‘Lagos, Kano want to copy Bauchi’s COVID-19 treatment method’

– Bagudu approves safety allowances for frontline workers

Lagos and Kano states have called to copy Bauchi State’s treatment method, says the Executive Chairman, Bauchi Primary Health Care Development Agency and Chairman of its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) contact tracing, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed.

Mohammed said the development resulted from the order by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi to treat COVID-19 patients with chloroquine to avoid deaths in the state.

He said: “Thank God we are doing our best in Bauchi. Other places like Lagos have called to inquire about the drug we are using because they were not using it. That was what caused their number of casualties. Now, they are using the same treatment as us. Even Kano called to confirm the report of our treatment method and you can see that their casualty number has reduced drastically.

“These drugs we are mostly using are on trial and they are working and promising until there is a confirmed vaccine – we promise to use it.”

He said 24 health workers in the state tested positive for COVID-19 while on duty. According to him, 17 of them are from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare, Katagum Council, while seven were from Bauchi, the state capital.

Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu has approved the payment of occupational safety allowances to frontline health workers as compensation for the risk involved in handling COVID-19 patients.

He disclosed this at the weekend while addressing journalists on the activists of COVID-19 committee members.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health and chairman of the committee, Jafaru Muhammad, named other beneficiaries to include disease surveillance and notification officers as well as directors of primary healthcare at the council level.

His words, “Those also involved are specialised medical consultants whose service will be required especially in co-morbidity-related complications, as the allowances have been categorised as follows: consultants will be paid N20,000 daily, medical officers N15,000 while nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory scientists get N10,000.

“Ambulance drivers, cleaners and security personnel will be paid N5,000 daily, while occupational safety allowances are to be paid to epidemiological and surveillance officers, graded according to their level of risk involved as follows: high-risk N15,000, medium risk N10,000 and low risk N7,000.”

The commissioner further explained that motivational incentive was also approved by the governor for the task force and frontline health workers who are working tirelessly to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

He added that each task force member will receive N250,000 while the chairman would get N500,000.

“The team frontline workers are to enjoy packages as follows: consultant N300,000, medical officers, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, nurses at the isolation centre N250,000, medical officers at hospital trained on IPC and case management N150,000, epidemiology and surveillance officers disease surveillance and notification officers (DSNO), Director of Primary Healthcare at the state and council levels will each get N50,000,” he said.