In a statement by the commissioner for Health Professor Princewill Chike, the state government said the data is baseless and that the assumptions in the claims by the NMA is totally untrue and misconstrued for personal reasons.
The statement argued that the NMA should be seen as a courageous partner and not a panic creating machine in this pandemic adding that the State is willing to partner with NMA for better health outcomes.
The commissioner said it is not true that health care workers are all infected because they lack Perosnal Protectives Equipments, stressing that the State Government has provided sufficient PPEs for all the designated State treatment centres and at all levels of care in the state public facilities.
The statement claimed that some retired health care workers who are no longer in any form of practice and have been diagnosed with COVID-19 despite not seeing patients and also listed by the NMA.
The commissioner noted that the increasing cases of the virus in the state as a result of increases testing capacity in the State with 4 active PCR machines dedicated to COVID diagnosis and running at the RSUTH.
He said the state cannot play ostritch and refuse to test the people in order to please the NMA.
Professor Chike assured that the State Government will continue to provide resources to ensure that all health workers are provided with enough PPEs for patient engagement while continuing to support other aspects of treatment, risk communication, community engagement and clinical research in order to halt the pandemic.
