FCTA: 476 health workers have contracted COVID-19 in Abuja

The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) says 476 health workers have contracted COVID-19 since the first case was recorded in the territory.

Anthony Ogunleye, chief press secretary to Mohammed Bello, FCT Minister, said this in a statement on Tuesday.

“Since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in the FCT, a total of 476 health workers inclusive of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory staff, drivers and other auxillary personnel have been infected by the virus. Of these figure, a total of 4 doctors have succumbed to the disease, the latest, a female doctor from Gwarimpa hospital passed on over the course of the week. There has not been any other recorded fatality of a health personnel over the last one week,” he said.

Ogunleye also said fatalities recorded from some health workers did not affect the service delivery of hospitals in the FCT, dismissing the report that hospitals were running skeletal services owing to the death of 20 doctors.

“There has not been any other recorded fatality of a health personnel over the last one week. It is important to mention that these fatalities did not in any way affect the quality of services rendered in hospitals and most certainly not to the point of rendering skeletal services,” he said.

“The attention of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has been drawn to a newspaper publication saying that FCT hospitals are presently rendering skeletal services due to the death of 20 medical doctors of COVID-19,” he said.

“This figure which is very far from the truth was credited to Dr. Enemo Amadu, the President of the FCT chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association.

“Dr Amadu had since said that he was misquoted, as the 20 fatalities he gave was the national figure of doctors who died of the disease, cutting across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

“It is still pertinent that the FCTA sets the records straight in view of the fact that public confidence in public health institutions is very essential in the face of the current public health emergency orchestrated by COVID-19.

“While there had been incidences where COVID-19 positive patients had infected some medical personnel, these personnel and indeed the patients had been treated and discharged and the affected hospitals fully decontaminated.”

The secretary added that all laboratory and pharmaceutical services in the territory are fully operational and all clinics would resume after the Christmas holidays.