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•This is a national emergency —Mark
THE Federal Government, on Thursday, announced that it has put in place life insurance policy for health workers that will be involved in the treatment of the patients of the Ebola virus disease.
This was announced by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, while briefing representatives of foreign missions in the country on the measures being taken to contain the disease.
As part of the measures, Chukwu said from next week, all outbound passengers would henceforth be screened before leaving the country.
"We are facing some challenges because we need to encourage workers, especially when they hear that some doctors and nurses are dying. Even now in Nigeria, a nurse has died.
"It has now become increasingly difficult to convince health workers to attend to these patients, but we have to and we are making effort to get people. We have also improved their confidence level.
"What we have decided is that all the people taking part, even if they did not have insurance before, they must have insurance. This one is not indemnity for now alone, it is life insurance to protect them and their families, so that in case anything happens to them, their families will not suffer double loss," he said.
Speaking further on the measures the Federal Government had adopted, the minister said "no one is allowed to bring in corpses of the dead from designated countries, unless wherein relevant authorities confirmed it is not the case of Ebola."
Jonathan orders additional protective equipment
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has moved quickly to arrest the threat of the Ebola virus, by ordering additional protective equipment for health and border officials.
The Federal Government has, since the outbreak of the disease in the country, been on alert, to prevent the further spread or influx of the deadly virus.
The oil and gas sector, it was gathered, was leading the effort to galvanise funding for the purchase of the protective wear.
The special gear will reduce risk of infection to those who, by virtue of their jobs, may come in contact with victims of Ebola virus, and will be distributed to all federal hospitals, beginning with border states like Lagos, Cross River, Kano, Rivers, and Borno.
Following presidential directives, health workers and border officials will also be educated on the use of said gear, along with adequate information about the Ebola virus and instructed on how to handle suspected cases of the virus.
This came as President of the Senate, Senator David Mark implored the medical doctors to see the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the country as a national emergency that should necessitate the immediate suspension of their strike and return to duty.
Meanwhile, SENATE President, David Mark, on Thursday, called on doctors in public institutions to see the outbreak of the Ebola disease in the country as a national emergency.
Mark, in a statement in Abuja, said the doctors should return to work and join hands with the government to combat the deadly disease.
The Senate President told the doctors to be patriotic and put aside whatever grievances or misgivings they had with government, so as to save lives.
The Senate President reminded the doctors of the Hippocratic oath sworn to on graduation at the medical colleges, adding that their primary duty to save life far outweighs any other considerations.
He also directed the Senate Committee on Health to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and other health institutions in the fight against Ebola disease.
Source: Tribune
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