By ROSEMARY NWISI, Port Harcourt

Medical doctors in Nigeria have lamented the high cost of medical consumables in the country, following the outbreak of the novel COVID-19, global pandemic.

The Doctors who spoke under the aegis of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (GPMPN), on Monday, appealed to governments at all levels to come to their aide by providing them with grants and medical equipments, materials, to continue in saving people of the country from avoidable deaths.

The people spoke in a news statement they held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital yesterday lamented that cost health care delivery in the country has sky rocketed while medical bills to patients remain the same.

In a document read by the National President of the group, Dr. Iky Odo they noted that although medical service is a social service, but said unless help comes for them, high cost of material will frustrate them out of their jobs and the already mentally and financially stressed citizens of the country will suffer the consequences and could even die of treatable ailments.

They called on the Federal, State, Local governments, well meaning individuals, foundations multinational companies to assist them to help them remain in Practice and continue to contribute their quota into national health and stability.

They said, “the private doctors in the country are the primary care doctors, they are the gateway to health delivery in the country, they are the first respondent to every health situation.

“These doctors take care of the majority of the population health care condition, with over 70 per cent of the citizens looking up to them. They are in clinic and hospitals in the country, readily available and acessible, their role is not just fundamental, but critical.

“In this undertaking time in the medical history of the nation, they are the most in demand, the most available, accessible, most vulnerable and endangered.

“They are ready to play their professional role to the country now as ever, howevee, what is happening is at best a false majored,an act of God, beyond the calculation and expectations of any man.

“It is an unusual situation that demands unusual solution. Countries, Companies,shopes, markets are sitting down everywhere, cost of items have gone astronomically high, but we are open, and as a doctor you sit down in your consulting room, you do not know who the next person your to see will be, that person can be a Corona patient, and you will not ignore him, you must attend to him and care for him.

“But this is uncommon disease, highly infectious, viral and to attend to such people, you will need to kit yourself properly, because any window it gets, your infected, so anybody can be a patient.

“As we speak, disposable gloves we used to buy for N1,500 a packet, is now sold for N25, 000, face masks that used to go for N3000, is now between N25, 000 and N30,000, the Infra-red thermometer which was sold for N5,000, two weeks ago, as at last week it is now N90,000, how about the coverall kit we used to buy for between N500 and N1,000 is now N10, 000.” they lamented.

They appealed for assistance, donations for all work of life to assist them to continue to help save the lives of Nigerians.

Earlier, in the statement entitled “the ongoing COVID-19 and the way foreword for Nigerian health system”, they said, “the world is under siege because of the outbreak of Corona virus in China last December. Initially it was seen and treated as a local epidemic in China, hence a Chinese problem, progressively it has gradually encaged the whole world, making powerless the most powerful nation, and today a dreaded pandemic.

The called for calm among all Nigerians and urged them to ensure they comply with the World Health Organisation recommended regular hand washing/ hand sanitizing, observing of social distancing, as they try to avoid touching of objects and if they should touch, they must wash their hands, insisting, “Corona Virus, a touch and wash game.”

The group urged the public not to wear face masks, hand gloves among others as preventive measures unless the person is sick and down with cough, flu and sneezing so they can prevent droplets when the sneeze or cough from spreading to other persons.

They assured that the virus is not airborne. (The Nation)

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