Two more FCT doctors die of COVID-19

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says two more doctors have lost their lives as a result of the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic in the Federal Capital Territory in the past two weeks.

FCTA said a female doctor with the Gwarimpa General hospital, passed on two weeks ago while a private medical doctor died last week, bringing the total of doctors lost to the virus in the FCT to four since March.

In a statement on Tuesday, by the Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Mr Anthony Ogunleye, titled, ‘FCT hospitals are rendering full services, the FCTA lamented that the virus was still on rampage.

The statement was in reaction to a report credited to the Chairman of the FCT chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Enema Amodu, that FCTA hospitals were currently rendering skeletal services due to the death of 20 medical doctors from COVID-19.

Quoting the acting Secretary of the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA, Dr Mohammed Kawu, it said all FCTA hospitals were operating at full capacity, inclusive of emergencies for adults and children, delivery and maternity services, theatre services, laboratory and pharmaceutical services, and hospital kitchens.

It disclosed that the clinics resumed full services after the Christmas holidays on Tuesday.
While there had been incidences where COVID-19 positive patients had infected some medical personnel, the Administration explained that the personnel and indeed the patients had been treated and discharged and the affected hospital areas fully decontaminated without any adverse effect on the overall functionality of the hospitals.
“According to records available to the FCTA, since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in the FCT on March 27, 2020, a total of four doctors working in both public and private hospitals have regrettably succumbed to the disease. The latest, being a female doctor with the Gwarimpa General hospital, who passed on two weeks ago and a private medical doctor, over the last one week,” the statement said.

The FCTA argued that the fatalities had not in any way adversely affected the quality of services rendered in these hospitals and most certainly not to the point of rendering skeletal services.
The Administration said it has since the beginning of the pandemic been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and remained as committed as ever to the efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
The FCTA stressed that it has continued to place a lot of emphasis on testing and was the first sub-national to reach the testing target of one per cent of its population as recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

It stated, “There are adequate supplies of PPEs (personal protection equipment) in all the hospitals and efforts are being made to procure even more in the light of the second wave of transmission.
“Emphasis is also being placed on the provision of high-dependency care units in all COVID-19 treatment centres. The medical personnel will continue to take all precautionary measures in the treatment of COVID-10 patients.”