What can we do to be more resilient against pandemics?

By Joshua Corcuera

A saying goes like this, “numbers don’t lie.” If this were to be followed, then facts are not lying when it says that the country failed to solve the public health crisis brought by the coronavirus.

A recent study by Bloomberg found that the Philippines is second to the last, only next to Argentina, in a list of 53 countries in terms of COVID-19 pandemic resilience. In other words, the Philippines is not resilient against the current health crisis we are experiencing.

This is not surprising. Especially when we consider that our country has performed similarly poor in other rankings related to the pandemic. In a March 2021 ranking by the independent think-tank Lowy Institute, the Philippines placed 81^st out of 102 countries in terms of a country’s performance in battling the coronavirus. The same think-tank ranked the country 79^th out of 98 countries last January 2021. Meanwhile, a February 2021 survey by the Singapore-based think-tank ASEAN Studies Center found that 53.7% of Filipinos disapproved of the government’s response to the pandemic — the highest in Southeast Asia.

If the screams of failure echo loud and clear, it must be true. It is also important to take note that the president has less than a year left in office and it is imperative for him to leave office on a positive note — that is to solve the coronavirus pandemic before his term ends. Actually, the pandemic must have been solved long ago. As a matter of fact, some countries never encountered a big problem with the pandemic — countries in the likes of New Zealand and Taiwan, countries that are led by women who rely on science instead of projecting strength.

With these lamentable figures, what can the-powers-that-be do to make our country more resilient against future health crises? First, higher investments on public health. These investments mean that a higher percentage of the national budget must be allocated to health purposes. Consequently, the higher budget allocated to healthcare can be utilized to develop our country’s health infrastructure not only in urban areas but also in rural areas where access to healthcare remains difficult to this day. With easier access to public healthcare, the masses can seek professional help when they encounter illnesses. Second, increasing scholarships on health degree programs. This opens an opportunity for aspiring workers in the field of medicine to pursue their dreams. Ultimately, more Filipinos would work in such field and more doctors and nurses could aid the Filipino people. It is essential to provide them higher compensation as well to preclude them from working abroad and to reward their sacrifices.

Going back to the recent study of Bloomberg, reports from various news outlets claim that the secretary of health was irked by such findings. Instead of being irked, however, I suggest that learning from such results would be better. After all, the Bloomberg survey can serve as an eye-opener for us to know what to improve in regard with our healthcare system. These improvements will benefit our nation for the years to come.

The study conducted by Bloomberg considered the following in its methodology: percentage of population vaccinated, severity of lockdowns, vaccinated travel routes, flight capacity, one-month cases per 100,000 population, one-month case fatality rate, total deaths per 1 million people, and positivity rate.