By Hassan Zaggi
The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called on its branches in the 36 state of the federation to set up a 5-man committee to monitor the level of preparedness and management of hospitals in their various states and the FCT.
The NMA President, Dr. Francis Faduyile, gave the directive at a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.
The 5-member committee, he stressed, should comprise health professionals including doctors, pharmacies and nurses.
This committee, according to him, should interact with the different committee set up by their respective state governors and FCT minister.
He, therefore, call on members of the association that have declared industrial actions against their management to suspend all actions as the National NMA shall take over the dispute and interact with the different organs/agencies of government.
Dr. Faduyile, however, warned that,: “The NMA shall not hesitate to take appropriate action(s) against government organs/agencies that fail to reciprocate this gesture by honouring agreement with their workers after containing this Covid-19 scourge.”
While giving out some guidelines the NMA considered important in the management of the Covid-19 in the country, Dr. Faduyile, said: “We call on all doctors both in the private and public health facilities to be at their duty post to promptly treat Nigerians who reported to their hospitals.
“We call all health professionals to ensure that they observe international best practices when treating their patients.
“We call on government to provide all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the different hospitals so that health personnel can adequately and appropriately manage their patients.
“We request that isolation wards are upgraded all over the states of the federation and FCT for proper treatment of those infected with Covid-19.”
He, however, revealed that the NMA has concluded plans to strengthen its National Committee on Emerging and Re-emerging disease to liaise with the federal government in an effort to wipe off Covid-19 scourge from the country.
