10 doctors test positive to Coronavirus in Kano
10 doctors who work
with Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) have reportedly tested positive for
Coronavirus, after treating patients who came to the hospital with symptoms of
Coronavirus.
Chairman of the
hospital's branch of Association of Resident Doctors, Abubakar Nagoma confirmed
this on Monday May 4. He told Premium Times that the affected health
professionals include resident doctors who are undergoing training and
consultant doctors.
Nagoma said;
“We have resident
and consultant doctors that were tested positive of COVID-19 in Aminu Kano
Teaching Hospital.
“About ten doctors
are confirmed positive with COVID-19. Eight of them are already in isolation
centre, while the remaining two are in self isolation at their homes because
they do not have any symptom. All their close contact have been traced.
“There are more test
results that are yet to be out for doctors and other health workers of the
hospital that were screened last week. The number of those screened are almost
hundred. We are expecting the results likely within the week to know the fate
of health workers of the hospital."
He hinged the
vulnerability of doctors to the disease on lack of adequate personal
protective, non-use of face masks by patients when coming to hospitals and
deliberate hoarding of information by some patients.
Nagoma added;
“On our part, we
lack protective equipments. And you will see many doctors at accident and
emergency unit of the hospital wearing only face masks. This is the only
protection we have in addition to hand gloves and hand sanitiser. This is not
the standard protection protocol guidelines according to NCDC. If you have any
suspected (COVID-19) patient, you suppose to have boots, suit, face mask,
goggle, cap and also a face shield. These are what is obtainable in a developed
world and this the recommendation of National Centre for Disease Control. To be
sincere we don’t have them on ground. We don’t have complete protective suit.
“Another thing, a
lot of patients coming from various places within Kano, don’t come with a face
mask. And some of them will present their background medical condition, and
subsequently the symptoms of COVID-19 start manifesting later on. To some
extent sometime, patients conceal information until after series of diagnosis,
then you find symptoms of COVID-19. You are already exposed by then. It is
unfortunate we are working in a very constrained environment.
“Then the patient
turn out is too much. There are a lot of patients coming to the hospital. And
they don’t use any barrier that will serve as protection between you and them.
“We have made so
many requisition to the hospital to ensure constant provision of all the
necessary protective equipments. In fact we even went to the extent of
threatening the hospital that we will stop diagnosing patients if this
equipment are not available. But you know as healthcare providers we cannot
fold our arms watching our patients dying. We are always at forefront of seeing
patients whether with or without the supply of what we requested. We are still
pushing for this to be available. Even the hospital management are complaining
they are yet to be supplied by the federal government. What is obtainable has
already been exhausted.”
Kano has so far
recorded 365 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and eight deaths.
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