From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, Ebonyi State, Professor Jesse Uneke, on Tuesday, said emerging and re-emerging infections will soon knock the doors of Africa and the world.
Uneke who stated this during the 4h International Public Health Conference held in the University with the theme “Public Health Teaching, Research and Service in Africa in a Post-Pandemic Era,” noted that COVID-19 was no more emergency of public health concern.
He opined that Africa and the world need to consolidate on the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to make future better through innovations and research.
He called for a paradigm shift and radical change of mindset from where public health, teaching , research and services work in silos to return to the era where public health teaching and research are translated into implementable policies to improve population health.
“The devastating effects of COVID-19 which crumbled our health systems, tore our socio-economic lives apart were possible because of lack of cohesiveness and inter professional collaboration and training which is the need of the time.
“Public Health is so broad, dynamic, cuts across all aspects of human endeavour and adopts anything that has a system while creating systems where it doesn’t exist at all for the benefit of mankind and population health.
“COVID-19 is no more an emergency of public health concern, but other emerging and re-emerging infections will soon knock on our doors, and we only need to consolidate on the lessons from the pandemic to make future better for Africa through innovations and research which is the pride and the twin pillars upon which David Umahi University of Health Sciences sits”, he stated.
Professor Godwin Ajah, Chairman of Association for Public Health Teaching, Research and Service (APHTRes) explained that COVID-19 has caused lots of disruptions not only to the economy but also to the academia and has shaken the foundation of Public Health Teaching, Research and Service to the extent that institutions had to transit to online learning and everything.
Ajah averred that the goal of the association was to promote excellence and best practices in Public Health Teaching, Research and Service across institutions offering programmes in Public Health.
“In this conference, we want to interrogate how COVID-19 has impacted research, teaching and service and see how we can navigate through future pandemic because we don’t know what is coming next,” he stated.