Doctor treating COVID-19 patients at Edo hospital tests positive for disease

Aliyu Sokomba, president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), says one of the members of the association treating COVID-19 patients has tested positive for the disease.

According to the PUNCH, Sokomba, who spoke at a Channels Television programme on Thursday, said the doctor was working at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo state.

He said the welfare of health workers who are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus and Lassa fever must be addressed if the country would make a headway.

“At the moment, as health workers continue to play their part in containing the spread of the disease, the health workers are not protected,” he said.

“One of our colleagues died just yesterday from Lassa fever. This is the state of our health care institutions and that is the fate of most health care workers in the country.

“Dr. Philp Dzuana is the sixth doctor to have died of Lassa fever in the country and very little is being done to getting this kind of situation under control.

“Just yesterday again, one of our doctors in ISTH, Iruaa, had tested positive for the COVID-19 disease. What that means is that these doctors that are testing positive to various diseases are being left alone to take care of themselves.

“There is no form of life insurance for them. There is no form of compensation. To say the least, what these doctors benefit at the end of every month as hazard allowance is N5,000.”

On Wednesday, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) embarked on a protest to demand protective equipment to carry out their duties.