COVID-19: Inadequate PPE supply hampering service delivery at NAUTH

Inadequate supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is having a negative effect on the level of service delivery at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, its Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Anthony Igwegbe has said.

Igwegbe confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday.

NAN reports that some people had insinuated that some sections of the tertiary healthcare institution had been shut and that some staff had deserted their duty post for fear of Coronavirus infection.

Igwegbe said that only the Outpatient Department of the hospital was closed because of the limited quantity of PPEs which could not go round the staff on a daily basis.

He said PPEs available would continue to be shared between the frontline medical staff and patients until sufficient supply was received.

The CMD said the management of the hospital had also asked staff from Grade Level 12 to work from home in line with the directive of the Head of Service, adding that the affected ones were the administrative and non-essential staff.

He dismissed the insinuation that there was a scare at NAUTH but explained that the adjustment was in the best interest of public safety and better service delivery.

According to him, only the Outpatient clinic was closed because the hospital doesn’t have sufficient PPEs, so it is are working on how to take care of all the emergencies now until it receives more protective materials before going full scale again.

“Nobody is being turned back because we have enough space in the hospital, rather when there is a suspected case we put on the PPEs, that is why we reduced the number of staff but with the lockdown, patients can’t even come.

“So, it is more effective that since we don’t have enough, we use them on emergencies.

“As for those who have been asked to work from home, it is in line with the directive of Head of Service and the affected staff are people on levels 12 and below, they do not include doctors, nurses and other essential staff,” he said.

Igwegbe said some individuals and groups had donated the protective equipment to the hospital but noted that more was still needed to enable medical staff function optimally.

He said the situation at the hospital was calm and there was no case of turning patients away or staff deserting their duty posts.

“The equipment is scarce and expensive, again they are disposable, you use and discard.

“We need more supply in the hospital so that staff and patients can get,” he said.