From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kogi state chapter, Dr. Kabiru Zubairu said in Lokoja that the inability of the kogi state government to test or follow laid down protocols on presentive measures on Covid-19 may lead to needless death in the state.
A statement issued in Lokoja and made available to Journalists by NMA also drew the attention of Kogi state government on emerging challenges with respect to patients management in hospitals due to ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, as community transmission of the disease escalate in Nigeria.
He pointed out that report from their affiliate bodies in various hospitals has shown that it’s becoming difficult to manage patients with other clinical conditions without first excluding COVID-19, especially those patients coming from high risk states in the Federation and FCT, such as Lagos, Kano, and Abuja.
Dr. Zubairu stressed that over 100 health care workers have been infected by this virus and some have paid the supreme price adding that most hospitals are on red alert and consider all patients as potential carrier of the coronvirus that causes COVID-19.
As a result of this high level of suspicions, Dr.Zubairu said doctors prefers to rule out COVID-19 in patients they considered as high risk before proceeding to manage them for their clinical conditions.
”The inability of the state to test or follow laid down protocols in order to exclude COVID-19 may lead to needless death of patients presenting with other clinical conditions due to neglect by HCWs.” the chairman added.
”It should be noted, that if doctors should attend to one unknown case of COVID-19 in the hospital settings, it may spread to many HCWs and their families as hospital wards and units may be shutdown for fumigation due to contamination by the virus and becomes unavailable for patients care.” Dr. Zubairu said.
The chairman who called on the state government to open the channel for testing to mitigate this unhealthy development also charged all HCWs to be on their guard and resist any attempt to attend to patients without observing all the necessary precautions against COVID-19.
“The NMA is not unaware of the ongoing COVID-19 and the consequent economic down turn. But, the NMA strongly reject any salary cut for doctors and other health care workers (HCWs) in Kogi state.”
Zubair stressed that any further cut on the salaries of doctors and other HCWs in the state would further impoverish them, and would certainly accelerate the exodus of doctors from Kogi state.
