Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Rivers State has stressed the need for government to give incentives to medical personnel as they take frontline in the fight against coronavirus.
Dr Obelebra Adebiyi speaking in a radio programme said health workers needed hazard allowance at this time in the fight against the coronavirus.
Dr Adebiyi said: “There should be some form of incentives (for health workers). If a man is giving everything (of course, he should be appreciated) and this pandemic is not your normal job but this is something that people (health workers) are making sacrifices for. I think they should be properly remunerated. When you just put the health workers out there in the frontline without any proper remuneration, I think that will not be fair”.
She said Nigerian medical workers had been “short-changed” for long but noted it should be obvious to the world medical workers needed to be properly paid for their service.
The chairperson of the association said Nigeria does not have capacity to contain coronavirus on a large scale but said with facilities in place and personnel the country could contain the coronavirus pandemic.
She said there were not enough health workers in the country so health workers were already stretched in fight against coronavirus.
She said that Nigerian doctors were poorly paid but because they have taken oath to protect life they still do their job with dedication.
The chairperson of the state branch of Nigerian Medical Association said: “The Nigerian medical health workers have been short-changed for a long time but the Nigerian doctor has been resolute in protecting the citizens. If there is an upsurge, the government needs to do the needful. For medical doctors, nurses and other health workers, we have sworn to protect life. We have sworn to take care of people”.
“And that is why when the pandemic broke out and some doctors in some states legitimately – people have not been paid for eleven months, people have not been paid for six months in other states, not Rivers State – and even at that point when they decided on going on strike and seeking for redress the Nigerian Medical Association President said, ‘No, everybody must go back to work’. That is who we are. That is what doctors do”.
Dr Adebiyi appealed there should be more testing for coronavirus so that those infected could be isolated and treated.
She expressed concern over the lockdown in states but said the measures were needed to contain coronavirus.
She however noted there was no economic plan to meet the needs of people under lockdown in the country.
She also said obeying rules against the spread of coronavirus should be responsibility of everyone.
