By Steve Oni, Ilorin Ilorin.

Medical experts in Kwara state have warned that Nigeria may not be the same again if the present cases of coronavirus in parts of the country increase and multiply. They, however, agreed that the virus is not yet pandemic in the country as being bandied about in some quarters.

Speaking with select journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, at the weekend, an expert in Trauma and Intensive Care medicine, Dr. Tiamiyu Idowu, who argued that COVID-19 is not yet a pandemic in Nigeria, said the number of death in the country would surpass that of other countries of the world if Nigeria has more COVID-19 cases.

He said: “This is a reality and I’m being categorical. I work in an ICU and I know what it takes to bring somebody with respiratory failure back to normal. To ventilate that patient, how many ventilating machines, intensive/critical care nurses/doctors or managers of trauma machines do we have? Among protective measures taken so far, how many of our hospitals have enough protective gadgets to protect our doctors/nurses on ground? Health workers are the soldiers at the war front fighting the battle of COVID-19, however, government should provide enough protective gadgets for effective fight.

“In the situation when we have more patients of Covid19 than we have now on our hands, we don’t have what to manage their airway and correct the breathing. I don’t know how many ventilators we have at our teaching hospital here in Ilorin and even others across the country. Overseas countries where we want to import ventilators from, they are already overwhelmed, looking for ventilating machines too. That’s why we call on government to help in training of more people in this regard to use the machines. The government should also use budgetary allocation on health judiciously, devoid of corruption, for desired change.”

Tiamiyu commended the proactive measures being taken by both the state and federal governments in abstinence, such as in quarantine, including use of sanitizers and face masks aimed at containing the spread of the disease

The medical expert, in collaboration with others, disclosed that they were planning to establish a N250 million training institute for training of health care workers to manage patients with respiratory problems, among others.

“Not only that, in developed world, every one should have knowledge of basic life support to conduct cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) particularly in this era of COVID-19 where it attacks respiratory system. That’s why it’s killing many lives. So, we need more personnel, well trained medical personnel to manage airway of a sick patient. It is different from conventional teachings from health colleges or universities. That’s how you can understand uses of ventilator and the mode for each type of patient. There’s also need for retraining to update skills.

“We plead with respected well-endowed Nigerians such as Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 2-face, Olamide, David Adeleke, TY Danjuma, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, among others, to kindly donate to our hospital account, to safe life, promote health education, and reduce unemployment for betterment of Nigerians at large, the sum of 250 million naira empowerment fund raising is our target to be able to have a standard training center that is obtainable in any part of the World.

“It should be noted that part of the proposed facility already under construction will be named after them. For example, as the Jagaban of Nigeria Skill Hall or Ahmed Bola Tinubu Skill Hall/lab, TY Danjuma Emergency Skill Lab, and Adeleke David Assessment Training Lab etc. We need this institution as a matter of urgency to alleviate the acute shortage of man power in the health sector in our country.”