scholarly works
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Item COVID-19 and Older Adults: A Call to Accelerate Geriatrics Differentiated Healthcare Services in Africa(ResearchGate, 2020-08) Akande-Sholabi, W.Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic is having a global impact on healthcare system around the world. Everyone is susceptible to COVID-19, but older adults aged 60 years due to physiological changes that come with ageing and possible underlying medical disorders are more susceptible [1]. The need to ensure access to healthcare services by the elderly during this pandemic is paramount. Nonetheless, it is essential that stakeholders continue to prioritize access to healthcare services and medicines among the older adults amid the fight against this global public health, especially in Africa where little attention is paid to geriatric care. Methods: This is a descriptive recommendation abstract for countries in Africa based on tailored strategies to improve access to healthcare among the geriatric population during this pandemic and in the post-pandemic era. Discussion and key conclusion: When implementing interventions to reduce the spread of disease, such as partial or total lockdown, exceptional attention must be offered to older people. Remote consultations such as telemedicine have the potential to protect healthcare workers and older adults from unnecessary exposure to disease, while ensuring continuity in the delivery of care, and in addition, decreases resource utilization across the already stressed health-care infrastructure[2]. COVID-19 is a call to accelerate improved geriatrics differentiated healthcare services in Africa by leveraging on telemedicine and technology without necessarily exposing older adults to the risk of contracting diseases by visiting healthcare settings. During COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic telemedicine would have unlimited potential to provide effective, appropriate, and secure care in the context of highly transmissible disease epidemics, both for management, and for regular follow-up of chronic disease among older adults. The implementation of this technology should ensure that the future policy on telemedicine includes the end-users in the planning and implementation.Item The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on medicine security in Africa: Nigeria as a case study(PanAfrican Medical journal, 2020) Akande-Sholabi,W.; Adebisi,Y. A.COVID-19 is an unprecedented pandemic posing major threat to global public health. In the past decades of years or so, one could have heard of how dangerous it is to be virtually reliant on medicine supply from other countries. Nonetheless, no action was taken because it seemed to many that the global trade system was operational and Nigerians as well as citizens of African countries appear to have sufficient supply of the medications required at quite appealing cost. Currently in 2020, this apprehension has revolved from an imaginary problem to an actual challenge that might have consequences for millions nationwide due to COVID-19 pandemic. Now, African countries can realize that putting all our eggs in one basket was not such a good idea. In Nigeria, over 70% of the prescribed medications are produced from active ingredients (API) primarily sourced from firms in China and India. Access to medicine is an integral part of healthcare systems, uninterrupted access to medicine is much needed and essential for the well-being of the population. We are now approaching the conclusion that it is more reasonable to probably invest a little more to resuscitate a domestic pharmaceutical synthesis and herbal medicine research capacity in Nigeria and across African countries to improve public health.