Some medical experts have called on hospitals to get the necessary knowledge about the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, and not reject Ebola-stricken patients.
Speaking with SUNDAY PUNCH in separate interviews, the doctors responded to reports that hospitals had been turning back patients with symptoms of the virus and urged health workers to accept patients, while following guidelines given by the World Health Organisation.
The Vice-President of the Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, condemned the rejection of patients, saying that doctors should take precautionary measures.
He said, “I think it is completely unacceptable for any hospital to reject patients or individuals on the basis of medical complaints. The important thing is for the medical or dental practitioner to ensure that in seeing any individual or patient that comes to the said facility, he adopts universal safety precautions.
“He should ensure that he adequately protects himself by ensuring that every patient that he sees, he does that under the ideal precautionary state and with maximum control measures put in place in his hospital.
“He should also ensure that the instruments he uses in his facility undergo complete sterilisation. In addition, he should make sure that after every patient he sees, he does the routine hand wash.”
Enabulele stated that any individual who had a medical complaint or illness should not shy away from visiting a nearby hospital to see his or her licensed medical or dental practitioner.
Similarly, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Lagos, Dr. Francis Faduyile, condemned the rejection of patients by hospitals, saying that health workers need to be better educated to handle the eventuality of an Ebola victim.
He said, “I think what we need is for doctors to be well-educated and know the situation on ground.”
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