Covid-19 Update for Mon, 6 April

Health professionals, including resident doctors and laboratory scientists, have taken issues with a Federal Government plan to import Chinese medical professionals to help with the effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 virus in Nigeria.

Apart from resident doctors who are threatening to down their stethoscopes, medical laboratory scientists also weighed in, wondering why the NCDC  is giving the impression that the country is short on laboratory hands when she has more than enough to deal with the current crisis.

The reactions trail an announcement on Friday 3 April by the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, that Nigeria will be accepting equipment and personnel from China to help the country deal with the Coronavirus crisis.

He however indicated that the medics from China are part of a package that includes gifts and medical supplies donated by Chinese companies working in Nigeria.

At the press briefing on Friday, the Minister had announced that a cargo plane will leave Nigeria in a matter of days to collect the items which he said include “commodities, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and ventilators,”

“Of great interest is that an 18-man team of medical experts, including doctors, nurses and public health advisers shall come along with the flight to assist us,” he had added.

The Nigerian residents, through their umbrella Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), asked the federal government not to go ahead with the Chinese agreement on human resources but to look inwards and employ relevant local experts, many of who are currently unemployed.

President of NARD, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, said in a statement that inviting Chinese medical experts to come to Nigeria and work, without the imports being certified by the regulatory Medical and Dental Council, would amount to an illegality.

“The attempt to import Human resources for Health from China into Nigeria where many qualified medical doctors and other cadres of health workers are yet to be gainfully employed is the height of insensitivity and disservice on the part of the Federal Government and their advisers.”

Laboratory scientists on their own took issues with the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, for suggesting that the country is facing a challenge with laboratory scientists for Covid-19 testing.

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (@AMLSNNational) took to twitter to dispute the claim made by NCDC director General that his challenge for upscaling laboratory testing is human resources.

“AMLSN have medical laboratory scientists with skills for all type of molecular techniques that will help the NCDC,” it said.

The resident doctors threatened to have their members withdraw from every public health facility in Nigeria because of the “Chinese adventure” so that “anticipated downturn in the output of Nigeria’s healthcare service delivery can be properly situated and traceable to the Chinese as is the case today in Italy.”

“NARD hereby reiterates her position which was canvased earlier in the week for the FG to immediately and massively employ all qualified but unemployed doctors and other healthcare workers.

“Get them trained, insured, motivated and deployed nationwide,” the Association said.