COVID-19 – Nigerian Nurses Lack Adequate PPE, Says US Group

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America says nurses on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria face greater challenges due to inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The association explained this was why it donated 5,000 protective face shields to nurses on the frontline of the pandemic in the country during the week. As of Thursday 81,963 COVID-19 cases were recorded by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The association also during the week said it hosted nurses at the Infectious Disease Hospital,(IDH) Yaba, Lagos to a breakfast to boost their morale. “Nurses in the Nigerian health care system had to face greater than average challenges as the resources placed at their disposal to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has left a lot to be desired. Speaking, the Executive Director of the association, Dr Grace Ogiehor Enona, said the gesture was to express the members’ care and support to fellow nurses in their country of origin. Ogiehor Enona, who is an adjunct Associate Professor at the Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing, New York, and Administrative Nursing Supervisor at New York Hospital Queens, said, “The idea behind this donation is to support the health care system in Nigeria.” At the event, the Director of Nursing Services, Lagos State Health Service Commission, as commending the association’s gesture, saying it was way of recognising the relevance of nurses to the fight against COVID-19. The Chief Medical Director, IDH, Yaba, Lagos, was also said to have commended the association, while calling on other bodies to emulate the gesture for Nigeria’s health care.