Now that the acute phase of the pandemic – if we’re lucky – appears to be behind us, the temptation is great to turn the page. Normal. As soon as we have the slightest impression of having passed a great ordeal, the human reflex is to do whatever it takes to forget it.
It shows up everywhere. Governments don’t talk about it anymore. The citizens move on. However, it is a mistake to lapse into denial so easily. I was worried about this right here on January 4th.
Given the staggering unpreparedness of even the most advanced nations in 2020 in the event of a pandemic, I asked this question: Will the world’s decision makers, present and future, finally have the right lessons before the next big crisis? Very clever, the fortune tellers…
In the run-up to other national or global health crises that will inevitably occur one day, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is also concerned.
Le Devoir tells us that according to a detailed report by the OECD, “health networks need to learn several lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in order to prepare for the crises that will arise in the coming years”. Pretty understated…
disproportionate role
The OECD therefore recommends that governments, among other things, “address the labor shortage in their hospitals, improve the supply of medical equipment and rely on better international cooperation in research”. Common sense what.
Indeed, to say that the health networks were in no way prepared for a pandemic is a purely factual statement. In fact, in Quebec’s CHSLDs, it has claimed the lives of thousands of us, often in appalling conditions. Since memory is a skill that forgets, we need to remember it.
One proof, among many others, of the grave unpreparedness of most governments is the disproportionate role played by the powerful American consulting firm Mckinsey & Company in the “management” of the pandemic.
Discreetly, McKinsey has been no less ubiquitous behind the scenes of several governments, including those of France, Quebec, Ontario and Canada. Just as even mega-health ministries felt unable to handle the demands of a global pandemic on their own. Among other things, for the organization of a vaccination campaign. Phew…
Massive investments
Not surprisingly, then, the OECD writes that “health systems can build resilience by learning lessons that allow for better adaptation in times of crisis, and it is imperative to do so now to face future threats”.
Which, according to the OECD, should also include preventive medicine and better mental health care, two of the major failings of our networks.
It is with good reason that the OECD notes that vulnerable people and economically disadvantaged populations – because they are already more neglected than the rest of society – have been hit even harder by COVID-19.
The OECD also suggests that governments invest heavily in recruiting medical workers. We don’t even have to explain why, the reasons are so obvious…
In Quebec, however, there is a risk that the combination of significant tax cuts mandated by the Legault government and clearly inadequate health transfers imposed on provinces by the Trudeau government will make this vital operation even more difficult.
