COVID-19: NMA, ARD bemoan lack of PPEs, proffer solutions

Fred Ezeh, Abuja and Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu

President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Francis Faduyile, has said members of the association, particularly at secondary and tertiary hospitals responding to the coronavirus pandemic, have not received intervention in the form of personal protective equipment (PPEs).

“Long before now, we have continued to place demands on government to provide these equipment to help our members respond to the pandemic.

“We had a meeting with all stakeholders, including government representatives, on Monday and the issue of PPE was extensively discussed. We secured the promise and commitment of government representatives to take urgent measures to improve the supply of equipment for use at hospitals,” he said.

President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, also lamented the risk doctors and other health workers were daily exposed to due to non-availability of PPEs.

“Before the arrival of COVID-19, we had PPEs but they were for use at intensive care units of hospitals and we have continued to make case for additional ones. The PPEs, alongside other medical supplies donated by Jack Ma Foundation, other local and international organisations were distributed to personnel at COVID-19 isolation and treatment centres, thus leaving the hospitals with few ones or none as the case may be. That has exposed our members to serious danger.

“Lack of these PPEs in secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities have been responsible for what is being seen in hospitals today, particularly the case of hospital transmission. For instance, the case in Sokoto and other places was doctor innocently treating a patient without knowing that the patient had contracted the virus.

“Today, every patient that visits healthcare facilities is seen and treated as a potential COVID-19 carrier until proven otherwise. That’s why we are increasing the demand for the PPEs.”

However, Minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, responding to questions at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, yesterday, maintained that no country in the world had enough PPEs.

“Obviously, there is shortage of PPEs across the world, so getting it now may not be as easy as it used to be. However, we have enough for the purpose of the period we are in now.

“We have placed orders to replenish our stockpile and we will continue to welcome donations from individuals, local and international organisations,” he said.

Ehanire announced that plans were underway to engage local manufacturers capable of producing PPEs of global standard.

“Engaging them would greatly boost local production and empower local economy,” he said.

Meanwhile, state governments have been told to consider legislation to ensure the enforcement of public use of face masks.

The NMA, Enugu State chapter, which made the call, yesterday, lamented the lack of COVID-19 testing facilities across the country, and charged states to collaborate with local government authorities and ensure local production, procurement and provision of these items to all citizens in their various electoral wards.

In statement signed by Dr. Ike Okwesili and Dr. E.O. Aneke, chairman and secretary, respectively, the NMA expressed fears that Nigeria was passing through a phase of community spreading of the virus with an increasing number of persons contracting it in hospitals.

The association said there was the likelihood of an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, if the trend was not aggressively tackled or checked in the country.

“The improved but still very limited testing capacity in the state and country will invariably give an underestimation and of course false state of the disease burden in states without testing facilities for COVID-19 like ours.

“There is need to criminalise unauthorised human and vehicular movements across the state’s borders as long as the directive is in force and we enjoin law enforcement agencies to ensure the non-abuse of all extant directives in the state in this regard. All elective procedures, where possible, should be put on hold in the state, OPD consultations drastically scaled down and use of telemedicine and tele-health strongly encouraged as we believe these would help reduce human presence, contain the spread of the virus as well as conserve resources.

“The state government should work assiduously to put in place adequate and sustained provision of PPEs at all healthcare facilities and equally ensure that these essentials are made available and accessible to frontline healthcare workers.

“The state government should consider seeking legislation to ensure the enforcement of public use of face masks by all as advised. States should also collaborate with various local government authorities and make the local production, procurement and provision of these items to all citizens in their various electoral wards feasible

“There is a great need for the state government to initiate and deliver its own social intervention package to deserving citizens in the state. Also the Federal Government should review the mode and pattern of distribution of the COVID-19 relief package and explore better means of ensuring that available funds/resources get to the citizens as this is inadvertently key to ensuring that people actually stay at home during this critical period

“As we battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that every step in the whole containment process is well analysed and attended to without prejudice. That is the only way we could have an effective fight against the deadly virus and be sure of good result,” the NMA said.

– Daily Sun