Striking doctors in Lagos State have
volunteered to join the team of experts
managing patients at the Infectious Diseases
Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
The chairman, Lagos State chapter of the
Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Tope Ojo,
who said this at a press briefing in Lagos on
Tuesday, added that strike would not stop
doctors in the state from attending to persons
suspected to have contracted the Ebola virus.
Ojo said about 30 of its members had
volunteered to join seven of the Ebola
Emergency Response and Management
Committee working on the prevention and
control of the disease at the IDH centre in
Yaba.

He said, “Strike or no strike, we must respond
to emergencies. Our doctors are at Mainland
Hospital, Yaba, were isolated contacts are
being monitored. There are seven committees
working on the management of the disease at
the centre in Lagos, which our members are
part of.

“But the committee, where we are having
challenges getting volunteers, is case
management. This are the people that work
directly with confirmed cases.

“Look at the protective measures that doctors
in Liberia and Guinea wear. They are well
protected, yet some of them still caught it. Our
doctors are worried about the danger it poses
to their lives and they need to be reassured.
“We understand their fears and we are making
moves to confirm the level of preparedness of
the government for doctors.”

He informed that the infected doctor, who is
presently on admission at the Mainland
Hospital, Yaba, was responding to treatment.
“We know that the infected doctor is stable,
however, the matron is in a critical condition.
But everybody, including the experts from the
World Health Organisation, is doing all they
can,” he said.

A member of one of the of the committees,
Dr. Babajide Saheed, said the doctors were
working closely with the WHO and other
stakeholders to contain the risk of the
spreading the infection.

Saheed said, “Not all doctors can attend to an
Ebola patient. In fact you must limit the
number of health workers treating affected
persons just to contain the risk.
“We will be escalating the situation if doctors
rush to Mainland Hospital just to attend to
patients.

source: http://www.punchng.com/news/striking-doctors-offer-to-treat-ebola-patients/