August 15, 2014
By: Ibrahim Olalekan
The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease caught the government hands down despite the claim by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who stated in April 2014, that Nigeria was fully prepared to curtail any outbreak, and that the federal ministry of health has gotten the vaccines and medicines in case there was any incident in Nigeria.
While recent happenings have proved Labaran Maku wrong and still yet to render public apology for the misguided information, the Lagos State Government announced it has set up an isolation centre in Lagos, located within the premises of Mainland hospital in Yaba.
With only two infectious disease hospitals in Nigeria, located in Kano and Lagos, the Lagos Mainland Hospital, was established to provide treatment for patients with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cholera and other related infectious diseases.
President Goodluck Jonathan approved N1.9bn special intervention fund to fight the deadly Ebola virus. Though the President directed the Federal Ministry of Health to work in collaboration with the State Ministries of Health to effectively contain the threat of the Ebola virus but yet has done nothing to the isolation centre in the hospital.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health is planning to establish another isolated building but its impact has not been felt in the isolation wards in Lagos State. Investigation further reveals that Federal Ministry of Health also refer patients to the hospital; though been state-owned, yet no assistance to give the hospital a face lift.
Same government that pose to ending the Ebola outbreak recently ordered the sack of all resident doctors in Nigerian hospitals. This action which experts considered as callous will only worsen the situation in the country as Ebola victims will be left unattended to and may cause the spread of the virus.
A medical doctor at the hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “This place is like a dead zone; four nurses have contracted tuberculosis while administering service to patients. In some years back, a medical attendant also died of HIV. This hospital was never ready for the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak.”
Two foreign doctors that came into the hospital to assist in administering health services to Ebola victims trained the medical doctors in the hospital and some other volunteer doctors in line with best and international practice.
Citizens remain hopeful that suspected cases of Ebola virus contact that was traced to religious organizations have been found due to what was revealed to this reporter but cannot be confirmed before going to press that one of the Ebola victims is on the run.
Infectious disease expert advised citizens that have travelled to Ebola prone countries in the last one month to visit isolation centres as to be sure of their status. He said further that people that have headache and fever should not get scared and rely on self-drug prescription but should visit hospital to ascertain their state of health.
In this period of public emergency, government should flood the isolation centre with medical supplies, evacuate workers and people that are not necessary in the hospital and also turn the environment to a disaster and emergency zone.
In the course of writing this report, the doctors disclosed that they are not bothered with their daily allowance but are worried of their safety while rendering their service to the Ebola victims. While doctors under the aegis of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have been on strike for more than a month, doctors at the Mainland hospital have been working tirelessly.
The aftermath of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s visit to the hospital has not only given the hospital an uplift but the state government has also recommend the hospital to be used as Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
Efforts to speak with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) proved abortive as he could not be reached as at the time of filing in this report.
Related Posts:
- Governor Fashola Visits Ebola Patients
- First Nigerian Dies Of Ebola: Nurse Who Treated Liberian
- Ebola Virus Outbreak in Kagadi, Uganda:…
- Nigeria Develops Experimental Drug for Treatment of Ebola…
- Saudi Man Dies of Suspected Ebola in Jeddah: First Ebola…
