‘Second wave of COVID-19 needs prudent handling’

Islamabad : With the emergence of the second wave of the COVID-19, Pakistan may face serious health-governance challenges at both policy and implementation levels. If not addressed, these challenges might jeopardize and reverse the gains made in the first phase of the fight against the pandemic.

The first monthly COVID-19 response monitoring report released by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability-Free and Fair Election Network (TDEA-FAFEN) observed an increase in the number of new confirmed cases from 313,431 to 333,970 and 324 deaths (rising from 6,499 to 6,823 dead) during October 2020. The report is based on data collected through stakeholder surveys and observation of enumerators deployed in 20 project districts.

The sense of urgency for a more serious and focused response by the government is not only dictated by rampant increase in infections but also by the state of critical factors such as limited infrastructural capacity at district level, need of capacity building of first-line responders, as well as stakeholders like members of CSOs and journalists.

According to the report, coordination mechanisms established to manage response during the outbreak of the pandemic earlier this year largely remained intact in 14 of the 16 observed districts with key stakeholders, including healthcare staff, elected leaders and CSOs, represented on coordination platforms. The research respondents’ opinion about the effectiveness of coordination mechanisms in 16 districts reflected a variance, with majority (78%) rating it between average to highly effective.

Inclusive approach is another area where most of the districts claim to have developed and implemented safety SOPs in consultation with key stakeholders. However, the report finds that implementation and enforcement of SOPs remained an area of serious concern.

Capacity to handle the pandemic at the district level also remained an issue. Whereas government officials in all 16 districts claimed sufficient stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in the district, most representatives of doctors’ and paramedics’ associations only partially endorsed the statement. Health facilities in the districts remain a significant concern as the testing, quarantine/isolation capacity and other provisions such as ventilators are feared to fall short if the rate of infections is not checked.

Capacity in terms of the numbers and skillset of healthcare providers is yet another area of concern, with doctors in 11 of 16 districts and paramedic representatives 5 of 14 districts agreeing that their colleagues were not adequately trained to deal with COVID-19.

While the challenge of capacity and coordination cannot be overlooked, political and policy dynamics of the COVID-19 response are becoming increasingly critical. During October, legislative oversight remained marginal, while the politicization of COVID-19 response gathered momentum in the wake of opposition’s ongoing agitation against the government.

The government on its part announced steps with the dual consideration of keeping the economic activity running, while issuing guidelines, implementing SOPs and protocols for offices, businesses and individuals to curb the spread of the pandemic.

While the usual challenge of limited resources remained relevant, efforts to control the second wave of COVID-19 infections has to contend with increased politicisation and lack of adherence to the SOPs among the general public as major policy challenges—factors that were not as significant during the first wave of the pandemic.