The Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) has commended the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), over its effort to help contain the coronavirus disease pandemic.
President of the CMA, Dr. Osahon Emanuele, gave the commendation on Friday, when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Hospital, as part of the Association’s effort to assess how health institutions across Commonwealth nations are doing with regards to preparedness to combat Covid-19.
The Commonwealth Medical Association superintends over 54 national Medical Associations in 54 countries.
Areas inspected by Dr. Enabulele included the Isolation Centre, the Holding Ward, the two-bedded Intensive Care Unit with dedicated Ventilators, the PCR Laboratory (where tests are to be carried out) and other places relevant for the management of Coronavirus disease.
Enabulele who expressed satisfaction with what he saw on ground, commended the Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Prof. Darlington Obaseki and his management team, for achieving so much within the little resources available at their disposal.
He however called on both Federal and State governments to increase support for the Hospital and other health institutions, to enable them do more.
“We are here to assess what is on ground in this federal Hospital. I’ve gone round with the Chief Medical Director and his team and I have very good impression of how far they have gone in terms of helping to contain Covid-19.
“In spite of the little resources available to the Hospital, I’ve seen commitment, I’ve seen resolve, I’ve seen some level of patriotism, not only in ensuring that preventive measures are put in place, but also in case management, I’ve seen some level of excellence being displayed in this Hospital, and that I say is even more commendable in view of the resources that are not available to the Hospital. This is commendable by the management of the Hospital.
“I only hope and pray that they get the support from the government at the federal and state levels so that they can do much more,” Enabulele said.
The number one Commonwealth Doctor noted that the UBTH appears to be prepared to manage cases of coronavirus disease.
He also commended the availability and use of Personal Protective Equipment by health workers, especially those in the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 in the Hospital.
“I want to commend the CMD and his management team. I think they are doing very well. My hope and pray that they continue to put in more effort.
According to him, “For a referral Hospital like this, they need a lot of that support in terms of safety and protection of health workers, they need to provided with PPE. A lot more still needs to be done for this institution to do much more.”
Enabulele said part of CMA’s commitment is to support governments and institutions and to also to assess how they are doing to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
He however said that much more still needed to be done across the Commonwealth nations to contain the spread of the deadly disease.
“All across the Commonwealth, we have commissioned teams to go round and do some level of assessment and support for governments.
“Covid-19 is still evolving and we need to still put in a lot of effort in terms of resources, in terms of human resource,” he said.
He noted that from Covid-19 experience, the Commonwealth has seen that Nigerians are ready to look inward to see what they can do with their local resources to build a platform for our people to get the best of care.
“There is need for is to share knowledge, there is need for us to share experiences and there is need for us to display what has been working well in some institutions.
“We are thinking beyond the covid-19 phase to the post covid-19 phase on how we can stabilize the health systems across the Commonwealth, how we can stabilize the health of the people, how we can stabilize the economy,” Enabulele concluded.
In his remarks, the CMD of the Hospital, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, who thanked the Commonwealth Medical Association team for the visit, assured the team that the Hospital was ready to battle the coronavirus disease to a standstill.
He however solicited support from all relevant bodies to enable the Hospital discharge it’s duty to the best of their ability.
