Red Cross alerts on factors endangering lives of health care givers
From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia
The Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS) has solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders to make the health care environment safe to enable healthcare givers operate freely and perform optimally.
The Secretary of NRCS, Abia State Branch, Ugwunna Ugwueje, made the call when he led a delegation of the charity workers on advocacy visit to the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia State Council, in Umuahia on Friday, October 21, 2022.
Ugwueje said the Abia Branch of NRCS has embarked on a state-wide enlightenment campaign to educate the society on things jeopardizing health care delivery, disclosing that NRCS was working with communities to assist the vulnerable.
He listed the factors creating unfavourable conditions that make it difficult for health care personnel to render effective and efficient health care services to include vandalism of hospital facilities, threat to life which scares medical staff from coming to work, stopping of ambulances conveying a sick person to hospital at security checkpoints and general insecurity.
“We are partnering with the media to reach out to the people; to enlighten the society on the things that jeopardize health care delivery.
“If the lives of health workers are in danger, or threatened, they cannot give their best in terms of taking care of the sick. The importance of health care givers cannot be over emphasized. We want live of care givers to be protected,” Ugweje said.
Contributing, the Health Coordinator of Abia Branch of NRCS, Mrs Ijeoma Akahara, re-echoed that health personnel were facing lots of dangers, adding that insecurity was one of the major factors influencing the massive brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector which have seen medical doctors leave the country in droves. “We (health care personnel) need protection,” Mrs Akahara pleaded.
Responding, the Abia NUJ Council Chairman, Comrade Victor Ndukwe, thanked the team for the visit and promised that the Union and her members in the state would partner the NRCS in the state to promote better health care services.
Ndukwe who recalled that the selfless services of the NRCS helped to save lives during the Nigerian civil war, noted that there was need to devise means of tackling local challenges that pose threat to efficient health care delivery.
He tasked the NRCS to reach out to every sector of the society and explain to them the specific roles each of them were expected to play to forestall endangering the lives of health care givers.
“We are together in this challenge. We will continue to do our work to promote peaceful co-existence and harmony in the society,” the Abia NUJ Chairman promised.
Abia Branch of NRCS Communications Officer, Charity Ekeoma, as well as the Finance and Administration Officer, Mrs MaryClara Ogechi Chilaka, also accompanied the team to the visit which also featured presentation of NRCS literatures by Ugwueje to the Abia NUJ chairman, Ndukwe.
