I've seen first-hand the impacts of vaccine inequality - it shouldn’t be this way
This blog is written by Dr Mohamed Manji.
My name is Mohamed Manji and I am a physician based in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania practising since 2010. What I tell you now is based on my personal experiences in dealing with COVID patients over the last two years.
The pandemic took all of us by surprise. The first two waves were particularly difficult. There was a lot of suffering and many patients lost their lives. Suffering extended beyond just the medical illness. Among those who lost their lives, many were breadwinners for their families. We saw many families suffer not only from COVID but also from its devastating impact in worsening poverty among our people.
In the face of expensive health care, traditional healers are the first port of call. Sadly, this often means that by the time people finally make it to hospitals, their health has deteriorated and the disease is too severe for the patient to overcome.
Lockdowns and self isolations were not the most effective among our masses who earn at subsistence level and need to go to work daily or become victims of starvation. There was an impossible choice to make. Stay at home and be safe from covid at the expense of looming hunger and starvation. Understandably so, the country did not go into lockdown unlike most countries in the world. Those who could afford to stay at home, did.
By the time the third wave hit, there was some evidence in support of dexamethasone and some more drugs in helping these patients. While we tried these medicines, we were constantly struggling with the supply chain. Supply chains for essential medicines and PPE also crashed due to global lockdowns further impairing medical treatments.
“The success of the vaccines marked the first ray of hope in salvaging this situation. The question we asked ourselves was how soon will these vaccines get to us. ”
The success of the vaccines marked the first ray of hope in salvaging this situation. The question we asked ourselves was how soon will these vaccines get to us. Vaccine delivery into Africa was delayed. Vaccine delivery into Tanzania was also delayed. There were strong national and international forces at play in deciding when I could access the vaccines. Till then, I had to continue treating my patients with PPE and hope. I think many lives could have been saved with an earlier supply. For a long time, we saw how case numbers were improving in Europe after the vaccinations and wondered when that would happen here.
When the first batch of vaccines finally arrived, there was a sigh of relief. The quantity supplied at the time felt like a gross underestimate compared to the population of the country. But at least some of it was here for the high risk groups. It was distributed throughout the country although I would think that cities were supplied better compared to rural villages.
As healthcare workers, we had a task to do which we had not expected. We were to become advocates for the vaccine drive. Unfortunately, I came across many people who were reluctant to be vaccinated. I believe this problem was even more rampant in rural Tanzania. Definite benefits driven by science have been muddled with fear of rare side effects (like blood clots) and ulterior motives by the vaccine developers (like population control agendas). In my little experience, it has been difficult to overcome these misconceptions but certainly advocacy and education is ongoing and the numbers of those vaccinated are expected to improve. I feel that a locally manufactured vaccine would have faced much lesser reluctance. This is why I feel we need to end COVID monopolies on the production of vaccines and treatments - so that they can be manufactured in our own countries.
The pandemic has taught us all many lessons. As a healthcare professional, I want to see all people being given equal access to care. Our current systems and costs do not allow for that to happen. COVID monopolies do not benefit patients. Any seeming benefit this brings to drug manufacturers would very well be offset by the massive benefits that could come out of international collaboration in bringing this world a step closer to ending COVID. No one is safe against COVID until all of us are.
Surely life - wherever we may find it - is equally valuable? COVID has certainly taught us that.
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