Dear Editor,
Thereunder is the chronology.
The year: 2018.
The month: September.
The date: 26th
The Locale: The United Nation.
The Speaker: Donald Trump.
What he said?: “ I don’t believe there has been any administration in the history of this country that has done more in two years — and we’re not even up to two years yet — than our administration.”
Audience response: Uncontrollable laugher.
Trump response:”I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK,”
Then
The year: 2021.
The month: September.
The date: 22nd
The locale: The United Nation.
The Speaker: Irfaan Ali.
What he said? “ The access to vaccines saw the world polarised. I know, I speak on behalf of many leaders when I say that we must not now hurt our efforts at ending this polarisation of access to vaccines by implementing measures that divide us and curtail our movement based on the type of vaccines our people took.”
Audience response: They all took a toilet break.
My response on reading yet another uninformed utterance: We should no longer accredit doctors, just permit them to travel the world world, undertaking whatever surgery that tickles their fancy. Afterall the the world shouldn’t be polarised based on access to doctors, for poor quality doctors shouldn’t be confined by borders, even if they are a danger to lives and limbs.
And random companies the world over should’ve access to the tyre market even if their tyres fail to meet the minimum standard, for accreditation. Afterall the the world shouldn’t be polarised based on access to tyres, for poor quality tyres shouldn’t be confined by borders, even if they’re a danger to lives and limbs.
Better yet, companies can mass produce poor qualities cars but should’ve access to the automobile market without accreditation restriction. Afterall the world shouldn’t be polarised based on access to cars, for poor quality cars shouldn’t be confined by borders, even if they are a danger to lives and limbs.
Most importantly, pharmaceutical companies should distill cow urine and patent it as their Covid-19 vaccine. And for their ingenious idea, they should have access to the Covid-19 vaccine market. Afterall the world shouldn’t be polarised based on vaccine used for vaccination, for those vaccinated with the distilled cow urine Covid-19 vaccine shouldn’t be confined by borders, even if a danger to lives and limbs.
Now certainly reflect I must on the concept of quality assurance which speaks to the maintenance of a desired level of quality in a service or product, especially by means of attention to every stage of the process of delivery or production. For the details of quality assurance we shall not explore but suffice to say that it serves to maintain standards, to protect lives and limbs, even being an impetus for innovation.
In fact, unlike PPP the rest of the world recognises the importance of maintaining standards, since more often than not, those standards have their genesis in tragedies, vis-a-vis the thalidomide tragedy in medicine along with automobile safety which was forced to improve because of standards set, due to the loss of lives and limbs.
The fact is, PPP made the informed and brainless decision to procure Sputnik-V, fully aware that it wasn’t WHO approved. Further, they were fully aware that the rest of the world rejected it because of the lack of approval from WHO. Indeed, WHO standards were set to ensure efficacy and safety, with the view to protect lives and limbs. Now having made the decision to vaccinate with Sputnik-V, PPP are now accusing the rest of the world of polarisation based on vaccine administered. But that argument is most fallacious, for the rest of the world value the lives of their citizens hence they stayed away from Sputnik-V and so should’ve PPP. Therefore, it lends to reason that those countries having taken steps to protect the lives of their citizens, will not nullify their hard work by permitting Sputnik-V or anyone vaccinated with Sputnik-V, to enter their countries. For they rightly see it as Prevention. PPP sees it as Polarising. I see it as Pragmatism. Indeed, that is PPP.
But this our world is already polarised, vis-a-vis the Covid Clever vs The Covid Clueless. And it’s without doubt that we live and die with the unfair burden of the Covid Clueless. Indeed, That’s the polarisation that should be of concern to Irfaan Ali. That’s the only polarisation that we need to have addressed.
But confident am I that PPP are breathing a sigh of relief that Irfaan Ali spoke to an empty hall, for if he had an audience they would’ve certainly given him a good dose of what Donald Trump received. And being honest, I cannot say he wouldn’t have deserved it.
Regards
Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc Med. Ed FRCP(Edin) FRCP
Consultant Acute Medicine
Nottingham University Hospital
UK
