Interview: Dr Eliya Zulu discusses challenges in the healthcare systems, policies and best practices to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
3 April 2020
Author: Ann Waithaka
Dr. Eliya Zulu, Executive Director - AFIDEP

AFIDEP’s Executive Director, Dr. Eliya Zulu on 1 April 2020 had an interview on AfricaNow!, a weekly radio programme based in Washington D.C that focuses on issues concerning the African world. Dr. Zulu shared valuable insight on the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa focusing on the challenges likely to face African economies, livelihoods and healthcare systems.

According to Dr. Zulu, the coronavirus situation is a global health problem that all countries are facing. The problem has not hit the African continent as much as the other regions but the numbers are increasing and there is concern that should Africa record the same numbers as we have seen in the Global North the continent will face serious challenges.

#COVID19 has not hit the African continent as much as the other regions but the numbers are increasing and there is concern that should Africa record the same numbers as we have seen in the Global North the continent will face serious… Click To Tweet

“When you look at what has happened in Italy and how the health systems have been totally overwhelmed and you compare with our own health systems in Africa. Many countries do not even have 500 ventilators in total for a population of over 40 million people [Kenya]. People are scared in a way and we do not want things to get bad because if they get bad we will not be able to manage it.”

Listen to the full AfricaNow! interview here (between minutes 0 – 26.32).

AfricaNow! airs on WPFW(89.3) radio, part of the Pacifica Radio network, in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. It also airs nationally and internationally online

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