Dr Joseph Ugboaja Calls For Compliance To COVID-19 Preventive Strategies

-Calls for COVID-19 Support at NAUTH

Against the increasing number of cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee(CMAC) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Dr Joseph Ugboaja has called for stricter compliance to the COVID-19 preventive strategies especially the use of face mask and observance of social distancing among members of the public.

Dr. Ugboaja who is the Director of Clinical Services, Research, and Training of the hospital as well as the Chairman, COVID-19 Taskforce of the hospital made this call while addressing newsmen at the weekly press briefing on the activities of the Taskforce recently.

Dr. Ugboaja, who heads many committees of the management and Board and seen as key to most of the transformational changes taking place in the hospital said that the call has become pertinent in view of the rising number of cases resulting from the ongoing community spread.

‘Time has come for everybody to take responsibility for curtailing the spread of this virus. This is the only way we can arrest this ugly trend and flatten the curve. It is unfortunate and highly worrisome that even in the face of escalating rates of infection, most people still go about their businesses as if nothing is happening. Every day, you see people moving up and down in groups without a face mask and with minimal regard to physical distancing. The markets and workplaces are filled with people clustered together without face masks. The pubs and beer parlours are all bubbling with activities with people paying little or no attention to COVID-19 preventive strategies’.

According to Dr. Ugboaja, this ‘ I don’t care attitude of the members of the public is responsible for the increasing number of cases presented at the Teaching hospital for management. He stressed that if nothing is done to quickly halt or reverse this trend, the hospital will soon be overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19 and will not be able to help further. The CMAC, therefore, called on all stakeholders to quickly join hands with the hospital and the government in the fight to halt the spread of this deadly virus.

‘There is an urgent need for all the stakeholders including religious community and political leaders to join hands with the Teaching hospital and the government in the fight to curtail the spread of this virus by sensitizing the members of their constituencies and putting structures in place to monitor compliance to the COVID-19 preventive strategies and punish offenders.

There is a need to strengthen the existing COVID-19 Taskforce teams and establish new ones at the communities, villages, churches, markets, and workplaces to enforce compliance to COVID-19 protocols. These bodies ought to take the responsibility of ensuring that their members comply with COVID-19 protocols especially the use of face mask and maintenance of physical distancing.’

In terms of the activities of the Taskforce, the CMAC said that members of the Taskforce especially the Rapid Response Team and other staff members of the Isolation unit and Accident & Emergency have been very outstanding and deserve a lot of commendation. The Teaching hospital- Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi which is central in identifying, isolating, and managing cases of COVID-19 needs to be supported with the personal protective kits including the face masks, the PPE gowns, booths, face shields, and other materials’. The Taskforce chairman paid glowing tribute to the CMD and Hospital Board for providing the necessary logistics for the Taskforce.

‘I want to thank in a special way the CMD of the hospital, Prof AO Igwegbe and the Board of management ably led Chief Ezekiel Afukonyo for providing leadership and the needed logistic support at this period in time. I want to also thank members of the Taskforce on COVID-19 especially the Rapid Response Team and the staff of the Isolation and Accident and Emergency units for their outstanding performance so far. They deserve a lot of accolades. I also thank members of the press who have been partnering with us in this fight against the coronavirus infection.’

The weekly press briefing of the NAUTH Taskforce on COVID-19 is conceived to bring every stakeholder up to speed on the efforts of the Taskforce, the challenges, and the areas for cooperation and collaboration.