COVID-19: Donate equipment not cash, NMA c’ttee advises donors

Chairman, National Committee on Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Titus Ibekwe, says Nigeria urgently needs donation of medical equipment.

Ibekwe, who gave the advice in Abuja, said equipment are needed rather than cash donation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Ibekwe lauded the donors, public spirited individuals and corporate organisations for their generosity in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

However, he appealed to them to toe the path of Jack Ma Foundation by donating medical equipment and laboratories to curb the spread of the disease.

Ibekwe advised such prospective donors to liaise with manufacturers of medical equipment in the quick supply of such equipment in their desire to help humanity, rather than bringing cash donations into the pool.

He noted that such measure would improve and bring about efficient, sensitive and time bound functional medical system required to arrest the progression of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The chairman recalled that Jack Ma, the founder of the Chinese E-commerce giant, Alibaba shipped in multi million dollars’ worth of equipment and consumables to African countries including Nigeria through the African Union rather than cash donation.

Ibekwe further noted that toeing Jack Ma’s path would eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks in managing and allocating the funds donated for the purpose of reducing the burden of COVID-19.

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Ibekwe specifically, noted that the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. Gwagwalada functionality at the moment was boosted by NNPC’s procurement and donation of nine ventilators, 14 beds and one oxygen extractor to the isolation centre.

According to him, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) boss followed their footstep with a personal donation of a ventilator.

The CME/CPD chairman classified the equipment and consumables for the management of COVID-19 as sensitive and non-sensitive materials.

He said non+sensitive medical materials that could be procured directly from manufacturers include ventilators, beds, oxygen extractors, disinfectants, gloves and goggles among others.

“Whereas, the sensitive ones remain the test kits which the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) procures directly through WHO. Fund could be donated for the sensitive ones and direct procurement deployed by the NCDC.

“This way, we shall unbundle the overwhelming responsibility of NCDC so they can focus on quality control and standard setting.

“The measure would enhance an efficient, sensitive and time bound functional system required to arrest the progression of the pandemic in Nigeria,” Ibekwe said.