Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and fight to curb its spread, nurses in ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu on Wednesday were seen gathered at a corner within the hospital premises chanting “no working material for us”.
The basic protective materials needed by these nurses for efficient service delivery and protection of their lives were not provided, hence the protest. Materials they demand include facemask, hand gloves, and hand sanitizers.
Recall that a couple of weeks ago, the Enugu State Executive Council approved an immediate upgrade and relocation of the State’s isolation center from ESUT isolation ward, Colliery to ESUT Teaching hospital, Parklane which is in the heart of the town.
Also, as announced by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Agujiobi, the Executive Council approved a total sum of three hundred and thirty million naira only (N330, 000,000=00) in preparation for the fight against the spread of the virus and other communicable diseases in the State.
The sum of one hundred and fifty million naira (N150, 000,000=00) for preparation against outburst of Coronavirus in the State, eighty million naira (N80, 000,000=00) for procurement of important and essential drugs that may be needed to treat and manage Coronavirus, Lassa fever, and other communicable diseases and one hundred million naira (N100, 000,000=00) as an emergency fund to be kept in the State’s Emergency Operation Centre account.
The approval of the above sum was a couple of weeks ago, still up to this day, the least and important protective materials not yet procured and made available to the nurses.
Protective gears are very important working materials for all medical personnel whether there is a pandemic or not and given the high risk and infectious nature of the Coronavirus, this is definitely not a time to play with such necessities.
A staff of the Hospital who pleaded anonymity said that shortly after the protest, the hospital management gave the nurses some materials to work with and attributed the unavailability of the materials to their scarcity in the market.
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