COVID-19: Nasarawa NMA lauds hospital over production of face masks

Commendation
By Sunday John
Lafia, May 4, 2020 (NAN) The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nasarawa State chapter, has commended the management of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia, for mass production of face masks.
The state Chairman of the association, Dr Bulus Umaru, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lafia.
According to Umaru, the steps taken by DASH deserve commendation, given the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the country.
“The whole world is being faced with coronavirus pandemic. So PPE, face masks, ventilators and other medical kits are not enough,” he noted.
Umaru also lauded Gov. Abdullahi Sule for setting up and equipping isolation centres across the state to handle and treat coronavirus cases.
“We went round all the isolation centres across the state and we were impressed with the level of facilities in most of the centres.
“So we expect that government will provide more equipment, with the arrival of the ones they recently bought,” he said.
The NMA chairman, however, appealed to the government to fast track the arrangement of insurance cover for the health workers battling the pandemic.
He also urged the government to domesticate the hazard and other allowances to frontline workers to boost their morale.
Umaru implored members of the public to take precautionary measures to avoid being infected with the virus, especially with the rising cases of the pandemic in the state.
“The virus is real. So anybody, who still believes that there is no coronavirus, is doing so at his or her own risk.
“We all must maintain physical distancing, wash our hands with soap under running water, use face masks and stay at home, in order to contain the spread of the virus,” he added.
NAN recalls that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of DASH, Hassan Ikrama, had said that the production of the face masks for members of staff, patients and their relations was aimed at containing the spread of the virus within the hospital.
NAN also reports that as at May 4, there were 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with one death. (NAN)
SDJ/CHOM/WAS
Edited by Chioma Ugboma and ‘Wale Sadeeq