Covid-19: Kwara Holds Refresher Course For Health Workers

On Friday attended a second round of

Coronavirus: Patients In Kano Holds Doctors & Nurse Hostage

There was drama in Kano state on Thursday as some COVID-19 patients had held health workers hostage at the Kwanar Dawaki Isolation Centre in the state.

Two doctors and a nurse were reportedly held Hostage yesterday May 7, by Coronavirus patients at Kwanar Dawakin isolation center in Kano.

Former Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association in Kano, Prof. Aminu Mohammed confirmed the incident in an interview with Wazobia FM’s “make una wake up show” this morning.

He said the fully kitted health workers were on a ward round when they were locked in by the Coronavirus patients for hours. Mohammed said the doctors were almost suffocating before they managed to break down the door and forced their way out of the ward.

One of the patients who confirmed the incident, said they were protesting against the delayed testing and confirmation of their status within the stipulated 7 days period of being on drugs. He however insisted that the health workers did not break down the door, but were allowed to go following the intervention of the leader of the health workers at the center

Aminu Mohammed, former chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kano branch, disclosed this when he featured on a radio programme on Friday.

He said the aggrieved patients held the health workers two medical doctors and one nurse hostage while they were going round the wards for routine checks.

He said the patients locked them up in a room for hours.

Mohammed said health workers who are battling with inadequate personal protective equipment (PPEs) still have challenges managing hostile patients.

He appealed to the public to cooperate with doctors and nurses and not discourage them in the line of duty.

When contacted, Tijjani Husaini, head of Kano COVID-19 technical response team, said he was not aware of the incident.

Kano has 547 COVID-19 cases, the second highest in the country.

Covid-19: Kwara State Gov. Pays N25,000.00 Daily Hazard Allowance To Health Workers

Kwara State government has disclosed it paid N25,000 daily to medical doctors as well as varying amount to other frontline health workers in the state in charge of Coronavirus patients.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, in his statement  he added that the move is in a bid to serve as impetus to those fronting dangerous zones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement reads, “The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Tuesday hailed Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for delivering on his words to pay frontline health workers daily allowances in appreciation of their work.

“Kwara State Chairman of the NMA Dr Kolade Solagberu said in a statement in Ilorin, the state capital, that AbdulRazaq has fulfilled his promise to pay decent allowances to all the health workers involved in the COVID-19 campaign.

“While medical doctors are being paid N25,000 daily, all other categories of health workers in the frontline are getting varying allowances on a daily basis to encourage them to do more.

“This is to appreciate Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who has kept to his words by fulfilling all promises, especially the recently disbursed financial motivations to the Frontline Healthcare workers in Kwara State who are actively involved in facing the COVID-19 challenge in the State,” Dr Solagberu said.

“This is no doubt motivating and an added impetus towards driving the ready spirit of the health workers.

“The Kwara State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association is proud to have you as our Governor at this crucial time and shall sustain our collaborative stance to further break newer grounds for an overall improved health care system in Kwara State.”

‘The government meanwhile has commended the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for its technical support for the state’s medical team, saying the NCDC delegation would be leaving Kwara better prepared to manage COVID-19 and similar cases in the future.

“I write on behalf of His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the good people of Kwara State to express our profound appreciation for your noble contribution while in the state particularly in the fight against COVID-19,” Kayode Alabi, Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Kwara State Technical Committee, said in a letter addressed to the NCDC team which departed the state on Tuesday.

“Your expertise and technical know-how has tremendously improved the state’s healthcare services especially during this crucial time of combating the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic. It is also pertinent to state that the history of the present health challenges will not be complete without your contribution written in gold.”

“The NCDC delegation, led by Dr Shuaib Belgore, arrived Kwara a few weeks ago to drill the state’s medical team on the handling of the pandemic, resulting in strengthened capacity and capability of the state to tackle the pandemic.”

113 Health Workers Have Tested Positive For Covid-19 – Says Health Minister

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Thursday, disclosed that at least 113 health workers have contracted coronavirus and tested positive for the disease.

Ehanire, who spoke at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said not less than 113 of the health workers have come down with the COVID-19 infection across the country.

The minister, therefore, advised that only healthcare workers who have undergone good training in infectious diseases control should be handling cases of COVID-19 and coronavirus patients.

According to him, nobody is forced or conscripted in the fight against coronavirus, therefore, it was important for those healthcare workers who feel they cannot handle the outbreak to speak up.

The minister said: “There are not so many people in the health sector who are infected. Latest figures we have is that there are about 113 and they are not all public health workers. There are good numbers from private hospitals.

“If you hear us speaking here frequently against trying to treat coronavirus in private clinics, we are actually referring to those people who do so without having necessary precautions and training because they risk infecting themselves and go home and give this infection to their families.

“Healthcare workers who have no training have no business handling coronavirus. As for those who do not have protective equipment, we have said that we have provided personal protective equipment (PPE) for those who are out there.

“It is important for healthcare workers to understand that nobody is forced or conscripted to handle the coronavirus. Those who cannot handle it have the option of requesting to be excused and someone else will come in. The pressure on healthcare workers if they have a crisis can be quite severe and I do think that mental health counseling can be extended to those who feel they are impacted in that way.”

Due to the need to test more people, he pointed out that the government has increased the daily laboratory testing capacity to 2,500 in the 15 molecular diagnosis laboratories across the country.