Mali Clinic Supplies to Protect Against COVID-19

Since the beginning of July, 131 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Mali. This brings the nation to a total of 2,358 confirmed cases. There have been 120 coronavirus deaths reported since the pandemic first reached Mali in March. Currently, Mali has limited testing resources available and only about 350 tests are performed each day despite Mali’s population size of 19.08 million people.

In addition to the lack of testing resources, Mali does not have the necessary equipment to support patients who test positive for COVID-19 and suffer the worst of its symptoms. In fact, a New York Times article estimated that the entire country of Mali only owns 3 ventilators – not nearly enough given Mali’s population size. There are also shortages of nursing staff available to care for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Therefore, the burden of taking care of those who are ill, often falls on family members without knowledge and training. 

Just as we have seen here in the United States, people in Mali have been wearing their masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Schools across the nation are closed so school-aged children are constantly at home. Despite the more limited numbers of positive cases, life has still looked dramatically different for those living in Mali. For example, the inability to congregate as a community affects everyone and has limited schoooling, religous gathering, weddings, and funerals.

Moreover, there is a shortage of necessary PPE (or personal protective equipment) to help protect people from the coronavirus. PPE includes masks, gowns, gloves, and disinfectant, and is required for the safety and well-being of both patients and staff. Since the first reported case in Mali, GAIA Vaccine Foundation has been working to provide PPE and thermometers. As we all wait for the introduction of a vaccine that could help limit the spread of coronavirus in the United States but also the world at large, life has departed from a sense of normality.

GAIA VF recognizes the importance of supporting efforts in Mali to reduce the spread of COVID-19. With your contributions, GAIA VF can expand its efforts and provide greater numbers of PPE and thermometers that can have a large impact on mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Mali. Some examples of the power of your donations include: a donation of $10 USD equates to a box of gloves, and a donation of $25 USD equates to a box of masks. Thank you for your support to GAIA VF and the Sikoro community!

This past Tuesday, June 23rd, the Malian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs confirmed 23 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of infections to 2,001 throughout the country. Thus far, Mali has reported 112 deaths due to the coronavirus and current political unrest has sparked manifestations and insurgencies across the nation that are likely to increase case numbers. Mali has endured internal turmoil since 2012 when an uprising prompted soldiers to overthrow the president; today, the impact of COVID-19 has only further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, where 3.5 million people are currently suffering from food insecurity and 757,000 are severely food insecure. According toU.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, the pandemic is likely to increase the number of people who will face crisis levels of food insecurity to 1.3 million in coming months.

Increasing awareness, disseminating accurate information and following official prevention guidelines are key factors in the battle against COVID-19, but the lack of personal protective equipment and safe social behavior hinder this. In an interview with AllAfrica the leader of Bamako's health service stated, “We do not have a laboratory capable of detecting the virus and we do not have the necessary equipment to take care of patients who test positive.”

A New York Times article estimated that as of April 17 the entire country of Mali owned 3 ventilators, that is, 6.5 million persons per ventilator. A dire need for basic equipment like ventilators are just part of the reason people across Africa are fearful of catastrophic outbreaks, especially among countries with struggling health systems. This lack of clinic supplies also has many experts concerned about chronic shortages of much more basic supplies needed to stagnate the spread of the disease and treat the ill—items like masks, gloves, gowns and disinfectant.  “The things that people need are simple things,” said Kalipso Chalkidou, the director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development. “Not high-tech things.” Getting more ventilators to African countries is not enough. Medical personnel, healthy and properly protected medical personnel, are also needed to operate the machines and run existing healthcare facilities; clinic supplies and personal protective equipment are crucial to the well-being of all Malians.

Despite remaining in a state of emergency since March 25th, curfews have been lifted and though it is mandatory to wear masks at all public places, basic clinic supplies remain scarce. As Mali confronts this pandemic, we must remember that behind these rapidly growing figures are families and communities. At GAIA VF, we recognize that as a global health advocate, we must ensure that all communities have access to the basic clinic supplies necessary to combat COVID-19 and are working tirelessly to provide these to our Hope Center Clinic and partner community clinics that care for the people of Mali.