Covid 19 pandemic
As of now, the world at large is still grappling with Covid 19 that was declared a public health emergency on January 30th, 2020. The number one most pressing issue about Covid 19 is the misinformation of the crisis, or as the UN calls it, infodemic information. Infodemic information refers to an excessive amount of misinformation, disinformation, and rumors about the virus that is likely to cause trust and confusion in the general public. Further, infodemics hamper the possibility of finding a solution. Examples of misinformation include premises that the virus cannot survive in hot areas, high doses of chloroquine can treat the disease, and that garlic and ginger prevent one from contracting the virus. As dd states, healthcare should have information infrastructure and data collection plans that will ensure effective policy implementation. As the WHO, I can frame this issue as a healthcare context that Health bodies should liaise with media companies like Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Tencent, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube to filter our false information and report individuals connected with the same.
Another problem stemming from the Pandemic is the issue of the protection of doctors and nurses who are involved in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Under this paradigm, doctors and nurses are prone to mental and psychosocial stress as they deal with COVID 19. One policy action in the healthcare system should provide psychological counseling to nurses and doctors, especially young medical staff members. Policymakers should ensure that nurses have ‘ lunch and learn’ sessions where they can communicate more to with mentors on issues related to insomnia and anxiety. Further, a healthcare policy that identifies medical staffs suffering from depression and reliving them from duties should be imposed. As a clincher, the need to revisit and implement healthcare policies that reduce misinformation is mandatory. Nurses and doctors also need healthcare policies that fight for their mental health amidst the crisis.