The impact of the funds donated by the private sector to fight coronavirus in Nigeria has not been felt in the hospitals as many health workers have either died or contracted the novel virus due to insufficient protective equipment, according to Murtala Umar, chairman, Kano State branch of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), an association of health workers in Nigeria.
Umar said it would be important to have those donated funds injected in the country’s health sector in order to protect the limited health care workers who are at the frontlines of the pandemic fight.
“We have been hearing in the news about these donations by the Otedolas, the Dangotes, the Alakijas, etc, but we are not seeing the money in our hospitals. Somebody has said that the value of money is in its use,” Umar said while appearing on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday.
Data by JOHESU on Wednesday revealed that 168 nurses, medical lab scientists, pharmacists, medical record officers, hospital attendants and cleaners were exposed to COVID-19 patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).
It stated that 69 personnel were tested and results came out on Tuesday, May 5, and seven nurses, five medical lab scientists, one medical information/record officer and a cleaner turned out positive.
While addressing health workers’ exposure to COVID-19 in Kano State, Tijani Husaini, coordinator, Rapid Response on COVID-19, Kano State, said they are working towards preventing further infections.
“We have moved into action and ensure that no health worker is getting any infection. We have within the last few days distributed personal protective equipment to all our health facilities in addition to what we have provided them before and we are also current training them on infection, prevention and control,” Husaini said on Sunrise Daily.
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Kano is not the only state that has reported health workers’ exposure to COVID-19; several doctors have been reported dead as a result of the virus infection.
Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s health minister, said the total number of health workers infected with novel coronavirus in the country has reached 113 as of May 1, 2020.
Around 6 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the country is composed of healthcare professionals, with some of them working in private hospitals, Ehanire said recently at a news conference in Abuja.
While explaining that not every healthcare professional needs the complete set of the protective gear, Husaini said some would only require the hand gloves and facemask while others who deal directly with infected patients will use the complete coverall.
“We supply these facilities based on their consumption and we feel it is enough and we ensure that each hospital is supplied with what it needs,” Husaini said, adding that he is very confident that it will prevent the dangerous trend. “We are very confident, and in the last five days we have been training health care professionals on how to use the PPE.”
But Umar disagreed, saying there is adequacy of some of the materials needed but those that need coverall PPE are not given because they’re considered as those who do not have direct contacts with infected patients.
“If I have 20 personnel at AKTH and I’m giving only two protective equipment, then I am not doing the right thing in my opinion,” Umar said, explaining that there is also no adequate workforce.
“Of course, we do not have adequate workforce, the training of health workers just started within the crisis and it shows that we are not prepared for this kind of situation because you need to have trained these personnel a long time ago. I was told yesterday that the training has been going on for just the last two weeks,” he said.
Autopsy is currently ongoing on the recent unexplained deaths that have been reported in Kano, but Umar linked them to COVID-19.
“There is no way we can separate these deaths from COVID-19. I undertook some studies, these deaths are from elderly people and we are well aware of what COVID-19 does to this age group, especially if they have underlying conditions,” he said.
While some have argued that the death may be natural, Umar said, “We know natural death cuts across all ages and if we say COVID-19 has led to a shutdown of many health facilities and so access has reduced, then we should also see deaths among other age groups; why are we only seeing it in elderly people?” he asked.
