THE Lagos State Government on November 20, 2017 in collaboration with the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, DRASA, Health Trust conducted training for health workers in all General Hospitals in the State towards increasing their capacity to identify and promptly manage patients during outbreak of emerging infectious diseases.

In a statement issued on Friday, November 17, 2017 by Jide Idris, the commissioner for Health, the government noted that with a population of over 22 million people and rapid urbanization, Lagos State remains at high risk of outbreak of infectious diseases.

Idris stated that the training is focused on a group of illnesses called viral haemorrhagic fevers, VHFs, which includes deadly viruses such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Yellow fever, and Dengue. He said these viruses cause sporadic outbreaks all over the country and the goal of the training is to build capacity in identifying and containing them in the megacity of Lagos.

The commissioner said that he has mandated all Medical Directors of General Hospitals in the State to designate a ward as isolation unit to quarantine suspected cases. Once diagnosis is made, a confirmed case of VHF will be moved to the isolation ward for expert management. He however added that “there is need to build the capacity of health workers in  the State hospitals to identify and diagnose cases before they could be properly managed.”

“Those of us around when Ebola happened know what it was like. So we need these kinds of trainings to refresh and remind people that the threat remains. It’s clear that infectious diseases are not going away. With this training, LSMoH and DRASA seek to increase the state’s level of outbreak preparedness, protect its health workers and help keep the people in Lagos state safer,” Idris added.

The commissioner concluded his remarks by commending DRASA for the laudable initiative and pledged the commitment of Lagos State Government to the successful implementation of the project on Simulation Training on Emergency Preparedness and Response for Emerging Infectious Disease in Lagos State being sponsored by DRASA.

In her contribution, Niniola Soleye, managing director of DRASA said: “This isn’t a typical lecture or presentation type of training. We’re using simulation and scenarios to make it hands-on and to ensure that the doctors and nurses we’re training actually go through the process. So when they’re faced with a real live infectious patient as Dr. Adadevoh was with the first Ebola patient in 2014, they will know what to do. That’s our goal.”

“The training will cover multiple topics including how health workers can identify and triage suspected VHF patients, how they should apply standard precautions, and how they should put on and take off personal protective equipment, PPE, before and after dealing with a suspected case” she added.

Niniola concluded saying: “This training is just the beginning. We look forward to fulfilling the MOU between DRASA and LSMOH to keep our communities safe and protected from public health threats by providing an ongoing series of capacity building simulation trainings for health facilities across the state.”

The Lagos State Ministry of Health is the official government body responsible for carrying out mandated functions and responsibilities in the health sector. The vision of the LSMoH is to attain excellence in health service delivery by applying best practices at all levels of care, while its mission is to deliver qualitative, affordable and equitable healthcare service to the citizenry applying appropriate technology by highly motivated staff.

DRASA’s work protects society from infectious diseases and public health threats through the advancement of infection control practices, hygiene and sanitation behaviours, and outbreak preparedness measures. DRASA was established in memory of Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, the doctor who correctly diagnosed and contained the first case of Ebola in Nigeria, saving countless lives.

– Nov 22, 2017 @ 15:16 GMT |