The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Enema Amodu, must have ruffled some feathers on Friday with his shocking disclosure that at least 20 Nigerian doctors have lost their lives from complications arising from the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic in the last one week. The deceased health workers included consultants, professors and some resident doctors.
He said: “For those of us in the health sector, we have lost quite a number of colleagues. Across the country, we have lost not less than 20 doctors in the last one week.”
The chairman noted that healthcare workers were often at risk of exposure to infections, including the pandemic as they were the first responders to patients.
He said although health workers had been advised to use full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before attending to patients, many did not have access to the equipment and as a result, over 1,000 health workers were sickened by the ailment in the country.
Although the exact number of health workers that have been infected in Nigeria so far cannot be ascertained,as at June 2, this year, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, put the figure at 812.
Dr. Amodu called for action amidst the second wave of the pandemic already ravaging the world, noting that the second wave was more catastrophic due to non-adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures put in place to curtail the spread of the virus.
He said, “The world is already facing the second wave of the pandemic and this is so overwhelming. The second wave is more catastrophic because a lot of people have gone back to their ways of doing things.”
Dr. Amodu further appealed to patients to restrain from hiding their past medical conditions to ensure the safety of health workers across the country, noting that some doctors contracted the virus as a result of poor knowledge of patients’ medical history and travels.
He appealed to patients to religiously observe all the safety protocols laid down by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
In response to the unprecedented spike of the pandemic across the country, the Federal Government last week again rolled out a number of measures to stem the dangerous spread resulting ostensibly from the constant breaching of government-enforced COVID-19 safety and testing protocols by passengers travelling in and out of Nigeria.
The measures as announcedby the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, included the immediate closure of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants across the country.The number of guests at weddings, conferences, worship centres, among others, has also been limited to 50 persons, while all levels of institutions across the nation are to remain shut until January 18, 2021.
There is no doubt that the loss of 20 medical doctors to the pandemic in one week is a bad augury as the nation contends with the second wave of the pandemic. Our healthcare givers are the first line of defence against the disease. If they are endangered, then the rest of us are not safe.
It is in the light of this that we advise Nigerians to act on the side of caution. It is, however, unfortunate that many Nigerians still have not come to terms with the reality of the killer virus in spite of the havoc it has wreaked all over the country and beyond. Instances abound of thousands of Nigerians including many prominent citizens who have either been sickened by the disease or killed by it. Yet,a large number of them still dismiss its presence as a farce, crafted to make money from the government.
We commend the authorities of the FCT for making wearing of masks compulsory for all the residents. The recent trial and conviction of violators of the order are a welcome development. Other states should follow suit. Wearing of face masks is believed to be an effective practice for protection against the infection in addition to observing all other safety guidelines. This is not the time to treat anyone with kid gloves.
We also urge government at all levels to provide healthcare workers with all the necessary equipment needed to operate with and safeguard themselves against infection while carrying out their delicate assignments.Furthermore, the federal government in particular has a responsibility to ensure that all the measures and sanctions put in place are implemented to the letter regardless of whose ox is gored. The government has to be ruthless in its efforts to save Nigerians from themselves.