PTF Worried As COVID-19 Patients Threaten Healthcare Workers

• To analyse Madagascar syrup for local use

May 11, 2020

0 10 4 minutes read

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic has described as reprehensible, inhuman and unacceptable, the threat to lives of healthcare workers posed by patients being managed over coronavirus infection.

The chairman of the task force and Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, who expressed this concern at its briefing in Abuja in Abuja on Monday, said that some of them that have been locked up and the demands made of them, they have no capacity to meet.

He said such workers were only interested in providing the best care possible and making the patients healthy again.

Mustapha said: “The PTF has also continued to receive, rather sadly, reports about challenges facing the frontline health workers. They have received threat to lives, experienced detention by patients they are actually nursing to health and suffered other forms of harassment.

“Let me underscore the fact that these frontline workers constantly put their lives on the line to make sure persons infected are provided with the best care possible to enable them become healthy citizens again.

“It is therefore inhuman and unacceptable that patients engage in acts of locking them up and making demands that these frontline officers, most of the time do not have the capacity to address.

“The PTF COVID 19 views such behaviour as reprehensible and should be deprecated. We call on all State governments to take this up appropriately.”

The task force chairman pointed out that at the end of the first week of the ease of lockdown, confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased due to increased testing capacity made possible by the availability of more laboratories.

According to him, “during the first week, the country generally witnessed increased number of positive cases. This is attributable to our expanded capacity for testing with the opening up of more testing centres and laboratories.

“As at today there are 21 laboratories nationwide including private laboratories and we continue to engage with more private laboratories.

“Similarly, we wish to confirm that States have been encouraged strongly to set up isolation centres, wards (including ICU) with a minimum of 300 beds each. This will help accommodate levels 1 & 2 cases.

“However, with the increase in numbers, we are beginning to experience a shortage of bed spaces in the isolation centres, especially in the high burden areas. We are conscious of the need to take care of different categories of persons e.g. People living with disabilities, terminal conditions and other underlying factors / co-morbidities.”

Mustapha confirmed that COVID-19 syrup has been obtained from Madagascar, saying that it would be analysed for its properties and veracity before it can be authorised for use to treat Nigerian COVID-19 patients.

He also alerted that the modelling being utilised by the PTF suggested that there would be an increase in community transmission of the virus in parts of the country

The chairman, therefore, stressed the need for more isolation centres with enough bed spaces to accommodate the expected rise in positive cases.

Mustapha noted that as the PTF continued to review the relevant policy and protocols to ensure that its actions and decisions took COVID-19 positive cases out of circulation, the task force recognised the role for community ownership, guidance, acceptance and implementation.

Therefore, he said, the PTF would introduce appropriate inclusive policies in the coming weeks, which would be announced in due course.

He said the PTF was identifying and assessing all low to medium and high burden areas with a view to assessing and modifying its strategy.

Mustapha remarked that this would involve drilling down from all tiers of government to community level, adding: “This mention serves as a notice to traditional and religious and community leaders to brace up for deeper involvement as we develop the protocols to strengthen community ownership in the National Response.”

He reminded state governments of the offer made by the Catholic Bishops Conference of all Catholic of 425 hospitals and clinics nationwide for adaptation and use as isolation centres.

The chairman urged Governors to approach Catholic Bishops in their states to access the facilities.

He further stated: “As a further cost-effective measure, I also wish to remind subnational authorities that the Nigeria Institute of Architects have pledged the pro bono services of their members to modify, design and supervise all COVID-19 related projects nationwide. Again, we urge that this offer be taken up speedily.”

The SGF noted that the end of the first week of the ease of lockdown phase provided the PTF with the opportunity for a mid-phase review of the impact of the guidelines put in place to drive the National Response.

He added: “One gratifying outcome of the assessment we have all undertaken as stakeholders is our convergence of thoughts on the level of compliance with the guidelines and how our individual and collective responses could improve and/or jeopardize our ability to contain the coronavirus.”

The chairmen admonished on the dangers of the low level of compliance to guidelines to contain COVID-19, reminding Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari took a painful decision to ease the lockdown.

He advised: “The eased restrictions must therefore not become an excuse for us to lead the lives we were used to, pre-COVID-19 days. I wish to reiterate that the world today has completely changed from what we used to know and if we want to continue living the old ways, the cost would be enormous.

“Contracting COVID-19 is not a death sentence but disregarding the guidelines for its avoidance, as guided by experts, is a costly self-voyage. Unfortunately, such choices can not be made by individuals but the collective and we are all resolute in stamping this scourge out of Nigeria.”

Mustapha announced that the PTF would, on Tuesday, commission the Thisday Dome treatment and isolation facility that would add a total of 270 beds to isolation capacity in Abuja.

“This is a private sector-driven initiative and we commend the efforts this Thisday, NNPC, CCEC, Sahara and its partners,” he said.

In his remark, the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, said the task force would prioritise the economic needs of Nigerians in its policy to manage the spread of the virus.

TRIBUNE

Please, remember to always like our page and visit our website for updates. You can also download our android mobile app from google playstore