The nation gave a sigh of relief when Ukrainian politicians – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and ex-Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich, among them – repeated the message from the World Health Organzation: The swine flu here is not a deadly mutant strain and the situation is not appreciably worse than in neighboring Russia and Poland.
Tensions will probably be eased as the news media find other topics to focus on. The three-week flu frenzy will come to an end, but, unfortunately, not the epidemic. The flu season is at its beginning and there will many more people sick and dead.
The last three weeks, however, were very important for the future of the nation. They revealed major failures, weaknesses and mistakes. There will be more of that to come as we confront the flu epidemic simultaneously with the economic crisis. But there are some fundamental conclusions that can be drawn already and, hopefully, lessons learned. Here are some of them:
The first lesson is to improve health care
One of the few differences that set us apart from Africa is that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union a solid medical system. But, as with the educational system, the nation’s health-care system desperately needs renovation, support and funding.
The fact that WHO gave doctors in western Ukraine great marks for “enthusiasm” is something we should be proud of, but it doesn’t solve the problem: Medical workers need better pay and safe, modern working conditions. Otherwise their and our lives are in danger and the death of four doctors from swine flu in western Ukraine is a case in point.
True faces of politicians who wear masks
Ukrainian politicians, including the two main presidential candidates, do not really care about fate of their people. They allowed themselves to turn the H1N1 epidemic into a PR show during the days when educational, medical and society-oriented coverage should have been provided to the population.
One can argue that politicians took some actions and there were also doctors on TV. But whose faces in masks do we remember seeing all over the media? Tymoshenko’s and Yanukovich’s? Or Ukraine’s minister of health? Do Ukrainians even remember how the minister looked or his name?
It is very easy for politicians to criticize each other’s shortcomings, especially just weeks before the Jan. 17 presidential election. But a real leader will develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the needs of all Ukrainians, especially a plan that provides accessible, quality health care for the elderly and the very young and the unborn. Nothing less should be given to those citizens who have spent their lives building our country, supporting their families and being productive citizens.
Importance of teaching how to combat disease
Quarantines and closing schools are temporary measures, but not a panacea that can save thousands from getting sick. They are heavily disruptive to the educational establishments and businesses. Ukraine has to learn to live with flu, just like the other nations where H1N1 is active.
Education proved to be a crucial measure in combating swine flu internationally. Taking into the consideration the successful experience of other countries teaching its people to cough and sneeze properly, additional health education for all students should be imposed in Ukraine. And not only on H1N1, but also healthy living, family health andsexual awareness.
Adopt the best international approaches to health care
Ukraine’s medical community is often ignorant to the warnings that it receives from other countries. As a director of a leading private hospital in Kyiv explained it to me: “There are two separate views on medicine: One is English-speaking and international and another is Russian-speaking and domestic. Ukraine sticks to its own opinion on how to treat universal medical challenges.”
We desperately need better cooperation, exchange and training with other medical institutions and governmental organizations. We also need to treat it seriously, not like the conference on international approaches of combating H1N1 that took place in Kyiv on Sept. 16, one month before the epidemic in Ukraine went into a full swing.
The conference was initiated by the U.S. doctors and also hosted top medical officials from the Russian Federation, Belarus and Georgia.
It was the time for specialists from flu-hit nations to share their experience on dealing with H1N1 and for Ukrainian specialists to listen and get prepared. But it went in the opposite direction. Ukrainian officials delivered their fancy speeches on how “fully prepared” they are and the international community listened and nodded.
Results of ignorance are now obvious
There was also one remark after the conference that killed my confidence in Ukraine’s mental progress and international integration. After one of Ukraine’s medical officials delivered his successful speech, his assistant was approached and asked where they can find a copy of the speech. To which she answered very proudly: “You know, it’s intellectual property.” Information of national importance that should have been spread and publicized was treated as top secret or a commercial commodity. This is so wrong.
Ukraine is a young and developing democracy. But coming of age shouldn’t be an excuse. Teen-like vanity and provincial thinking of its healthcare officials has prevented the country from setting the right goals in the sector and achieving them. The recent flu epidemic gives them a good chance to learn from their mistakes and reverse the trend.
Kateryna Grushenko can be reached at [email protected]
