Medical experts say doctors and nurses fighting the world’s biggest outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa should get incentives including better pay, insurance and access to the new Ebola drug ZMapp.
The hemorrhagic fever, spread through the blood, sweat and vomit of the sick, has killed more than 1,550 people since March, including more than 120 health workers. Many work long hours with no access to proper protective equipment.
On the strategies and action employed by the country in managing EVD, Chukwu said: “Our strategies for containing the EVD in Nigeria have remained the same, focusing on appropriate information, education and communication; sustaining our surveillance systems; provision and equipping of isolation wards/centres; provision of adequate care for confirmed cases; active and aggressive contact tracing; and reduction in harmful practices that promote the spread of the virus.”
The minister, however, said that in line with the resolutions of the last emergency NCH, the country had made the following progress: “We have further strengthened our Emergency Operations Centre in Lagos with support from the Dangote Foundation which has made available one hundred and fifty two million naira for the operations of the EOC. On our part, we have continued to ensure that workers at the EOC have requisite knowledge to stay safe while helping to keep track of and provide care for EVD patients. We have also ensured that the workers have been receiving their incentives.”
Chukwu said the Federal Government with support from development partners had now concluded plans to conduct two major trainings in all the states. He said the states were, however, expected to take these trainings down to the Local Government Areas with support from the development partners. [eap_ad_1] These trainings, according to Chukwu, are as follows: Training of Trainer (TOT) for health workers on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak and other Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs); and TOT for state health educators on awareness creation, community sensitisation and mobilisation. Arrangement has been made to include the military and para-military in the training.
The minister also said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had received approval for the re-production of copies of the protocols and SOPs for management of EVD cases as well as protocol for submitting samples to the laboratories and burying of EVD victims. “These will be circulated shortly after this meeting to all the states,” he said.
Chukwu said the Federal Government considered it very important to have the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in ensuring adequate protection for health care workers.
He explained: “We have also decided that all PPEs to be bought should be in line with specifications provided by the WHO. It was also decided that PPEs will only be procured from WHO recommended manufacturers/suppliers. WHO has already supplied us with over 6000 PPEs which we are currently using. However, we have already initiated discussions with the WHO for the procurement of 4000 basic PPEs and 500 Heavy Duty PPEs (for use by the morticians).”
Chukwu said the Federal Government had steadily been increasing the capacity to diagnose EVD. According to him, EVD can be diagnosed in the following locations: NCDC laboratory, Asokoro, Abuja; NCDC laboratory at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos; NCDC laboratory at University College Hospital, Ibadan; Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Irrua, Edo State; Virology laboratory of Redeemers University, Ogun State; and the Irrua-based mobile laboratory which has now been relocated from Enugu to Port Harcourt.
The minister said plans were at an advanced stage to improve the following laboratories: NCDC laboratory at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano; and NCDC laboratory at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health planned to procure additional mobile laboratories to be based in the following locations: Abakaliki, Port Harcourt, Bauchi, Jos and Sokoto.
Chukwu disclosed that in addition to the support the Dangote Foundation was giving to the Ebola Emergency Operations Centre in Lagos, the foundation planned to support government’s efforts with whole body scanners to be deployed at ports of entry and exit. He said the United States government through its ambassador to Nigeria had earlier informed him that it would support Nigeria with 30 body scanners but they were yet to be delivered.
