The large number of COVID-19 recoveries being witnessed in Ghana has brought respite to many Ghanaians who hitherto thought contracting the coronavirus is a death sentence.
However, concerns have been raised that some frontline staff particularly nurses at some isolation centers are not adequately equipped to handle patients as they lack adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) among others.
In the following special report, Radio Ghana’s Nathaniel Nartey interacts with a health worker who contracted COVID-19 for a month before recovering.
The phenomenon where individuals in the same profession publicly criticize each other is rare.
A case in point is an individual who works with a private health facility and a part time student.
During the interview which lasted almost half an hour, the impression created was that although the newly recovered COVID-19 patient felt that colleagues at the isolation center did not have the competence to handle the psychological state of mind of COVID-19 patients, there was some level of sympathy for the care givers as they did not have enough PPEs.
For this reason, the nurses hardly came close to the patients at the isolation center that the individual in question was being treated, to check their temperature at regular intervals, and only did so when it was time for medication. Self isolation at home naturally became the only option.
It would be unfair to blame government for not providing PPEs to frontline staff because as we saw from Anas’ exposè, some unscrupulous health workers were hoarding the PPEs provided by government only to sell them to the highest bidder.
Clearly the nurses who attended to the individual in question at the isolation center were not any of those bidders.
The recovered health worker and coronavirus patient narrates her experience at the isolation center, just when exam had started.
The individual in question explained why care givers were not adequately prepared to handle covid-19 patients.
Individuals such as this who have recovered from the virus should be encouraged to come out and share their story to clear misconceptions about the virus.
As a country, we must give health workers all the support they need to do their jobs, be safe and stay alive. They have families, and so will naturally be afraid that they might contact the virus and infect those they love.
COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic to hit the world. The heroism, dedication and selflessness of medical staff give the rest of us a degree of reassurance that we will overcome this virus.
BY: NATHANIEL NARTEY