PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
…calls for better synergy, non-politicization of fight
…pandemic has halted medical tourism by Nigerians
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Pandemic and the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have been lauded for their synergy and coordinated approach to the fight against coronavirus in the country.
Public relations practitioners under the aegis of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) said the commendation followed their evaluation of the efforts of the government agencies involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They, however, noted that the ravaging virus has halted medical tourism by Nigerians particularly the rich and the privileged of other countries and forcing government at all levels to develop healthcare infrastructure.
“We will like to commend the efforts of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) put in place by the Federal Government with the very supportive roles being played by the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) peopled by our own indefatigable medical personnel and care givers.
“Others are the various state governments, groups/associations, and corporate organizations that have played prominent roles in lending hands of support and succuor,’’ the NIPR President, Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo, said in a statement obtained by Persecondnews.
Sirajo, who is the President/Chairman, the institute’s Governing Council, expressed the conviction that with a “carefully coordinated effort’’ Nigeria would fight the pandemic to a standstill.
“The general perception is that if synergy is improved upon and the efforts more carefully coordinated, Nigeria will yet again rise to this occasion, as was done during the Ebola outbreak,’’ he said.
Noting that greater successes would have been recorded, the NIPR boss said: “We however observe that the relative success so far recorded would have been even greater had certain strategic moves been made to engage other critical stakeholders in constituting the Task Force so that they can avail the nation of their professional expertise in some aspects of handling the situation.
“The medical dimension of the Covid-19 is no doubt, the spindle around which the wheel revolves, but the pandemic is also a crisis of monumental proportions.
“Strategic crisis communication is therefore also important as handling the situation requires not only public enlightenment but also the crafting of appropriate messages for it, networking with other stakeholders as well as analysis of pros and cons of measures to be taken as they affect segments of the society.’’
On the involvement of Chinese doctors (already in the country) in the handling of the pandemic situation in Nigeria, Sirajo said it might cause professional friction.
“We hasten to add that, had strategic communication being deployed, before accepting the Chinese offer, the country might not have been in this somewhat embarrassing situation.
“In our considered opinion, taking a strategic stakeholder like the NMA into confidence through regular consultations would have enriched the initiative and provided professional expertise to accommodate the peculiarities of our reality.
“With the WHO commendation of Nigeria’s effective efforts at curbing the pandemic, what our doctors need among others is some encouragement and a boost at this crucial time and not a move that would seem to demoralise them.
“Our reputation as a nation and as a people as well as our territorial integrity, is at stake; we must, therefore, guard against mortgaging it for anything,’’ he said.
He promised NIPR’s support for the initiatives of both federal and state governments as well as other concerned organizations involved in providing genuine sustainable solutions.
Sirajo believed that the relatively low (even though rising) figures of those that have so far tested positive for the COVID 19 had given “cause for optimism that the pandemic will be contained shortly’’.
“We must however not rest on our oars as the figures may not be telling the full story; the devil is in the number of people so far tested.
“The government should therefore intensify efforts at providing more testing facilities and distributing same across the nooks and crannies of the country to avoid the potential of people being infected without knowing.
“Every crisis situation comes with an opportunity that needs to be seized. Covid-19 affords our governments across all tiers, an opportunity for introspection and sober reflection on the state of our healthcare system,’’ he said.
Pointing out that COVID-19 has put a stop to medical tourism, the NIPR president said:“For once, all Nigerians, irrespective of status, have no choice but to rely on services provided by our facilities at home.
“We must therefore ensure that our healthcare system becomes one of the greatest beneficiaries of this crisis through a systematic upgrade of the infrastructure and ancillary services post Covid-19.
“We also commend the Nigerian media (print, broadcast as well as online), for having so far, discharged their responsibility to keep the populace informed of government policies and directive as well as the adverse impact of the pandemic across the world.
“We commiserate with families of those who lost their lives in the pandemic, while we pray that those that have tested positive will recover speedily. We strongly believe that Nigeria will come out of this sooner than we think.
“We advise against distractions at this time. We appeal to the government and those out of it to guard against politicizing any aspect of this very crucial fight for survival while also appealing to all Nigerians to rally round the government as it strives to protect us all,’’ he urged.
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