Covid-19: Italy graduated 10,000 medical students to fight the virus, what will Nigeria do?
‘Calamities may arise unexpectedly, but it is our preparedness to do what needs to be done that determines our survival.’
In the fight against the surge of the coronavirus epidemic in Italy, the government of the country graduated 10,000 medical students to join the medical workforce that was already heavily strained by the demand being placed on it.
Italy has one of the worst cases of the Coronavirus, recording more than 6,000 deaths since February, when the virus broke out and 63,000 cases.
In spite of the large number of the force fighting the Coronavirus in Italy, it has still been an uphill battle.
The Covid-19 index case in Nigeria was recorded on February 25 2020. An Italian citizen who works in Nigeria had returned to Nigeria from Milan- one of the cities worst hit with the Corona.
Between that time and today, there have been 42 confirmed cases, with the Governor of Bauchi state testing positive for the virus today Tuesday, 24th March, 2020.
While there has been only one reported death, the rate of the spread of the virus is alarming. The Nigerian government has gone ahead to implement a quarantine procedure. Closing its borders and airports and placing a ban on 13 countries that had recorded more than 1,000 cases of the virus. However, this was not before the virus found its way into the country.
What can be done now is containment and reducing the incidence of spreading the virus. The Federal Government has instructed that residents of Lagos and Abuja should stay at home, and maintain social distancing. Limiting the spread of the virus is the fastest way to kill off the virus.
In spite of the call for social distancing and self isolation, most people have not complied with this instruction. Most Nigerians don’t know the gravity of this virus and is the government doing enough to spread the information far and wide? As well take steps to reduce the spread of the virus?
The hard reality is that the Coronavirus will spread and people are going to get affected. Is the government ready for this reality?
Certain states have released statements on their efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Oyo, Ekiti and Lagos state governments have begun sensitizing their citizens to the existence of the virus. They have given directives to shut down schools and reduce social gatherings to a limited number.
The Nigerian medical force has suffered in the last couple of years, with large numbers of doctors migrating to Canada and other countries to find a new home. Conditions have not been favorable to the practice of medicine in the country. The doctors are not well paid, or have to work with little or no infrastructure in an environment that does not encourage them.
In 2018, when asked to address concerns about the difficulty with Nigerian doctors becoming specialists, Isaac Adewole, the Health Minister, responded by saying “make light of the issue, saying: ‘It might sound selfish, but we can’t all be specialists, we can’t. Some will be farmers; some will be politicians …not all doctors can become specialists…’
This might be the time for Nigeria to redeem its image and embrace its doctors who are needed now more than ever in the fight against the virus. These are the first responders, both to real Covid-19 cases and to panic calls by members of the society.
While it might not be possible to get the Nigerian Doctors in Diaspora back at this time, measures should be put in place for the assimilation of the new doctors about to be admitted into the Medical profession.
The Nigerian Medical Association recently directed all medical personnel who had been on strike to suspend their strike in the fight against the Coronavirus. To avoid this disease ravaging through our country and leaving millions in its wake, and in the memory of those who have given their lives in the fight against pandemics such as this, our doctors are needed now more than ever.
