The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is putting Mali to a hard test. A country already weakened by war and unprecedented insecurity. To deal with this pandemic, the government has announced several measures and created a special fund opened to all goodwill who wish to “support the fight”.
Since the first cases of covid-19 in Mali, Malian authorities, like those of other affected African countries, have announced important measures to limit the spread of the virus and try to relieve the most vulnerable population groups. To meet priority needs, the President of the Republic has decided to allocate a budget of 6.3 billion CFA francs.
A few weeks later, during his 3rd address to the Nation on the Covid-19 pandemic, the Head of State announced certain measures aimed at the most vulnerable population groups. These include, among other things, the “reduction for 3 months of the tax base at the customs barrier of necessities, especially rice and milk, the free distribution of fifty-six thousand tons of cereals and sixteen thousand tons of livestock feed, the payment for the months of April and May 2020, of electricity and water bills of the categories belonging to so-called social groups”. The social measures will cost the State nearly 500 billion CFA francs “in the low case scenario”, said Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. And to add that a special fund of 100 billion CFA francs for the most vulnerable families will be set up, across the 703 communes of Mali.
The call of the authorities
Prior to these announcements, the authorities had sought help from the private sector to build a coalition against the coronavirus disease. The Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Michel Sidibé, indeed held talks with the Malian employers on April 23 in Bamako. It was two days before the first cases appeared. According to Mr. Sidibé, “companies have too often been untapped partners”. And to add: “We really need to take advantage of this opportunity so that you can help us. The equipment is not there, we do not have enough masks, we do not even know exactly if there is an explosion, how we are going to take care of our potential patients… “.
To allow private as well as State bodies and anonymous people to participate in the solidarity surge, a special Covid-19 fund was created at the end of March. In the space of a month and a half, more than four billion three hundred million CFA francs have been collected. It was not until May 14 that the management committee of the “Fight Against Covid-19 Support Fund” was created. Composed of nine (9) members, its mission is to ensure the “transparent management” of said fund.
In addition to internal mobilization, several technical and financial partners have come forward to help Mali, such as the Jack Ma Foundation, which has provided equipment, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which have released funds to deal with the pandemic, the European Union, France, China and the United Arab Emirates who have provided their support.
With the Minister of Transport and the Chinese Ambassador, I received on behalf of the Head of State, the Chinese Govrmnt and the Jack Ma Foundation : 20,000 tests, 100,000 masks and 1,000 outfits. This donation will strengthen our stock and our response system to COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/u4xttduuM6
— Michel Sidibé (@MichelSidibe) March 28, 2020
What about the ground?
Several weeks after the various announcements by the authorities, some health centers do not yet have basic equipment. In Kayes, the first administrative region of Mali, health workers had denounced the lack of resources to fight against the coronavirus. “There is no sanitation device in place at the Kayes Hospital for staff and even for patients. I cannot understand that the State is not giving us equipment…” said Guéladjo Traoré, secretary general of the Fousseyni Daou hospital in Kayes, during a sit-in on April 27. The following day, it was the heads of the labor union committees of the Gabriel Touré, Hôpital du Mali, Kati and Point G University Hospitals who jointly hosted a press conference to “alert the uneasy situation prevailing within these four bodies”. They therefore called for compliance with the commitments made by the authorities. As early as Thursday, May 14, health workers at the Point G hospital were in a sit-in to claim their bonuses and allowances.
The civil society is taking part in the fight
Faced with the situation, citizen actions are also multiplying, especially in the affected cities. “No one can face this pandemic alone. Neither the department nor the State”, said Ilo Bella Diall, Director General of the Point G University Hospital. Since the announcement of the first two cases on March 25, Mali crossed the 800-case mark on May 15. According to health services, out of 874 positive cases as of May 18, there have been 512 recoveries and 52 deaths. Despite these alarming figures, some residents still do not believe in the circulation of this virus on the Malian territory.
Through awareness-raising or donations, associations, groups or ordinary citizens are also playing their part in the fight against this disease. “The disease exists, its spread is very quick. Only, mobilization and compliance with distancing measures can allow us to slow its spread. Every person that we manage to educate is one less problem, “said Djimé Kanté, founding member of the Collectif Riposte 223 contre Covid-19. For him, “some people are allergic to anything that comes from the authorities. Those who follow us, who trust us, often consider the messages coming from the average citizen than from the authorities, that’s the advantage of citizen actions”.
Like this collective, in the laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, young students are taking part in the fight. They manufacture hydro-alcoholic solutions which they give to health personnel and citizens free of charge. For Madiba Sissoko, team leader in the preparation of the alcoholic solution, the formula is simple when you know it. “This is the alcohol that we put in there, the other components will be added. After the alcohol, we will add hydrogen peroxide and for this we need 417 ml. The other component is glycerol and for glycerol we need 145 ml. So, the rest is supplemented with distilled water. Immediately after that, we must put on an alcohol meter to find out the amount or percentage of the alcohol in it. We prefer to bring our solution to the national health laboratory for more credibility since they are responsible for the quality control of health products. So, 72 hours after preparation, the sample is brought to the LNS. Whenever the solutions have been brought to the LNS, the results have been satisfactory”, he explains.
The motivation of these young students lies in the increased price observed in the price of these disinfectants in pharmacies. According to the coordinator of this project, Abdoulaye Mariko, “we deemed it necessary to put our talents to work and to make hydro-alcoholic solutions. These solutions are distributed free of charge in health facilities”.
More than 1000 kilometers from the epicenter, the coordination of cultural actors in Timbuktu has not remained on the sidelines of the fight against the coronavirus. Before the first cases in the “city of 333 saints”, these cultural actors initiated an awareness campaign at the city’s gathering places. “Cultural actors have come together today to transform all of their activities, which have been suspended to awareness-raising activities against Covid-19. To convince people to believe that this pandemic is real and is wreaking havoc and that prevention remains the one and only way out”, said Salaha Maïga, president of the regional coordination of cultural actors.
In the city, other initiatives are being created. Before the “one Malian, one mask” program of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Haïdara Diahara Touré, owner of a vocational training center, with the help of her tailors, makes masks for the benefit of the people of Timbuktu. “Coronavirus disease is currently hitting the world. So, I had the initiative to make masks to distribute to the health services in addition to the vulnerable people”, she said during a ceremony of donation of protective masks to the health staff and certain associations.
Still in northern Mali but in Gao, during the second round of the legislative elections, young volunteers installed handwashing kits in front of the voting centers. They insist on hand washing to limit the spread of the disease. “We can also save lives, what we can do is invite people to wash their hands with soap. Before voters enter, they should wash their hands first. We are in all the voting centers of Gao”, underlines Alassane Alpha, member of an association in Gao.
A significant contribution
The contribution of citizen actions in the fight against Covid-19 in Mali is significant. Since the start of their activities, Collectif Riposte 223 contre Covid-19 has contributed more than 9 500 000 CFA francs, says Raki Thiam, founding member of the association. “We did the first activity at the Gabriel Touré Hospital with our own funds. Afterwards, once the call for donations was launched, we raised more than 1 500 000 CFA in one day. Do you see that surge of solidarity that people are showing? In hospitals, we made donations ranging from 1 100 000 to 1 700 000 CFA francs and in the referral health centers of the different communes of the capital, donations varied between 600 000 and 800 000 F CFA” she underlines. For Ousmane Dicko, a volunteer in the fight against this pandemic “it takes citizens to educate other citizens …”
From now on, wearing a mask will be compulsory in public spaces. That is what Prime Minister Boubou Cisse announced just after the National Defense Council held on May 9. Other decisions taken: the lifting of the curfew and the extension of the closing of the schools until June 2, 2020.
Sahelien.com
*Produced with the support of the Sahel Program of IMS, funded by DANIDA.
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