t_co
Senior Member
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- Dec 20, 2012
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We have all heard the terrible news about the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. So far, there have been over 5000 cases and 3000 deaths, and the number of cases is doubling every 4-6 weeks. Public health infrastructure in these impoverished nations (even lower HDI than Bangladesh or Pakistan) is completely overwhelmed. (For example, Liberia's president recently reported that her country only has quarantine wards for 240 people when it needs at least 2-3,000 wards, etc.)
Both China and India have substantial investments in West Africa - investments which are now under jeopardy as the people who were supposed to shop, work, or live there become refugees or epidemic victims. The Western nations have been stingy thus far - the US recently announced it is sending 25 hospital beds exclusively for foreign doctors who have fallen ill caring for Africans but not for Africans themselves.
This is a golden opportunity for China and India to exercise joint leadership of a health relief effort. Rupees or Yuan spent on shipping a few thousand health workers into these regions would go a much longer way to building influence and safeguarding their investments there than any wining and dining of African presidents or acquisitions of oil concessions.
It would be ideal if Modi and Xi could make an announcement during their meeting; it would show the world that both leaders do care about nations other than their own and also know how to marry their interests with the global good in an enlightened manner.
Given that some DFIers here do appear to have the voice of stakeholders in the GoI, I would ask all of you to please reach out to them to see what they can do. I will contact my friends inside the government of China. We can make this happen.
Both China and India have substantial investments in West Africa - investments which are now under jeopardy as the people who were supposed to shop, work, or live there become refugees or epidemic victims. The Western nations have been stingy thus far - the US recently announced it is sending 25 hospital beds exclusively for foreign doctors who have fallen ill caring for Africans but not for Africans themselves.
This is a golden opportunity for China and India to exercise joint leadership of a health relief effort. Rupees or Yuan spent on shipping a few thousand health workers into these regions would go a much longer way to building influence and safeguarding their investments there than any wining and dining of African presidents or acquisitions of oil concessions.
It would be ideal if Modi and Xi could make an announcement during their meeting; it would show the world that both leaders do care about nations other than their own and also know how to marry their interests with the global good in an enlightened manner.
Given that some DFIers here do appear to have the voice of stakeholders in the GoI, I would ask all of you to please reach out to them to see what they can do. I will contact my friends inside the government of China. We can make this happen.