The Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian
Medical Association and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and
Midwives have accused the Federal Government of not being proactive
enough in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease.
The doctors and nurses said at separate
news conferences in Lagos on Sunday, that the government had yet to put
in place adequate measures to protect health workers willing to manage
those infected by the deadly virus.
The state NMA, through its chairman, Dr.
Tope Ojo,
therefore challenged the federal and Lagos state governments
to provide protective kits and address the issue of hazard allowance for
doctors, nurses and other health workers ready to be involved in
treating infected persons.
It also faulted the life insurance
cover announced by both the federal and state governments, saying its
provisions had yet to be spelt out.
The NMA said, ‘‘Any health worker that
is managing an Ebola patient is risking his/her life and that of his
family. Ebola has killed over 61 doctors in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone. It is a serious issue.
“You don’t just dangle life insurance
without documents. We cannot endanger our lives unless we know what is
at stake.We should be assured that should anything happen to us, our
families are catered for.
“The terms of the insurance must be in public domain in a transparent manner.
“It is sad that it had to take an Ebola outbreak, for government to realise that health workers need life insurance cover.”
Also at the news conference, the
association’s Secretary, Dr. Babajide Saheed, said it was imperative
for both governments to put in place adequate infection control
measures to effectively check the spread of the EVD.
Saheed said,” Please you journalists
should visit the IDH(Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba and find out
what the Federal Government has put in place for effective infection
control.
“Please compare it to what health workers in Guinea and Liberia had while treating Ebola patients.
“Till now, the Federal and state
governments have not come out with a concrete position on the life
insurance cover they have offered to us and the public.
“By protecting health workers that are
managing suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola, you are protecting the
public from infections, because doctors are part of the society.”
The Lagos NMA also used the opportunity to declare that the nationwide strike by doctors had not been called off.
Also, nurses, at their own news
conference, said it was regrettable that the Federal Government had not
learnt to act fast during emergency situations like the Ebola virus
outbreak.
They also berated the Federal Ministry
of Health for negotiating with the NMA to end its strike, saying that
the association (NMA) was not a trade union but a professional body
which had no right to boycott work.
Their President, Mr. Abdrufai Adeniji,
said, “It is appalling that Nigeria is still at the stage of making
arrangements when the virus has already been granted certificate of
occupancy and has taken full residence in the country. “Government
should learn to copy true international best practice which its agents
are quick to shout when they are on their mission of deceit.
“Serious governments have already put in
place precautionary measures to prevent the pandemic on their soil and
some even have treatments even though such are still in the clinical
trial stage.
“Government needs to understand that its
business should be doing more than it says and taking actions that
surpass mere arrangements.”
He commiserated with the family of the
nurse who lost her life after contracting the disease while treating
Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian man who brought the disease into the
country.
Adeniji urged nurses to exercise extreme
caution while treating Ebola patients as they stood a higher risk of
contracting the disease than doctors.
He said, “We hereby call on nurses to
remain committed to their calling and be cautious of the precautionary
measures to forestall further incidences. The government at all levels
should do their part to provide adequate equipment infrastructure,
protective wears, policies to take care of the victims of the virus and
other deadly issues.
“The government should immediately set up an intervention team to attend to the situation.”
Catholic church suspends sign of peace
Also, the Catholic Church has instructed
its priests to henceforth suspend all forms of physical contacts during
service, including the traditional sign of peace, which involves
shaking of hands with other worshippers during service.
This directive was contained in a
statement by the Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos,
Adewale Martins, titled “The Outbreak of Ebola Virus – a pastoral
approach.
“Taking into consideration the fact that
this rite is optional, we shall henceforth omit it i.e. not invite
people to offer the sign of peace. When you get to this rite, skip it,”
Martins said in the statement.
Apart from calling for the
discontinuation of placing of water bowls at the entrances of parishes
of the church, the Archbishop encouraged the use of gloves when
counting offerings as other means of stemming EVD’s spread.
The statement read in part, “The use of
Holy Water Fonts at the entrance of the church should be discontinued
forthwith until the virus alert is lifted. This does not preclude
private use of Holy waters in homes and offices.”
“Priest are also advised to be cautious
when visiting sick members, especially when they are to administer the
sacrament of anointing for the sick. They are equally advised to avoid
physical contacts when giving out the Holy communion to members.
“Priests should exercise caution when
they go for sick calls, particularly when they have to administer the
sacrament of the anointing of the sick. They should ensure regular
handwashing after visiting patients in the hospital or homes.”
In Abuja, the Catholic Archbishop of
Abuja Metropolitan, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, also called on members of
the church to refrain from shaking hands during the sign of peace
session.
Onaiyekan, in an interview with
journalists on Sunday, explained that the church was taking necessary
precautionary steps to avoid the spread of the disease.
Onaiyekan however clarified that the warning does not mean that the church had banned shaking of hands during mass.
He said, “We did not ban handshaking
during mass. We are only discouraging it and it is going to be temporary
until it is clear that Nigeria is no longer under Ebola threat.
“It’s a possible means to avoid the
spread of Ebola virus and also prayers to keep the country safe. Many
people are not comfortable with shaking people they don’t know during
this period of Ebola, so there is need to take such steps.”
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