Nigeria Must Prepare For The Worst, COVID-19 Will Remain With Us For Long – Ex-NHIS Boss

The immediate past Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, on Saturday, asked the federal and state governments to prepare for the worst in their quest to flatten the Coronavirus curve in the country.

Usman said COVID-19, which has killed 171 and infected at least 5,445 people in Nigeria, would continue to take its toll on the country until a vaccine is developed to curb its spread.

The professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation expressed worry that many state governments were still not showing full commitment to tackle the virus.

In an article he wrote on Saturday, Usman said, “the response of the vast majority of State Governments is either outright denial of the presence of the disease in their States or half-hearted measures put up just for the cameras.”

He said majority of states that haven’t shown serious commitments to tackle the menace head-on were in northern Nigeria, “where infection and death rates from COVID-19 have been steadily and alarmingly on the increase.”

He said Nigeria’s “frail health infrastructures, inadequate health human capacity, neglected healthcare systems and dwindling resources” among others, had placed the country at disadvantage to fight the pandemic.

Usman noted that increased testing capacity and compliance with social distancing, among other guidelines on respiratory hygiene, were the country’s only hope to controlling the virus as, “prolonged lockdown is realistically just not sustainable in our setting”.

Usman warned that, “If we do not perform physical distancing or other measures to slow the spread of this virus, it will definitely spread and infect many more people in a matter of a few months. This would overwhelm our hospitals and lead to high death rates.

“On the other hand, continuing the lockdown without actionable testing data is like walking down a cliff with your eyes closed. Also, many people may die at home from hunger and other non-COVID-19 illnesses.”

He added that, “Governments should prepare for the worst by urgently increasing access to and capacities for testing nationwide, improving capacities in our hospitals and providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers while hoping and praying for the best.

“Government at all levels should launch aggressive public enlightenment campaign to sensitize people particularly the vulnerable about COVID-19. An enlightened community is better protected than one that is not. Traditional, Religious and Community leaders are pivotal in explaining any government policy to their respective communities.

“We should all prepare for the long haul because this virus is going to be with us for a long time until a vaccine is developed and widely distributed. Governments need to therefore develop policies that will be sustainable in the long term,” he said.