Medical experts have called on the
Federal Ministry of Health to equip health workers with the necessary
gadgets that will enable them to manage Ebola victims.
Speaking in separate telephone
interviews with our correspondent, the experts also called for the
proper sensitisation of health workers on the symptoms of the viral
disease
The Head of Department, Anatomic and
Molecular Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof.
Fatima Abdulkareem, said the government should provide biohazard suits
for doctors and nurses who are managing such patients.
Abdulkareem said, “Government should
provide the appropriate gadgets for health workers to use. They should
be provided with biohazard suits so they don’t get exposed to the body
fluids of infected persons. In fact, it is not just about patients that
we know and even those that we do not know.
“There are so many other diseases that
we don’t know about until they are diagnosed. That is why every patient
with fever should be considered as a suspected case for now.”
The Vice-President of the Commonwealth
Medical Association and the immediate past president of the Nigerian
Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said it was important for
health service providers and owners of private hospitals to sensitise
health workers on the symptoms of the disease.
Enabulele said, “The fact remains that
health workers are as exposed as other people who come in contact with
the virus, and increasingly so, because they are the ones that are, most
times, the first contact, especially the doctors.
“For health workers, they should also be
aware of the reality of the disease and have all the facts about the
Ebola virus, in terms of its nature, character and mode of transmission;
the signs and symptoms; and the available treatment modalities.
“This is necessary so they can have a
heightened index of suspicion, especially since they may have first
contact with patients when they come in for treatment.”
Enabulele noted that it was particularly
important for health workers to adhere to safety precautions, like the
use of protective hand gloves, facemasks and other protective clothing
as well as regular hand washing.
He advised hospital owners to
decontaminate their workplace and sterilise medical equipment as soon as
they are used to prevent infections.
Also, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the
Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr. Akin Ogunrombi, said it was essential
that health workers be continuously sensitised and every patient be
treated as a potential Ebola-infected patient.
He said, “All the precautions, like hand
gloving, wearing of masks, and other personal protective equipment,
unfortunately, are not available. We need to use the basic things that
we have, like washing our hands often and even wearing the white coat.”
(PUNCH)
