the Ebola check at the Government Secondary School, Wuse, Abuja...on
Saturday).
The Ebola scare in the country is throwing up ethical issues,
especially among doctors, PUNCH reports.
Thirty-three-year old accountant, Yemi Adeoye, had a hectic time last
Saturday convincing officials supervising the professional examination
that he was fit to write the last leg of his examination.
Adeoye, who had come to the centre bubbling with life, had his ego
deflated as he attempted to enter the examination hall. He was denied
entry for allegedly having high temperature after a medical check.
Indeed, security operatives assigned to the centre had checked his
temperature with a non- contact thermal thermometre and noted that it
was above 37 degrees. In their thinking, Adeoye was a health threat to
others who had converged on the centre for the examination.
Adeoye, who narrated this encounter to PUNCH correspondent on Monday,
noted that he would have missed the examination but for the quick
decision, he and some other persons affected by the "sudden embargo"
took on that day.
He said, "We had to go to a private hospital to get our temperature
checked and it was normal. A doctor had to come back with us to retake
our temperature in front of the examination officials. It was after
this encounter that they allowed us in for the examination. Before
then, we were an hour late into the examination.
"Besides, the doctor later found out that the thermometre in use at
the centre had no clear manufacturers' name, just as it was not
properly set."
The ordeal Adeoye and some of his colleagues faced was not peculiar to
them. Since the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the country last
July, its scare has thrown up many challenges not just in the
hospitals but also in religious places and work places.
Particularly in work places, workers and visitors nowadays undergo
temperature checks before they gain access into the organistions.
Agreed many have applauded the exercise, it has also received knocks,
especially among doctors. In fact, many public health experts argue
that though the Ebola prevention campaign is commendable, they also
frown on the arbitrary use of thermal thermometres by non-health
professionals.
They also note that many of the testing equipment are fake products.
Justifying this, NAFDAC on Tuesday in Lagos paraded three persons
suspected to be dealing with fake Ebola testing and treatment kits.
Speaking on the development, a member of the Ebola Prevention
Committee in Lagos, Dr. Doyin Odubanjo, raised the alarm that many of
the available Ebola testing and prevention kits in the market,
including thermal thermometres, Personal Protective Equipment and hand
sanitisers are fake and may not give accurate results.
Odubanjo notes, "We have had cases were PPEs and some Ebola testing
and prevention kits, such as thermometres and hand sanitisers
purchased in the market were fake and others were of a substandard
quality. Counterfeiters are cashing in on the Ebola situation to make
profit. They know that many people will buy anything they say prevents
or detects Ebola without cross checking or verifying the authenticity
in most cases.
"Again, our observation shows that in many cases, security operatives
and receptionists are carrying out this medical assignment. Should
that be the case? There is no guarantee in the kind of medical
judgment they will pass with these facilities."
Odubanjo, a public health physician also warns that denying people
access to places because of temperature reading is unethical.
According to him, it is a violation of their fundamental human rights
of the affected individuals.
The trend, he says may fuel the epidemic of fear of Ebola and increase
stigmatisation.
Odubanjo adds, "The way it is being carried out here is unethical in
most cases. You do not just take people's temperature and tell them
sorry you have a high temperature and so you cannot enter into an
office. There are guidelines that have to follow when testing and
screening people for diseases in medicine.
"It is just like screening people for HIV or hypertension. You do not
just take blood or urine samples and say you have HIV. Testing for
disease conditions is accompanied with guidance and public health
counselling services. How many organisations have health unit manned
by health officials that can professionally carry out these services?
If you deny someone access to a banking hall for instance on this
basis, which has not been medically verified, that organisation can be
sued.
--PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment