spirit, genetic strength and resilience of the people.

In fact, we do not need super-speciality hospitals or swanky operation theatres at the moment—all of these are of limited use.

Several developing countries are coming up with far more viable ideas for them to combat Covid-19.

India is gearing up for its worst case scenario where five million people are infected and need isolations wards. This South Asian country is setting an example in fighting the catastrophe. India has the world’s fourth largest railway network and its rolling stock consists of 80,000 passenger coaches. Indian railways also have hospitals and doctors in every zone across the length and width of the country.

According to Indian Railway officials, the train bogies will be converted into full-fledged isolation wards with medical and food facilities.

The Railway Board has said that initially 5,000 coaches are being converted and if required they will convert 20,000 more coaches into isolation wards. Five railway zones have already prepared the porotype.

All Indian Railway coaches are already equipped with bio-toilets, water and power facilities. One toilet in every coach is being converted into a washroom.

The first cabin near the bathing room will be provided with two hospital/plastic curtains transversely in the aisle so that the entry and exit to the entire cabin can be screened off.

One cabin will be used as a store/paramedics area. Two oxygen cylinders will also be provided with every compartment and charging points for laptop and mobile. Indian Railways has a long experience of operating mobile hospital on rails. In 1991, the world’s first hospital on a train chugged out of Mumbai on its maiden journey.

Twenty-nine years later, the Lifeline Express continues to take a multitude of medical services, from major surgeries to dedicated cancer treatment, to the people. With 16 isolation beds in every coach, Indian Railways will alone provide 320,000 hospital beds within a month’s time.

The developing world is not woefully ill-equipped to cope with Covid-19 as one of the journalists wrote in The Economist, but it has its own mechanism to deal with calamities.

With stronger immune system, people in countries such as Kenya have better chances of victory over the coronavirus if they confine themselves within squares and circles.

The night curfew in Kenya, for example, will not only help in slowing down the spread of the virus but it will also buy it valuable time while a vaccine is being developed.

Sharma is Editor, Asia Media Design