It has been an unprecedented year. A year that has seen lockdowns, fear, migrant’s crisis, employment loss, economic recovery, vaccine, indifference, and we again stand at the cliff-edge – crossing 100k per day – a step further can mean a repeat cycle.
COVID has brought to light and peeled-off, layer-by-layer, the inefficiencies that mar our health systems. The initial months saw diminishing service levels for critical preventive healthcare services (pre-and ante-natal care, immunization, geriatric care, etc.). As cases increased, our emergency health systems were exposed and struggled to cope with the pandemic’s pressures and needs. All energies focused on COVID, and other emergency life-threatening care needs took a backseat. As things started to improve, the other services saw a pull; however, as we entered the second wave, the dilemma again strikes, to continue everything or focus on COVID care.
