by By Simon Ushie
The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong has warned primary healthcare workers in the state against discriminating patients who present Covid19 related symptoms to their various facilities.
Dr Ekpenyong issued the warning in Itigidi, Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State when she undertook an assessment visit to ascertain the quality of information dissemination and knowledge sharing in the ongoing training exercise for Health workers on Covid19 prevention, treatment and care in the state.
The DG said on no account should any facility or individual be reported for patient’s mismanagement or poor service delivery as a result of their medical predicament but charged them to take adequate caution while performing their duties.
She said, though morality is being reported as it concerns Covid19, but when compared to other diseases common within our environment, health workers should not neglect patients to die because of fear of being infected and so the importance of adhering to the guidelines as being thought to them.
“Covid19 just like every other sickness kills,but when you compare the mortality rate to malaria, typhoid and even maternal mortality you will discover that the attention given and the anxiety attached to it is unwarranted.
It is unfair to allow patients who seek medical attention in your facilities to suffer or die because of fear of Covid19.
Any health worker or facility that gets implicated with this act,will be dealt with appropriately, as we all know ,our duty is to provide quality healthcare for our people in line with Senator Ben Ayade’s Commitment in creating a formidable healthcare sector that will be envied across the country”.
Ekpenyong further thanked the state Governor Senator Ben Ayade and members of the Health community in Cross River State for their Commitment in safeguarding the lives of Cross Riverians and maintaining a great fight against Covid19 and other infectious diseases.
One of the participants Mrs Mary Isaac
applauded the state government in investing in the development and capacity building of PHC staff as she also appealed for trainings of such nature to be replicated as often as possible in all other Primary healthcare services and programs in the state.
The training which is organized by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and supported by the state government has over 5000 health beneficiaries comprising health workers drawn from the primary, secondary and tertiary health sector across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Since the first case of Covid19 was reported in March 2020, over 24,000 have tested positive, with about 8,000 discharged and a further 500 dead so far in Nigeria.
