About 35 years ago, I travelled to a village close to Abeokuta, Ogun State to visit my grandmother. Back then, the villagers had a rudimentary but effective way of helping one another. A child playing outside was supervised by neighbours. A bountiful harvest by a farmer was shared with many in the community. Parties were often open-house; all were welcome.
Villagers assisted old people in getting around. A new born was celebrated by everyone and any loss was mourned by all. The villagers knew and cared for one another. Those days are gone.
I live in a different kind of village. On March 7th 2020, local public health officials of my community in California, USA announced the first locally acquired case of COVID-19.
The hospital I work at made the diagnosis. Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) is a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). Human to human transmission occurs through droplets, contaminated environmental surfaces, aerosols, and possibly the fecal-oral route. Since then, many more cases have been diagnosed, and unfortunately some lives have succumbed to this disease. To limit the spread of the disease, the government recommended social distancing, self-isolation and home quarantine.
The community responded by coming together. The hospital created a hotline for the community. Any resident can call with questions about coronavirus. A separate hotline was created for physicians within the health system. The hospital created multiple task forces to deal with the crises. A drive through testing system for COVID-19 was established. We increased our intensive care unit (ICU) capacities. In order to continue to care for our patients, we transitioned most of our out-patient patient visits to Telemedicine. We cared for patients through phone and video.
Generous residents donated money, masks and equipment to the hospital. Neighbours checked on one another. Grocery stores and supermarkets created special hours and access for first responders and healthcare workers. The church went online and hope went viral. Schools closed but online education opened.
Schools provided laptops and Wi-Fi for students who don’t have them at home. Grab & Go meals were made available for pick-up at school campuses for students that need them. The local food bank feeds hundreds of families every week through a drive-through system that allows social distancing and personal hygiene. Since restaurants are closed, take-outs and home deliveries are provided. These and many other measures flattened the curve. The village defeats the virus.
What happened to the village in Nigeria? Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and its economy is the biggest in the continent. Nigerian-Americans have been described as the most educated ethnic group in the United States. Despite all of these, Nigeria has the highest rate of people living in extreme poverty in the world. The healthcare sector has suffered from years of neglect. The same country that exports some of the most brilliant minds in Medicine cannot provide basic healthcare to its citizens.
As the coronavirus ravages the world including Nigeria, socio-economic blemishes covered by make-ups are being revealed. In Nigeria, testing for COVID-19 is very limited. Personal protective equipment (PPE) are not readily available to healthcare workers. There are very few ICUs and ventilators in the country. In a country where most people live below the poverty line, social distancing and home isolation have proven to be death sentences. Most people do not have enough money to buy and store food for a week. Electricity or power supply is sporadic.
What if instead of relying on the government to solve all of Nigeria’s problems, the village does? The village is composed of the government, individuals, for-profit businesses and non-profit organisations. Nigeria needs good governance. The government through its laws and policies, drives the agenda for the country and provides the building block for society. Government should be transparent and accountable. Laws should help citizens not hurt or hinder them. Nigeria ranks near the bottom in human capital development. The government should invest in its human capital, the people.
Individuals should let patriotism and love of fellow citizens drive their actions. They should treat one another with respect, kindness and generosity.
Businesses should not only focus on profit; they must be socially responsible. They should take care of their employees as well as the community they serve.
Non-profit organisations are essential in any society. They often do what the government cannot do. The government should encourage giving to non-profit organisations through tax laws and policies. Nigeria is in desperate need of charitable organisations that focus on poverty, healthcare, and education.
Mahatma Gandhi said “let the villages of the future live in our imagination, so that we might one day come to live in them.” The old village is gone. The new village of our imagination is Wakanda. During this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, let us turn to the village.
An African proverb popularized by Hillary Clinton says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I say it takes a village to solve the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ajumobi is the Chief of Gastroenterology and Director of Education in Gastroenterology at Eisenhower Health, Rancho Mirage, California.
