NAUTH Team Led By Dr Ugboaja Moves To Curb The Spread Of Covid-19

These roles range from public and community awareness creation on the pandemic especially the preventive measures, the effective identification, isolation, testing and treatment of cases of COVID-19; collaboration with national and state agencies to curb the spread as well as carrying out research on aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To deliver on these mandates the hospital management under the able leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Prof A.O Igwegbe constituted a Taskforce on COVID-19 of led by Dr. Joseph Ugboaja.

The taskforce has 6 subcommittees. These are the Rapid Response Team, responsible for quick response in all cases of COVID-19 that present to any of our service points.

They are trained on how to triage, move the patient to the isolation center, collect samples for investigation, and commence management of the patient.

This team includes doctors, medical laboratory scientists, nurses, hygienists, and others. The task force also has the case management team led by the Infectious disease Specialist.

The others in the team include the respiratory physicians, the pediatricians, the anesthetists, nurses, hygienists, and others.

The other committee is the sensitization committee led by public health experts and nurses. This committee has embarked on aggressive public sensitization on the dangers of COVID-19 and the need to adhere to the laid down preventive strategies.

They have effectively engaged the media houses in and around Nnewi to facilitate this. They have the surveillance committee charged with monitoring the hospital environment to ensure that both staff and patients comply with preventive strategies. I’m sure you know that you can’t come to the hospital without a face mask.

There is the committee on logistics and supplies that ensures that the PPEs and other materials needed in the fight against COVID-19 are available within the hospital through a proper procurement and inventory system.

Finally, there is a committee on outreaches and collaborations charged with the responsibility of attracting assistance to the hospital from public-spirited individuals and corporate organizations.

The Dr. Ugboaja led team has attracted donations to the hospital but by far their greatest donation to the hospital is that of a world-class COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment center being constructed by Anambra Progressives, convened by His Excellency, Sen (Dr ) Ifeanyi Ubah.

The building is almost 90% completed and will be handed over in about 2 weeks’ time. We remain grateful to the Anambra Progressives for this massive and timely gesture.

However, the greatest asset to the movement in the fight against this pandemic is the presence of an Isolation Center with the full complement of trained members of staff that are willing and available to attend to these cases of suspected and COVID-19 patients.

They are on ground 24 hours a day to respond to alerts and do the needful. The Isolation Unit is under the leadership of the DCMAC, Dr. Ezejiofor O.

Since he took over the leadership, the unit has got a very big leverage and is more organized now. The management remains appreciative and indebted to them. Management is also highly appreciative of the efforts of all our frontline staff especially those working at the Accident & Emergency unit.