Doctors at the Mainland Hospital, an infectious disease facility in Yaba, Lagos, have alleged that they work “under the most inhumane, unhealthy conditions” that predispose them to danger.
The hospital currently treats confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lagos State.
Angry and frustrated, the health workers, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, threatened to go on strike if their complaints are not addressed appropriately.
They said despite the increasing number of confirmed coronavirus cases and “huge influx of patients at a frenetic pace” to the IDH, and the success rate recorded so far, they are being owed allowances, have no life insurance cover and are not fed throughout the duration of their shifts.
“Lagos State is the frontline for other cases in Nigeria. It has the highest case and we don’t know what will happen in the coming weeks. People have been asked to stay at home to minimise transmission of the virus, but we go to work, putting ourselves at high risk,” a high ranking officer said.
“The health workers, including the doctors are planning to revolt. They are saying they don’t want to work again. I have been begging them to hold on, that things will change. We have spoken to our association, the Medical Guild about the situation,” the health worker added.
Another health worker said they had only received N50,000 as allowance since February 27 when Nigeria’s COVID-19 index case was admitted at the facility, despite being promised to be paid the same amount weekly.
They also complained about not having a “befitting call room” to rest after working long, gruelling shifts taking care of “critically ill COVID-19 patients.”
“Daily, we deal with harrowing realities. Most people would not understand what we deal with daily. We have put out lives on the line, but nothing is being done to ensure that we stay safe.
No life insurance
“Despite the very infectious nature of COVID-19 and other diseases we deal with daily, none of us has an insurance cover. We work on empty stomach because no provision is made for our feeding.
“What serves as a resting place for us can’t accommodate three people at the same time. This is a great call to service for us, but it should not be at the expense of our lives,” the health worker said in an emotion-laden voice.
Yet, another said it was disheartening for doctors generally in Nigeria to be paid hazard allowance of N20,000 per month, without added incentives.
“For us at IDH, we receive an additional N15,000 per month, and the state government deducts N2,000 as tax monthly. So, we are left with just N13,000 per month. In all, what we get as total package is N33,000 monthly. This is without life insurance package. God forbid that anything bad should happen to me now, what will happen to my family?” the health worker queried.
This development is coming on the heels of billions of naira already voted to fight coronavirus in the country, while private individuals and publicly quoted companies have also donated money to the efforts.
It may be recalled that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) had approved N10bn for the Lagos State government as part of efforts to battle COVID-19. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control also got N5bn to boost its response to the disease.
The aggrieved health workers said they were aware of the huge financial commitment made, but that all they demand was equity and justice, adding that they will be happy if they could get “reasonable amount of money, good and befitting call room, and good food,” among others.
“The money should not be delayed for any reason,” they said.
Distraught, one of the health workers said the only thing literally keeping them alive and working, despite the unpleasant work environment, was the availability of Personal Protective Equipment available.
“The PPE is our saving grace. It is still available for now. We deal directly with these patients and it really breaks my heart to see us being treated this way.
“Our Chief Medical Director has made efforts to see these issues addressed. He had, on several instances, complained, but the powers that be continue to silence him, telling him to keep quiet. We know that if he talks more, they might even transfer him away from this place.
“We have recorded a good success rate. If we revolt and say we are not working again, what will happen to the nation?” he said.
‘We’re potential risks to our families’
Alongside concerns for their personal safety, the health care workers are anxious about passing the infection to their families. Even though they admit accepting increased risk of infection as part of their job, they feel a sense of impending doom as frontline workers in Lagos.
“We pose a potential risk to our families. The recommenced world standard practice is for us to be housed within the facility or nearby in a good accommodation, pending when this is over. But no, we go home to our loved ones, uncertain of our health status.
“We want Nigerians to understand the challenges we face daily while treating these seriously ill patients.
“Our lives are on the line as well as those of our children.
We fear especially for our children and pray that they don’t become casualties of the profession we chose.
“This is not the kind of behaviour frontline health care workers are calling for. Who will take care of these patients if we get sick?” the source said.
When contacted, Chairman, Lagos State chapter of the Association of General and Private Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr. Tunji Akintade, insisted that the welfare of every health worker is important.
“In time of an emergency like that of COVID-19, certain things, particularly insurance cover, must be made available to those willing to be involved in the contagion’s management.
“Health workers in the frontline of this COVID-19 emergency need a special insurance cover. This is what is expected of every government. If they have not done that, I think it should be done now.
“The aggrieved workers should lodge their complaints at the appropriate quarters,” he said.
In terms of having a standard changing or call room, Akintade wondered why the complaint was coming at this time, if it had never been raised before.
He also said because he had never worked in the facility, he might not understand where their complaint and demands stemmed from.
Continuing, Akintade said, “Be that as it may, the welfare of every health workers is very important. These are the things that we have been clamouring for long before now.
“Health is not cheap. No one should tell us that health insurance will cover a health worker. At what cost and who did the costing?
“Health care workers have never been treated fairly. I don’t see anything wrong with their clamour.
“You can see what a country like Cuba is doing. They are exporting their human resources because they know they have what it takes.
“The American government is ready to take on as many Nigerians as they want because they know they have the capacity.
“The right question to ask is, ‘What is our government doing?’
He decried the allegations that lawmakers took delivery of luxury cars worth billions of Naira at a “precarious time in the life of the nation.” “Maybe that is why the agitation is coming up now,” he said.
The Lagos Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Oseni Olugbenga Saliu, said all health workers, especially doctors working at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, must have proper welfare package and good insurance cover.
“When you work as a front-liner in this type of condition, it’s more like being a soldier at the battlefront. And you should be treated as one,” he said.
“Those at the IDH should, as a matter of urgency, be insured. All health workers — even those at the general hospitals — are the same.
“In fact, all the doctors, as it stands today, are at the battlefront. Government should pay better recognition to the welfare of those involved in the fight against COVID-19,” Saliu said.
He said the NMA had expressed its opinion on the matter to the state government, and that it had yet to get “any meaningful answer.”
He said Nigeria was currently at a dire state, stressing that efforts should not be geared towards conserving now; rather, the finance generated should be channeled to proper use.
He lamented that some health workers and doctors are already infected, and insisted, “You don’t deploy people to the battlefield without insurance to cover those they are leaving behind.
“If anything happens to them today, we all know the type of government that we have.
“The Provost and Deputy Provost of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof. Ezekiel Olapade-Olaopa and Prof. Obafunke Denloye, have both tested positive for Coronavirus. Also, the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, has also been confirmed to be positive.
“We are exposed but can’t run away from our job. So, if they expect these health workers to be dedicated to their job, they should be ready to take care of their risks and address their fears,” he added.
Saliu said the NMA had seen some insurance papers purportedly meant for health workers, adding, “We don’t know who negotiated with them, neither do we have a better understanding of what it is.
“We have not had any total negotiation with government and we have told them that we will sit down to analyse.
“When talking about a life insurance cover of N350,000 for a doctor, is that even up to the salary of a doctor?
“The reality is that government should up their game and realise that the situation on ground is nothing to joke with.”
Dr. Saliu said the NMA was aware that Lagos State government had asked health workers to volunteer, but argued that “the right welfare package must be available.”
“If you want to volunteer, you should know what risk you are taking. Nobody knows who will be infected. So, the government should stop politicking with the issue.
“It is not about trying to blackmail. We are in the battlefield, fighting an unseen enemy,” he said.
He also noted that hospitals lack basic safety equipment to work with. “Even though we have been trying to reassure our members, we will not insist they risk their lives to attend to patients without protection.
“What this government should do is to import or meet manufacturers to produce these things, keep them somewhere and allow hospitals to have access to them.
“A pack of gloves that sold for N1,000 before, now sells for N4,500; while face mask that sold for N250 is N7,000 or N9,000. So, if they don’t provide these things, who will?”
The NMA chairman said the body had been drawing the attention of the state government to the fact that private practitioners are also exposed to infection, warning that if an infected person goes to a general hospital and is turned back, the next point of visit will be a private hospital.
“And if the private practitioner doesn’t have access to the protective equipment, he is exposed. From there, everything goes haywire,” he said.
“Government should up their game. It is not enough to say, we have released N10bn or N5bn when we don’t know where this money is going to. They should use the money properly.”
Still on the alleged plight of health workers at infectious disease centre at Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Saliu said though the NMA wasn’t aware of Lagos State government’s plan them, it should not be about giving them just anything.
He said the healthcare workers at the IDH had yet to lodge a complaint with the NMA, even as he assured them that an investigation will be carried out to properly address the issue and have their requests prioritised by the state government.
“It is just like a factory worker that is paid per day. You must know how much your daily wage is. It is not about a regular salary.
“If health workers are paid just regular salaries and something happens in the middle of the month, what then happens to those they leave behind?” Saliu asked.
He commended the state government’s efforts, but insisted that as long as the front line workers are not safe, nobody is safe.
“Once this thing blows up, all of us are involved. Look at the incident that happened at Gbagada. Health workers don’t need to run away once they have the equipment. All they need to do is put a team together, reassure and calm the patient down, and put him/her in isolation while a sample is immediately taken. The emphasis here is safety,” he said.
When our correspondent called the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, he directed that a call be put across to the Public Relations Director at the ministry, Mr. Tunbosun Ogunbanwo.
“He will know what to do. Don’t you know him? Everyone has his number except you,” Abayomi said.
When Mr. Ogunbanwo was contacted, he demanded to know the identities of the health workers.
“Who said so at IDH? You have to be very careful with your source.
“I will discuss with him (commissioner). When you see him, you can now ask your question.
“You can WhatsApp me your questions,” Mr. Ogunbanwo said.
Source: Punch Healthwise
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