The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos branch, says it will not relent in its collective resolve to ensure a robust health care delivery as critical partners and improvement in its strategies in order to win the fight against COVID-19.
The NMA Chairman, Dr Adetunji Adenekan, made this known in the association’s New Year message, issued on Friday in Lagos.
Adenekan, however, said that utilising the lessons learnt in the failure to prevent the second wave of COVID-19 was key in ensuring its containment and the strengthening of the country’s health system, especially against the emerging and reemerging biologic agents and other hazards.
“We must state, with the utmost sense of responsibility, that the care-free or non-challant attitude of the Nigerian public towards the COVID-19 protocols is largely responsible for the second wave of the pandemic.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that the lives of the frontlines, the Nigerian Medical and Dental Practitioners and the health workers in general, have been put at great risk.
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“This was along with the sharp rise in the number of doctors who lost their lives to the dreaded viral disease recently; our condolences to their families,” he said.
The chairman urged all frontline personnel to continue to respond to the challenges brought upon the citizenry by the fragility of the healthcare system, including COVID-19.
He also appealed to the people of the state and Nigerians, in general, to adhere strictly to the COVID-19 protocols.
“This also underscores the imperative for government and enforcement personnel at various levels to live up to the herculean task.
“The need for a high index of suspicion among healthcare professionals, especially medical and dental practitioners cannot be over-emphasised,” Adenekan said.