The old African secret in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic

Despite the resurgence of Covid-19 cases across the continent, Africa has experienced some resilience against the virus and its known variants.

Noted health and socio-political experts have been discussing the possible reasoning behind this trend. Does the country’s resilience relate to the younger median age of the population, is it the warmer climate, or is it an age-old secret that has been hidden by Africans for many millennia?

20 Days, 5 Cities, and 13 Covid Tests

For the last month, I have been fortunate enough to travel between Europe and three African countries while visiting stakeholders, on behalf of KimboCare. As you might imagine, the journey between these regions presented different Covid-19 restrictions and processes.

On a quest for better access to quality care, I visited five different cities: Geneva, Abidjan, Yaoundé, Nairobi, and Paris. In only 20 days, I have been tested a total of 13 times, with each region and situation using either method, the PCR test or the quick test, also referred to as the antigen test. My nose is still on fire, so I can say with confidence that the virus is being taken seriously in those countries, for many reasons.

Let me share with you some insights from my travels, as I am sure it will give you faith in what’s happening around during these unprecedented times. Many changes are happening behind the scenes, and I hope to bring them to light and continue our efforts to help through KimboCare.

Patient Healthcare Ownership

At KimboCare.com, we invest our time into putting our feet to the ground to travel the roads and meet real patients internationally. The new-age of technology offered in 2020, has without a doubt, helped us shape a solution to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is still something to be said about seeing patients virtually, versus meeting them in-person to discuss their ailments. Nothing is quite as beneficial to understanding a patient’s woes, then engaging in deep conversation about their aches and pains.

Engaging directly with our patients has made us pioneers once again, bringing back strong values in healthcare and its delivery, for everyone. Gone are the days where we absent-mindedly take medication on a presumed threat to our health. Today, more than ever, patients are demanding to be more informed about their health and the choices being made concerning it. They want to know “why, how, and what” is being done in “plain French”, in that order, there is no way around it.

KimboCare’s medical partners in Cameroon adopted strict sanitary measures early on, but we fell short getting our patients caught up. Many locals believed that it wasn’t an issue for them to address and was more a Western concern. With the Governments, NGOs, and Private Sectors all doing their part with a variety of imposed restrictions to fight this pandemic, it has come time for patients to take responsibility also. Each individual needs to take ownership of their health, do their research, and come to an understanding of what’s good for them, and how they can stay healthy.