COVID-19: Poor life insurance for departed health workers worsens grief of bereaved families
Afeez Hanafi
Dr Eseoghene Ajuetse had his mission in life well planned. He wanted to save lives and lead a happy home. For years, he strove to strike a balance between the two despite the weight of responsibility being a medical doctor placed on him.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus in Nigeria late February 2020, Ajuetse’s tasks became more extremely demanding, especially as the Chief Medical Officer at Abraka General Hospital, Delta State. Every now and then, he took all the necessary cautions on the job to minimise exposure to the deadly virus. He wouldn’t let down his guard to avoid putting his family and those around him at risk.
Medical professionals have also voiced support for special consideration for the elderly, saying scores of old people died in the villages due to COVID-19 complications.
The people interviewed said they could not register for the vaccination online as directed by relevant authorities, heightening fears that it would take long for them to be considered.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire
Muhtari Baba, 77, a farmer in Toro, Bauchi State, said he heard about the COVID-19 vaccination on radio. Baba said, “We have not been told how we would access the vaccine; and I want to get it. I thank God I don’t have any underlying ailment, but I know that COVID-19 is real.
At last, the much-awaited COVID-19 vaccines are now in the country and President Muhammadu Buhari and other top leaders are expected to be vaccinated publicly on Saturday.
But there are still questions regarding the state of the health sector. For instance, on the lips of most Nigerians are: What would Nigeria have done without the free donation of vaccines by the COVAX facility? Nigeria took delivery of COVID-19 vaccines made in India. What does that say of Nigeria’s health sector and capacity to play in global health platforms? If India, which used to be at the same level as Nigeria could put its act together to produce vaccines in a few months, why not Nigeria?
• Minister raises concern over fake vaccines
• Experts insist on local production to prevent future epidemics
The Federal Government has launched a homegrown Strategy to deliver the COVID-19 vaccination and Electronic Management of Immunisation Data (EMID) System in the country.
It explained that the strategy, known as T. E. A. C. H, is a hybrid of traditional vaccination campaign using micro-plan and electronic registration systems deployed in developed countries.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who unveiled the strategy in Abuja yesterday, explained that T.E.A.C.H. represented an acronym for a five-point strategy developed by the vaccination implementing arm of the ministry, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPCDA) from its several years of vaccination implementation experience in Nigeria.
Govt to get 3.92m instead of promised 16m doses, says WHO, UNICEF, NPHCDA
After shifting the goal post from January ending to late February and then March, the Federal Government says it will take delivery of 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine tomorrow, March 2. x
A statement on February 1 by the National Primary Health Care Development (NPHCDA) had stated that Nigeria would receive 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines before the end of February, which would replace the initial 100,000 doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech approved vaccines expected in the country.
However, NPHCDA, World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement, yesterday, said tomorrow’s delivery would mark the first arrival of COVID-19 vaccine in the country and make Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire.