For many health workers across the globe, pandemics were only a subject they read in books and studied while in school – until the COVID-19 pandemic came.
Ajibola, a public health physician and epidemiologist who works at an isolation centre in Osogbo, Osun State, described working as a frontline health worker treating COVID-19 patients as being on a battlefield. He said, “Any human being wants freedom, and this is the case for the patients. When they are admitted to the isolation centre, we have to first lecture them on why they are there. We have to explain to them that the disease is new and that we are keeping them there because we don’t want them to infect others. We tell them that they may not die, but if they infect others, others may die.
“It’s natural to be afraid of getting infected, so we have to be cautious. Thankfully, at the isolation centre where I am, we have enough PPE and I think it has helped us to be bolder to fight this disease. We also do tests on ourselves after a week or two to know if we have got infected,” he said. But being on the frontline has had a toll on his family.
The indigene of Cross River State lamented that he might not be able to see his son anytime soon if the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising in the country. “Funnily enough, many people believe all these misinformation. For us health workers, any misinformation or falsehood can put more pressure on us because more people will not take precautions and they will be getting infected and still be in denial.”Be that as it may, Egorp said his wife understood his new assignment and he always looked forward to speaking with her after his daily 12-hour shift.
He stated, “Her children were with her and they were approaching to greet me. She asked where I had been all this while, and I told her I had been working at a COVID-19 isolation centre. She practically held her kids backwards and did not allow them to approach me. I laughed initially but later I felt bad and I know that it will continue until this period is over.”
For another frontline health worker, Mr Hassan Ankuma, a pharmacist who has practised for 19 years and works at an isolation centre in Abuja, treating COVID-19 patients has altered his normal way of life.
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