Rivers State Government has described as ‘baseless’ assertion by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) that 82 health workers have contracted coronavirus in the state.
The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Rivers State Chapter, had on Friday revealed that about 22 frontline doctors and 60 other health workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.
Dr. Obelebra Adebiyi, the chairperson of the state’s NMA, stated this during a chat with newsmen, stressing that the health workers lack basic personal protective equipment to work.
But the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Professor Princewill Chike in a statement on Sunday said that the data put forward by the NMA chairperson is baseless and the assumptions in her press statement are untrue and misconstrued for personal reasons.
According to him: “It is incorrect to say that eighty two (82) Health Care workers are infected with COVID in the State. This data is false and is not a reflection of the PCR laboratory data or the numbers on the National data repository of the NCDC.
” One therefore wonders what gain comes from the deliberate distortion of figures in this attempt to grandstand. The State is ready to partner with the NMA for better health outcomes but the NMA should be seen as a courageous partner and not a panic creating machine in this pandemic.
“It is also untrue that Health Care workers are all infected because they lack Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Apart from the common observation that no category of professionals are spared from COVID, the State Government has provided sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all designated State treatment centres at all levels of care in our public facilities. In addition to that, the State Government has donated large quantities of complete PPE sets to the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Tertiary Health care institutions in the State and other high volume facilities. This exercise is still on going.
“It is quite important to note that only one out of the six standard pillars in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), concerns the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as a safety measure and is usually employed as a last resort when all other measures for hazard control become inadequate. Moreso, proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is equally important in ranking as its availability.
“These facts ought to be examined holistically before making sweeping and dangerous statements that can misguide the general public. In fact, in the course of this pandemic, we have seen retired health care workers who are no longer in any form of practice that are diagnosed with COVID despite not seeing patients being listed in the Chairman’s misleading comments.
“The Nigeria Medical Association Chairman (NMA) ought to know that the rising number is not only a reflection of a National trend but a true demonstration of the increased testing capacity in the State with four active PCR machines running at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) dedicated to COVID diagnosis. It is common knowledge that states that test more find more. A containment case finding strategy supported by World Health Organisation (WHO)”
Chike said the government can’t play the ostrich and refuse to test its people in order to please the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Chairman.
He said that the Government has shown consistent commitment to slowing down the progression of the pandemic despite the security compromise at its boundaries that led to the importation of more cases of the virus.
“No amount of blackmail and fallacy can change these facts which have been clearly demonstrated in the past three months.
” The public is advised to discountenance the press statement which is untrue, based on faulty assumptions and crafted to cause panic. We believe this is a time to show solidarity and unity against this virus. Propaganda, politicising health issues and creating unfounded fear in the society can hurt our control effort and create danger for our citizens.
“As it has done from the beginning of the pandemic, the State Government will continue to provide resources to ensure all Health Workers at our facilities are equipped with adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Patient engagement while continuing to support other aspects of treatment, risk communication, community engagement and clinical research in order to halt the pandemic”.
