Is the response to the pandemic eg. border closures, quarantine, justified?
Even though they cannot prevent the outbreak from spreading the measures currently being taken by many countries can slow it down by reducing the increase in cases and limiting the number of severe patients that health systems have to manage at the same time. The aim is not only to reduce the number of cases but also to spread them over time, avoiding congestion in emergency and intensive care units.
What are MSF's priorities in this context, and its main concerns?
Priorities for intervention vary from one context to another. In some areas that seem to be spared today, such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Yemen, where fragile or war-torn health systems are already struggling to meet the health needs of the population, it is necessary to protect healthcare personnel and to limit the risks of spreading the epidemic as much as possible.
This is done by implementing prevention programmes - identifying areas or populations at risk; running health awareness and information activities; distributing soap and protective equipment for healthcare personnel, and reinforcing hygiene measures in medical structures - to prevent our hospitals and clinics from becoming places where the disease is transmitted.
Continuity of care
In these countries where MSF has a longstanding presence, we want to contribute to these efforts against Covid-19 while ensuring continuity of care against malaria, measles, respiratory infections, etc.
This continuity is now weakened by the restrictions (a ban on entering the country, preventive isolation for 14 days, etc.) imposed by governments on staff from certain countries, such as Italy, France, and Japan, where some of our international staff come from, as well as the closure of borders and the suspension of certain air links. Despite these constraints, our strength lies in the fact that we can rely on locally recruited staff in our countries of intervention. They represent 90% of our employees in the field.
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In countries where health systems are more robust but where the epidemic is particularly active, such as Italy or Iran, the main challenge is to avoid overloading hospital care capacities. In these contexts, we can contribute to the efforts of national medical teams by making MSF staff available to support or relieve them when needed.
We can also help by sharing our experiences in triage and control procedures for infections acquired during epidemics. We have provided teams to support four hospitals in northern Italy and have also offered support to the Iranian authorities to support them in caring for severe patients. Depending on the evolution of the epidemic in France, we will make available to the response to our experience, our logistics and the know-how of our staff, if they can be useful.
One of the keys to the fight against Covid-19 is the availability of protective equipment, in particular masks and gloves used for medical examinations. The anticipation of shortages leads to requisitions by many states, which can, in turn, become a reflex on the part of states to monopolise these precious resources. In the current context, such equipment should, on the contrary, be considered as a common good to be used rationally and appropriately and therefore to be allocated as a priority to health workers exposed to the virus, wherever they are in the world.
Solidarity of cooperation needed
Generally speaking, this pandemic requires solidarity not only between states but at all levels, based on mutual aid, cooperation, transparency, the sharing of resources, and, in the affected areas, towards the most vulnerable populations, and towards caregivers.