REDUCING SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES IN THE WAKE OF THIS HEALTH CRISIS IS A MUST

                                          Photo by Daniel Frank from Pexels

 It is no longer news that the dynamics of society has shifted, bringing to light the stark difference between the rich and poor. 

Disparities in social status also referred to as socioeconomic status has always been a major issue in society as the upper and lower class do not get to live out the same experiences. 

It is understandable to say that the upper class leverages on their ability to afford quality education, health care, and are positioned to occupy the best positions in public and political shares. The lower-class counterparts, on the other hand, are worse off and are at the receiving end of failing educational and health care systems. 

From time to time, nations have experienced natural disasters, conflicts, and disease outbreak at varying degrees. One thing, however, stands out throughout time, the ability of the upper class to either ensure they are either not affected at all or not heavily impacted. 

But, in the face of the COVID 19 outbreak as with other times, the state of the health sector is put before the mirror. 

• How well have the hospitals been equipped to handle major outbreaks of such catastrophic magnitude? 

• Are the hospitals properly equipped or are they mere monuments put in place to provide basic services while referring patients to other countries, for advanced medical attention? 

With borders closed in most countries, and all citizens forced to use the same available medical provisions, societies have again being jolted to the reality of the unavoidable catastrophic consequence of a socioeconomic divide for both the rich and poor.

Many countries like the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and their likes with modern equipment and a thriving medical sector which attends to both citizens and other individuals coming in from other nations for medical care have come under strain in the face of the current COVID 19 outbreak. 

In the face of this pandemic, can we truly say that all members of society receive equal treatment and care, or do some members of the same society receive preference? 

In the United States, many have cried out that the high death rate among the black American population could likely be a result of biases in terms of treatment and care received compared to the white population. 

This may not be far from the truth as the black community in the United States make up a huge portion of the lower class and whites make up a large portion of the upper class. This is not to state that there are no rich blacks or poor whites. 

No. Every society irrespective of their racial, ethnic, and religious composition boasts of the wealthy and the poor.

In Africa, the current pandemic has only exposed failings in the health sector. run-down buildings pose as community health centers, which the upper class never patronize. In the cities, the story can be likened to a paradox. 

Modern structures are put up by the government with next to nothing in terms of equipment. Gloves that should available for every health practitioner are hoarded and patients made to bear the cost of essentials that should ordinarily be provided by the government. 

So, the rich choose to seek medical attention outside of the shores of Africa leaving the poor to manage whatever has been put on the ground.

Unfortunately for the upper class, the current infectious outbreak has no respect for social class boundaries. While the poor will most likely feel the aftermath of the inequality in society, the rich are now at a higher risk.

The celebration that some government officials who tested positive for COVID 29 generated in Africa are a reflection of the joy of the poor to the suffering high ranking government officials will have to face as they are admitted in the same institutions that were left without medical equipment such as ventilators.

The pains and hardships of living in current times could likely pressure the disadvantaged to commit crimes. 

Merton in his theory of deviance argues that when people are faced with the reality of their finances and what it was supposed to be, then strain could occur. 

This stems from a combination of the pressure of striving to be successful without the requisite opportunity to attain such success. In such situations, people either conform to what is on the ground, innovate to achieve their desires, adhere to a ritualistic lifestyle to pursue less elusive goals, retreat to themselves in a bid to avoid societal rules, or completely rebel against the system. 

The basic need for sustenance could drive the poor into satisfying the need without recourse to how it is satisfied. The rich are the view as the villain and the poor see themselves as the victims of a socioeconomic divide that has widened with the arrival of the COVID 19. 

This puts the upper class and their companies at risk of being sabotaged.

Also, while the rich hide in their safe homes believing they are safe, far away from the reach of deadly disease outbreaks, the poor who serve as primary staff to these people tend to be prospective channels of infection. More so as lower-class living settlements serve as logical channels of infection. 

Patterns of upper-class living, on the other hand, show a remarkable dependence of the rich on lower-class staff who return to their families after a while. 

This opens an interphase between the rich and poor consequently making room for probable infections among the affluent.

As the inequality rises and disparities in access becomes more noticeable, the state of the rural children with no light or to access broadcast stations, the gap in communication leads to misinformation of true nature of the virus currently ravaging nations, the impact of on their survival and the possible means of preventing community infection and spread. 

This, in turn, could lead to a rush for the city in panic in a search for answers or flow to areas deemed safe by these rural dwellers who may catch the virus in the course of their journey. 

Even the option of e-learning currently being promoted does not favor the lower class especially the rural dwellers who have little or no electricity supply, no internet access, no funds to purchase smartphones or tabs,  even radio needed to access teachings on local radio broadcast stations is a luxury they cannot afford. 

This is the plight of the average poor man in Africa and around the world.

Society must not close its eyes to the pains of the lower class and seek out ways to bridge the gap between the rich and poor as sparks will inevitably arise from the masses in reaction to the daily frictions they face which may likely affect social structures. 

Let this be a season to set things right whether in Africa or around the world. 

Leaders must seek out ways to ensure the poor get the same treatment with the rich whether in terms of access to healthcare and education or the provision of means to achieve social mobility or success for the poor populace. 

The rich should understand the constantly changing dynamics of society and their attitude towards putting the right policy and structures that will bridge the divide. This will ensure that more do not rebel and crimes which will not favor the society at large will be prevented.