The Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives has raised the alarm over the shortage of personal protective equipment in the state-owned hospitals.
The Chairman, Lagos NANNM, Mrs Blessing Israel, while speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of relief packages for new and expectant mothers by Unilever Nigeria Plc to the association, said nurses and other health workers in the state have been made to reuse some PPEs because of their shortage.
She said, “To us, there are some PPEs that should not be reused, but nurses and other health workers are being asked to reuse them. This is not good enough as it will continue to endanger the lives of health workers and the patients. Our members have been reusing facemasks which are supposed to be the cheapest of all the PPEs.
“Nurses are down with COVID-19; we are unnecessarily exposed to the virus. Many of our members are psychologically down at the moment, we appreciate the state government for their efforts, but we want them to do more for our people. We can’t fight the government, we are partners in progress and we must come together, reason together to ensure that we curtail and eradicate COVID-19 in the state.”
The Publicity Secretary of the association, Mrs Adenike Akinla, said Unilever Nigeria Plc donated 11,088 cartons of pears baby to the association. She said the items would be distributed to all maternal child care centres and hospitals in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday said the state government was trying its best to address the shortage of PPEs.
He said, “The shortage of PPEs is a global phenomenon, it is not something that is peculiar to Lagos State. There is no way you can have 100 per cent availability but I know that the people that need PPEs get it at any point they need it.”
Source: Punch