PPP projects, key solution for tackling pandemics — College of Surgeons
The International College of Surgeons (ICS) has identified Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the health industry as an evidence based solution for ameliorating the effects of global pandemics.
Dr Ibrahim Wada, Medical Director, Nisa Premier Hospital and Nisa groups said this at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International College of Surgeons, Nigeria Section while delivering the 14th Eruchalu Memorial Lecture on Monday in Abuja.
In his paper presentation tagged “The role of Public Private Partnership Value-Chains in Improving Healthcare Services in Nigeria during COVID-19 pandemic described the pressure brought by COVID-19 on health system globally as enormous.
Wada explained that the PPP arrangements secured the needed cold chains and rapid movement of goods and services to the required places. The partnership according to him helped in ameliorating the rapid growth of the pandemic as well as reduction in mortality rates
The theme of the conference is “Global COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Safe Surgical Services, Training and Research”.
Wada said that through PPP arrangements and collaboration of all and sundry the nation was able to mitigate the disruptions caused by the pandemic in the system. He identified the disruptions and inadequacies in the country’s health system due to the pandemic to include disruptions at the level of patients, hospital services, supply chains and availability of manufactured goods
Wada further said that the private sector supported government hospitals to be able to float ICU facilities with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), facemask, ventilators and volunteer personnel.
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Wada who decried the dearth in the availability of testing centres in the wake of the pandemic said the gap resulted in several days of delays to obtain test results, referral and individual apathy.
According to him, this gap was also closed through PPP as private testing centres were licensed by the government to complement what it had and this ease testing delays and allowed for quicker diagnosis.
“There is no doubt that the licensing of private labs working in collaboration with government committees, the NCDC and Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 eased the delays in obtaining results and improved treatment outcome for patients.
“Also on vaccines production foreign manufactured vaccines were obtained through COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to vaccines.
“This was directed by GAVI vaccine alliance, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO alongside key delivery partner UNICEF,”.
He added “the critical collaboration aided the unprecedented large scale distribution of the vaccines among others,”.he said.
Wada who frowned at the death of 20 Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) members due to patients affected by the pandemic blamed the number on inadequate testing and screening.
According to him, had the public-private- cooperation in the management of the pandemic started early enough, perhaps more lives would have been saved.
He however called for local production of vaccines as well as medical implements and consumables like PPE, medication and hand gloves.
Wada emphasised “this can best achieved if the government enters into PPP arrangements with relevant manufacturers as quickly as possible,”
SOURCE: vanguardngr.com
