Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) and leading health workers’ unions have said that with close to 100,000 COVID-19 infections, Nigeria is in a state of war with the pandemic.
The groups made this declaration in a communiqué after a one- day national meeting themed: “The Citizens Response to the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic and the State of the Health Sector in Nigeria,” organised by ASCAB which drew participants from leading health unions across the country, warning that the second wave of the pandemic may record higher tolls unless immediate and drastic efforts were taken.
The meeting held via Zoom on December 30, was, according to the statement signed by ASCAB Interim Chairman, Mr Femi Falana, attended by health-driven unions, including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
Others are the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), National Association of Community Health Practitioners (NACHP) and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) converged via Zoom on December 30 for a public meeting on the Citizens Response to the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the State of the Health Sector in Nigeria.
This was just as they chided the Nigerian authorities for not including scientists in its various committees, and further warned that such approach would undermine efforts to develop an indigenous vaccine as a long term strategy of fighting the pandemic.
ASCAB and the leading health unions, while noting that COVID-19 is real and has inflicted horrors across the world, posited that those in the informal sector would suffer far more from any possible return to lockdowns especially with the new strains from South Africa and Britain which are far more infectious.
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They, therefore, urged that a comprehensive response plan be put in place to ensure that the battle against pandemic was won, saying that scientists should be included in the existing committees and given critical roles in the fight against the disease.
“That experts, including scientists, take the lead in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, scientists should be included in the existing committees and given critical roles. That a comprehensive response plan should be put in place to ensure that we can win the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” the communiqué said.
ASCAB and the health workers’ unions called for e-payment of a decent and befitting hazard allowance to all officials in the health sector, provision of adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and consequent training on the use of the equipment, comprehensive Insurance for all workers staff in the health sector, payment of all outstanding salary arrears and better funding and investment in the health sector, among others.
They warned of dire consequences if the Federal and state governments privatised institutions and services in the health sector, positing that what was required was a substantial investment in the health sector and the urgent training of all workers, including ancillary health workers.
“What is required is a substantial investment in the health sector and the urgent training of all workers including ancillary health workers,” the communiqué said.
Speaking further, the groups said Nigeria needed a massive increase in funding for public health to enable the citizens to survive COVID-19 and beyond; and to protect the nation’s health workers from the pandemic and other diseases.
ASACAB and the health workers, however, said they would establish a Solidarity Forum and a COVID-19 Situation Room as a citizens response initiative to monitor compliance and issue periodic reports on what needed to be done.
COVID-19: Nigeria in state of war with close to 100,000 infections ― ASCAB, health workers
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