CHAIRMAN, Anambra State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Jide Onyekwelu, has said the association has lost a total of 14 medical doctors in Nigeria to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He disclosed this at the ceremony to commence the training of 25 medical doctors on COVID-19 infection prevention and control techniques, at Golden Tulip Agulu Lake Hotel, Anambra State, on Wednesday.
Dr. Onyekwelu said as of August 6, 2020, about 1,027 doctors had been exposed, 319 cases had been confirmed, 63 recovered and 14 had died so far.
This was for doctors alone and not all the healthcare workers and he explained that doctors and other frontline healthcare workers catch the infection from their patients and lose their lives in the process.
It is in this regard that the statistics of exposure, infection and death among doctors and other healthcare workers is very disturbing.
“In Anambra, we do not have the statistics of doctors that had died in the State,” he said.
He stated that the 25 doctors selected from the five zones in Anambra State: Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Aguata and Ihiala, will be trained as trainers and there will be a fellow up training/workshop where these trained trainers will step down the knowledge to 125 doctors spread over the five zones.
Dr. Onyekwelu commended his members and other health workers for their conviction and unwavering patriotism at this trying time.
Earlier, Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr. Vincent Okpala applauded the NMA leadership for the Initiative, expressing optimism that the training would boost the confidence of the doctors and decrease adverse outcome.
“The healthcare workers are going to learn more about how to stop the infection spread from patient to health workers, and vice versa. Having an informed health care provider, creates a confident one,” Dr. Okpala added.
BY SUNNY A. DAVID
