phindilenx@yahoo.com

There have been and will continue to be, many avoidable deaths in Africa as governments battle to create equity in their budgets and push to make health a priority. Health budgets have always suffered from underfunding and significant understaffing, this not only leads to deaths, but to the suffering of people with illnesses and diseases because they cannot access health care. It was under these circumstances, that as 2020 dawned, 54 African countries’ health departments were, “as normal as they were”, and had to stretch staff, treatment facilities, and medications to meet the demands of the people. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic jolted the entire world, including Africa, and her 1.4 billion people. Already underfunded health budgets buckled and almost collapsed. Budgets were reprioritized, and health departments bolstered, but the consequence was the abrupt shut down of medical facilities for the “run-of-the-mill” healthcare. As is the norm, Africa was bailed out with massive loans and grants by the international community; its unfair practices to developing countries will continue to cripple the already “fragile” economies. The African Development Bank set up a $10 billion USD COVID-19 Response Facility to help mitigate macroeconomic “shocks” for African countries. The Bank also announced a $3 billion USD social bond to support its COVID-19 funding efforts. While this provided some reprieve, the next hurdle being faced is rebuilding the economies after the lockdown and finding enough money for COVID-19 vaccines. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of many countries' budgets goes towards transportation, security, and much-needed water programs. The Africa CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) says the continent's limited health budget, weak health facilities, and shortage of health workers are a hindrance to the fight against pandemics in general. A shocking indictment is that only 50% of African Union member states have modern health …