Chronic diseases: crisis chasing the crisis

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Noman Ali, a 21 years old medical student at Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

How do people suffer when they are already be suffering from days, months, or even years when a pandemic swarms up the whole country with its wholesome devastating effects on them? As our concern is how pandemics affect the people suffering from chronic diseases.

Chronic disease is a chronic condition people are suffering from but there can be other conditions I am sure to call it as a disease but the psychological point of view I think we can call it a disease, So other chronic conditions in which people can be suffering or will suffer during a pandemic are geopolitical conditions like a war between two countries,political issues, even 1 can say inter-family issues can cause chronic psychological conditions.

Other conditions can fit in the definition of chronic disease. Let’s say a country goes to war when one puppet abusing the one puppet of another country and they just because of their self-ego started shooting missiles at each other but not just for one day.

Both started to recruit other puppets to be on their side and one joke started a world war. As long the war remains continues it can be weeks,months, or even years. So as long the war or geopolitical tensions keep going the whole country is suffering from psychological chronic conditions. It can be because of losing someone in war or because of hunger caused by war or it can be because of looting conditions that develop during war times.

Now at this time if a pandemic hits this country, hospitals that were usually being filled up with soldiers injured by bullets or whatever missiles or rockets are being filled up with those patients suffering from this pandemic disease.

As an example take INFLUENZA PANDEMICS ’in 1918 during World War I that killed approximately more than 50 MILLION people in the world. And on the other hand, 30 to 40 Million people died in war. But according to reports about 1/3 of people die because of famine and other factors that were developed because of war and these factors are chronic conditions in which people were suffering when the influenza virus hit the world.

The same is the case goes for other different conditions like family issues and many other psychological factors.So past wars teach us that we have many other matters to look after than to keep our prime. And in another time with another war, if a pandemic hits us the dead counts will be in billions rather not millions that were in past.

Chronic diseases that are associated with our body that need proper care like AIzheimer’s,Arthritis,Cancer, Epilepsy, etc,and people suffering from these conditions need proper medical treatment. But when a pandemic hits the main concern for the whole world becomes that pandemic and how to get out from it, and those patients are left behind.

As an example let’s take a view about the CORONA VIRUS pandemic,it destroyed the world economy Is one thing but it change the perception of the health community to divert its attention to itself and leave the community behind that needs to be looked after.

Third-world countries are the most strongly affected by the change of bias.According to a report, there was an increase in deaths of people suffering from hepatitis although the diagnosed number was low. Why are that divergence in diagnostic numbers and the death toll? It’s because people do not get proper treatment during pandemics. Hospitals are filled with the outnumber patients suffering from pandemics, there left no room for the people who were in the pandemic of their own.

One of the most potent causes of this whole situation is the dramatic increase in population.Resources are being finished up and the developing countries are the most affected ones.As a medical student, I would say that apart I can play is to spread awareness about the pandemic first so its out bursting numbers decrease and for the people who are suffering from the chronic disease I would say we need to knowledge the people that can take care of their own first and their family members can take their care.

All we have to do is reach out to as many people as we can who are suffering from this disease and guide them on how to manage and keep the treatment going on. One other and most effective way would be to use the social network and reach out without any harm in a pandemic.

About the author

Noman Ali is a 21 years old medical student at Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan. He strongly believes that a medical students have the power to change the face of public health.