*As more doctors and healthcare workers are contracting COVID-19, the Nigerian Medical Association has appealed to the government to improve supplies of Personal Protective Equipment in the medical facilities in the country

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

For failure of patients to truly declare their true health status, and avoid exposing doctors and other healthcare workers to the risk of disease infection, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has explained how about 20 members of the union died of COVID-19 in the last one week.

Dr. Enema Amodu, Chairman of NMA, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, stated this at a media briefing Friday, December 25, in Abuja, FCT.

Amodu disclosed the late medical doctors contracted the fatal disease in the course of treating infected patients who failed to reveal their true health status.

The FCT NMA Chairman said: “For those of us in the health sector, we have lost quite a number of colleagues in the last one week alone.

“Across the country, we have lost not less than 20 doctors in the last one week.”

“We also want to take this opportunity to talk to our patients: as you come to us in the hospitals, in the clinics, please oblige us.

“Wear your mask. Tell us the truth about your past medical condition and don’t hold any information back.”

Amodu also appealed to patients visiting clinics and hospitals to declare their true health status to avoid exposing doctors and other health workers to the risk of disease infection.

In respect of how catastrophic the Coronavirus second wave is, just as more doctors and health workers are contracting COVID-19, the medical professional appealed to the government to improve supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in the medical facilities in the country.

Amodu as well called for the provision of essential drugs in the hospitals.

The doctors are ready to combat the second wave of the virus, he assured.

An Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeon and consultant, he noted that it is important for patients coming to hospitals to fully disclose their health status as he once contracted the disease from an infected patient.

He stated: “I am the Chairman of NMA, FCT (Chapter), and by the special grace of God, I am standing here today as a survivor because I inadvertently saw a patient that I didn’t know had COVID-19 and she didn’t tell me, and she knew.

“I was exposed, I contacted the virus, I developed symptoms but by the grace of God, my colleagues rallied around me and I survived.”

Amodu warned Nigerians that “this second wave is so overwhelming; this second wave is more catastrophic, and this probably would be because a lot of people have gone back to the way of doing things.

“They have thought that the virus is over, it has come, and it is gone, and they have let their guards down.”