Lassa fever: Government, stakeholders have to re-double effort – TUC

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on Sunday called on the three tiers of government and other health professionals to put their acts together and redouble their efforts to ensure that emerging and re-emerging infections and diseases that have claimed many lives in the recent past are drastically curbed.

TUC President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama

The Congress in a statement by Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, President, TUC and Comrade Musa Lawal, Secretary General, TUC, said that the experiences of the past should by now make the leadership pro-active enough instead of the usual reactive measures.

“There is dire need for Specialised Laboratories for research and diagnosis on viral haemorrhagic fevers in each geo-political zones to enable us nip in the bud these life-threatening diseases before they go viral. A Case in point happened in Lagos, where an infected patient who came on a visit from another state was detected.

“Also, the current position and numbers of Confirmatory Centres for Lassa fall short of National Public Health Act, which emphasis on Universal Health Coverage.  It is important the authority realises that the issue of health should not be taken for granted. In some nations of the world three things are very critical:  health, shelter and clothing. These are modules we should emulate to complement the change mantra.

“It is imperative that the issue of training and re-training of health personnels in specialised areas towards averting these persistent health challenges be seriously considered. It is unheard of that some health workers in a particular state ran away when someone got infected. In the past Health workers will stake out their lives to save a patient unlike what we have today. Probably because they know that there is no insurance cover nor special incentives should they lose their lives in the course of doing their job.

“If the recent report on medical tourism as said by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire is anything to go by, it just does not make any sense that over $1bn is being spent by Nigerians on medical tourism abroad annually for illnesses that our tertiary hospitals can handle. This administration of President Muhammadu Buhari must discourage the practice. Government has to make health care delivery available to majority of Nigerians.”

The Congress however said it acknowledge that all sectors of the economy are very critical should be taken into cognisance that one needs to be alive and well to be able to undertake other responsibilities.

“It is time to be proactive not reactive”, it added.