COVID-19: Doctors lament lack of tests in Kogi, C-River
As controversy trails non-availability of laboratory testing for COVID-19 cases in Kogi State, suspected cases of the disease are allegedly being seen in hospitals in the state, even as doctors have continued to lament inability to conduct tests.
This is even as the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, in Cross River State raised alarm over the low rate of testing in the state. Both Kogi and Cross River are the only states in Nigeria claiming to have no casse of corona-virus in the country. Chairman, Kogi State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr Kabir Zubair, told Vanguard in an interview yesterday that the state NMA is not happy about the challenge over testing created by the state government. Zubair said despite the increasing numbers of suspected cases, his colleagues could not confirm any of the cases because laboratory tests are not ongoing.
He said: “People are presenting with the symptoms of COVID-19, even though it may not be all the symptoms of the disease but doctors are suspicious of COVID -19, and because we are not able to carry out tests, we could not confirm all the suspicions. Everything ends at the level of suspicion. “We have been on their neck to see how they will resume the tests but they are not collaborating in any way with NMA. What the state government has done is that they have been able to procure their own antigen test kits approved by the US Food & Drugs Administration, FDA.
“That is what they said will be used to test any COVID-19 suspected case now, even though the World Health Organisation, WHO, did not recommend the use of test kits of an antigen or antibody. But for now, that is what we have and we will make do with it.” Resident doctors agitated Zubair said members of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, an affiliate of the NMA, have become agitated and apprehensive in the last few months due to community spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
He said suspected cases are being seen, specifically at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Lokoja which is also the only functional tertiary health institution in the state. “As a clinician, standard practice demands that the moment you have clinical suspicion of infectious diseases, the ideal thing is to carry out laboratory confirmation. “COVID-19 is a highly contagious infectious disease, responsible for the ongoing global pandemic. In Nigeria, new cases are reported daily and community spread is accelerating. This is the reason members of ARD are agitated as testing for COVID-19 has remained a challenge in the state,” he added. On the level of involvement of the state NMA chapter to the COVID-19 response in the state, he explained that the state government, its health personnel and state epidemiologists were the ones handling the tests.
‘We’re unhappy Kogi is not testing’ Zubair, who frowned on the level of preparedness against the disease in the state, said: “We are not happy that the state is not testing but for the past two to three weeks, we have done the much we think we can do. “We have reached out to some interest groups to see how the situation can be changed.
We have done several publications online on the situation in Kogi. Different health groups like the state Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, have done a lot of publications about the situation in the state. We have also liaised with our national body to see how they can come to our aid.” He said it was only last night that the state government was able to put up isolation and diagnostic centres with few beds and equipment inside. READ ALSO: Covid-19: We’ve four well-equipped isolation centres- Kano Commissioner “The government is just putting up small arrangements in place. Last week, it opened isolation and diagnostic centre that has few beds and equipment inside.
They have also procured Personal Protective Equipment, PPEs. Most of the centres in the state also have PPEs and that is what they are using any time they see suspected cases in the hospitals. “We have been talking to the state Commissioner for Health, state epidemiologists and other government officials on the need to commence testing and that is the only the way the medical personnel can put their minds at rest. We are hoping that they will listen to us and do the needful.” He further debunked reports that more people were dying in the state, saying “there is no sudden increase in deaths. So far, so good.
The mortuaries and burial grounds are running normal, no sudden increase in any way.” According to the state-by-state breakdown of COVID-19 cases by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, in its situation report for COVID-19 released on May 17, 2020, Kogi State had carried out only one confirmatory test. Contacted last night on the same issue, Cross River State chairman of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Agam Ayuk, refused to comment but referred Vanguard to the statement the association issued last week, titled “Low number of tests in Cross River unacceptable.” Low number of tests in Cross River unacceptable — NMA
The statement jointly signed by the chairman, Dr. Agam Ayuk, and secretary, Dr. Ezoke Epoke, read: “The unacceptably low number of persons tested in Cross River State suggests a lack of diligent, expansive and coordinated surveillance response which is the hallmark for effective prevention and containment of COVID-19. “We appeal for an expansion of the surveillance unit with provision of more field staff, utility vehicles, ICT/technical support to enable this vital unit carry out the critical role of early case finding for testing and isolation of confirmed cases to limit community transmission. “As of May 21, 2020, information available to us has it that seven out of the eight samples collected so far are from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, UCTH. Many questions are begging for answers. “Is it only UCTH that has patients that meet the criteria for sample collection?
What happened to patients who may have visited the various primary health care facilities, general hospitals and private hospitals across the state that may have satisfied the criteria for testing?” “Very worrisome is the fact that most members of the medical community are currently expressing concerns if the samples collected are the samples sent to NCDC. We call on the state COVID-19 task force to create a transparent system for tracking of samples from the point of collection to testing centre to restore confidence on the eventual results reported.” Vanguard
