對許多西方人來說,提到“盧旺達”或許會勾起25年前可怕動亂的記憶。然而今天,盧旺達已經(jīng)成為衛(wèi)生領(lǐng)域的創(chuàng)新先鋒,在此次新冠疫情中表現(xiàn)突出。在疫情控制方面,盧旺達的努力擊敗了看起來更發(fā)達的國家,包括美國。
根據(jù)非營利組織健康伙伴基金會(Partners in Health)的數(shù)據(jù),在疫情發(fā)生的第一個月,盧旺達的新冠肺炎確診病例從2例增加到134例。就在同一時期,曾經(jīng)在盧旺達殖民的比利時確診病例從2例增加到7400例,而兩國人口總量相當。到6月底,由于爆發(fā)了幾起聚集性疫情,盧旺達的確診人數(shù)增加到582例。紐約市人口數(shù)約為盧旺達的四分之三,而且在美國算得上抗擊疫情成功的典范之一,當時每天仍然有數(shù)百個新增病例。
盧旺達的前衛(wèi)生部部長、現(xiàn)哈佛醫(yī)學院高級講師阿尼斯?比納格瓦霍表示,成功的關(guān)鍵在于其以社區(qū)為中心的衛(wèi)生體系。
上周三,在《財富》雜志舉辦的線上健康頭腦風暴大會上,她對疫苗倡導者賽斯?伯克利表示:“盧旺達優(yōu)先發(fā)展去中心化的醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)?!本唧w做法為派遣社區(qū)衛(wèi)生工作者前往全國各地。比納格瓦霍說,衛(wèi)生體系也注重吸收教育工作者和執(zhí)法人員等不同領(lǐng)域的人協(xié)同工作,推進實現(xiàn)衛(wèi)生目標。
美國的做法與之形成鮮明對比。希拉?戴維斯是健康伙伴基金會的首席執(zhí)行官,該組織致力于將醫(yī)療服務覆蓋到全球貧困的人口群體。她說:“過去幾十年中,美國在社區(qū)衛(wèi)生和公共衛(wèi)生方面的投入大幅減少。所以美國無法像盧旺達一樣提供社區(qū)衛(wèi)生福利?!?
可能讓有些美國人尤為沮喪的是,盧旺達民眾極為信任衛(wèi)生系統(tǒng)和衛(wèi)生當局。根據(jù)2019年度的一份報告,盧旺達民眾對本國診所和醫(yī)院的信任度達到全世界最高,并且非常重視疫苗接種。而美國對佩戴口罩等預防性舉措一直不乏懷疑和否定的聲音。
最重要的是,戴維斯認為美國不該過度依賴醫(yī)院作為醫(yī)療的焦點,而應該像盧旺達一樣讓醫(yī)療工作者貼近服務的社區(qū)。疫情期間,盧旺達提供戴維斯稱之為“積極檢測”的服務,搭建設施將疑似感染者與家人隔離,并為隔離人員提供食物。
盡管盧旺達在疫情中因為使用無人機和其他技術(shù)而得到一些關(guān)注,但戴維斯認為技術(shù)運用是次要的。她說:“創(chuàng)新并不是技術(shù),盧旺達的做法更多是人性關(guān)懷和社會支持領(lǐng)域的創(chuàng)新?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
對許多西方人來說,提到“盧旺達”或許會勾起25年前可怕動亂的記憶。然而今天,盧旺達已經(jīng)成為衛(wèi)生領(lǐng)域的創(chuàng)新先鋒,在此次新冠疫情中表現(xiàn)突出。在疫情控制方面,盧旺達的努力擊敗了看起來更發(fā)達的國家,包括美國。
根據(jù)非營利組織健康伙伴基金會(Partners in Health)的數(shù)據(jù),在疫情發(fā)生的第一個月,盧旺達的新冠肺炎確診病例從2例增加到134例。就在同一時期,曾經(jīng)在盧旺達殖民的比利時確診病例從2例增加到7400例,而兩國人口總量相當。到6月底,由于爆發(fā)了幾起聚集性疫情,盧旺達的確診人數(shù)增加到582例。紐約市人口數(shù)約為盧旺達的四分之三,而且在美國算得上抗擊疫情成功的典范之一,當時每天仍然有數(shù)百個新增病例。
盧旺達的前衛(wèi)生部部長、現(xiàn)哈佛醫(yī)學院高級講師阿尼斯?比納格瓦霍表示,成功的關(guān)鍵在于其以社區(qū)為中心的衛(wèi)生體系。
上周三,在《財富》雜志舉辦的線上健康頭腦風暴大會上,她對疫苗倡導者賽斯?伯克利表示:“盧旺達優(yōu)先發(fā)展去中心化的醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)?!本唧w做法為派遣社區(qū)衛(wèi)生工作者前往全國各地。比納格瓦霍說,衛(wèi)生體系也注重吸收教育工作者和執(zhí)法人員等不同領(lǐng)域的人協(xié)同工作,推進實現(xiàn)衛(wèi)生目標。
美國的做法與之形成鮮明對比。希拉?戴維斯是健康伙伴基金會的首席執(zhí)行官,該組織致力于將醫(yī)療服務覆蓋到全球貧困的人口群體。她說:“過去幾十年中,美國在社區(qū)衛(wèi)生和公共衛(wèi)生方面的投入大幅減少。所以美國無法像盧旺達一樣提供社區(qū)衛(wèi)生福利?!?
可能讓有些美國人尤為沮喪的是,盧旺達民眾極為信任衛(wèi)生系統(tǒng)和衛(wèi)生當局。根據(jù)2019年度的一份報告,盧旺達民眾對本國診所和醫(yī)院的信任度達到全世界最高,并且非常重視疫苗接種。而美國對佩戴口罩等預防性舉措一直不乏懷疑和否定的聲音。
最重要的是,戴維斯認為美國不該過度依賴醫(yī)院作為醫(yī)療的焦點,而應該像盧旺達一樣讓醫(yī)療工作者貼近服務的社區(qū)。疫情期間,盧旺達提供戴維斯稱之為“積極檢測”的服務,搭建設施將疑似感染者與家人隔離,并為隔離人員提供食物。
盡管盧旺達在疫情中因為使用無人機和其他技術(shù)而得到一些關(guān)注,但戴維斯認為技術(shù)運用是次要的。她說:“創(chuàng)新并不是技術(shù),盧旺達的做法更多是人性關(guān)懷和社會支持領(lǐng)域的創(chuàng)新?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
For many in the West, the name Rwanda may still carry memories of that country’s horrific upheavals of a quarter-century ago and tap broader Western biases against Africa. But today the country is a leading innovator on health. That includes the ongoing fight against the coronavirus: Rwanda's efforts to control the pandemic have trounced those of ostensibly more advanced countries, including the United States.
In its first month of fighting the virus, Rwanda saw coronavirus cases grow from two to 134, according to the nonprofit Partners in Health. During the same period, Belgium—Rwanda’s former colonizer, which has a similar population—went from two cases to 7,400. By the end of June, a handful of outbreak clusters pushed Rwanda’s total reported infections to 582. New York City, with about three-quarters of Rwanda’s population and arguably one of America's coronavirus success stories, is still seeing nearly 300 new cases each day.
According to Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda’s former health minister and now a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, the success comes down to a health care system focused on communities.
“Rwanda has prioritized a decentralized health care system,” she told vaccination advocate Seth Berkley at Fortune’s Brainstorm Health virtual conference on last Wednesday. That has meant distributing community health workers across the country. The system, Binagwaho said, also works to get buy-in from everyone, from educators to law enforcement, to help in advancing health goals.
The U.S. stands in contrast to that approach. “[U.S.] investment in community health and public health has really been decimated in the last few decades,” said Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners in Health, which focuses on expanding medical services for the world’s poorest people. “So we don’t have the benefits of a community health system like they have in Rwanda.”
One outcome that may be particularly frustrating to some Americans is Rwandans' deep trust in their health care system and health authorities. According to a 2019 report, Rwandans have the world's highest level of trust in clinics and hospitals, and place high importance on vaccinations. The U.S., meanwhile, has been a hotbed of distrust and denialism toward precautions as basic as cloth masks.
Most of all, Davis faulted U.S. reliance on hospitals as a focal point of health care, in contrast to Rwanda's approach of putting health workers closer to the communities they serve. That has included providing what Davis called “aggressive testing” during the pandemic, and setting up facilities to let possible coronavirus carriers isolate away from their families, including providing food for quarantiners.
Though Rwanda has gotten some attention for its use of drones and other technology in the pandemic, Davis thinks that’s secondary. “The innovation is not a technology. It’s more the innovation of human caring and providing social support.”