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Benjamin Babine, Abuja
To support the country’s fight against the novel COVID-19, PharmAccess Foundation in conjunction with Novartis Nigeria has donated essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to twenty-three government hospitals with high patient volumes across the six geopolitical zones in the country.
This was disclosed recently through a statement signed by Pharmaccess Advocacy and Communications Manager, Mr Somto Mbelu. The NGO disclosed that many PPEs some of which included N95 respirators, surgical masks and other equipments useful in combating the virus, were distributed.
The statement read in part: “The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to health systems globally. Nigeria is witnessing an exponential rise in the number of COVID-19 positive cases because of community spread.
“Care for COVID-19 patients remains the responsibility of government hospitals as private hospitals are restricted from providing care, except when accredited by State Ministries of Health. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, over 800 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nigeria.
“When infection prevention protocols are not complied with, infection rates increase among both frontline health workers and the patients in their care, further affecting critical care capacity. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers is in high demand globally and expensive.
“To support the country’s COVID-19 response, PharmAccess Foundation, through funding support from Novartis Nigeria, donated essential PPE and posters to 23 government hospitals with high patient volumes across the six geopolitical zones in the country. Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) donated include N95 respirators and surgical masks.”
The Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation, Njide Ndili expressed her appreciation to Novartis Nigeria for their commitment towards the protection of frontline healthcare workers. She said: “PharmAccess is partnering with interested organizations to strengthen the Nigerian health system to improve access to basic healthcare services.”
She further expressed her passion towards the protection of healthcare workers saying that as part of her continued support for the frontline healthcare workers in the country who are leading the fight against the COVID-19, she believes that the donated materials will go a long way in the fight against this virus.
The Cluster Head, English West Africa, Novartis Nigeria Limited, Mr Babatunde Ojo, expressed his delight towards the demotions. He said: “Novartis is happy to fund initiatives that support continuity of healthcare services and prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.
“By providing essential PPEs to public hospitals, we hope to protect healthcare workers and encourage continued provision of healthcare services.”
This initiative funded by Novartis is led by Dr. Ibironke Dada, Program Director, SafeCare, PharmAccess Foundation.
