COVID-19: NMA demands more isolation centres, doctors in C/River
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Cross River state on Wednesday urged the state government to increase the number of isolation centres as well as medical personnel in the state civil service.
Chairman of NMA in the state, Dr. Agam Ayuk, disclosed this on Wednesday in Calabar while addressing newsmen on COVID-19 response and the state of the health sector in the state.
Ayuk said that the 4-bed capacity isolation unit at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, was the infectious disease ward of the department of microbiology of the hospital.
He said that a report has been submitted by the central working committee of health professionals in Cross River state to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu.
He said that the professional body stated there-in that the isolation centre lacks basic facilities, equipment and accessories based on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control specifications.
According to him, the capacity of the UCTH isolation centre was grossly inadequate, hence, the NMA recommended that the state government should set up a more expansive and accommodating isolation centre as soon as possible.
“NMA in Cross River state acknowledges and commends the measures so far instituted by the Cross River state government towards securing the borders of the state to help limit the transmission and spread of COVID-19 from neighbouring states and Cameroon.
“The policy of the use of cloth nose mask introduced by the state government which has now been recommended by the federal government is also highly commendable.
READ ALSO: Ndume lauds army’s renewed commitment to end insurgency
“However, while the use of face masks is helpful, it does not confer full protection against COVID-19 and citizens of the state should not be lured into a false sense of security by the mere use of face masks.
“According to the World Health Organisation interim guidance of April 6, the use of face masks (medical or non-medical) whether for source control (used by infected persons) or prevention of COVID-19 (used by healthy persons) alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection; we advises other measures to be adopted.
“Therefore, face mask is complementary to social/physical distancing of at least one meter, avoiding mass gatherings, effective hand and respiratory hygiene and cleaning of all contact surfaces among other measures as recommended by the NCDC and World Health Organisation,” he said.
The chairman also stated that the call by the state government that all civil servants from Grade level 10 and above should resume work was ill-timed and not in the best public health interest.
He explained that the primordial/primary prevention strategy of the state government was the cheapest, safest and best strategy to adopt considering the peculiar challenges.
He added that but this could be derailed by this mass resumption of staff that constitutes almost 50 per cent of the work force.
“We advise other means of getting critical sectors to work while avoiding mass gatherings because of the risk posed by asymptomatic carriers of the virus and without resources for mass testing of the population,” Ayuk added.
On the number of doctors in the state, Ayuk said the claims that the state government has 105 doctors in the state civil service was grossly misleading and a misrepresentation of a critical issue affecting effective health care delivery.
