Meet Nigeria's Covid 19 Frontline Heroes
Happy Independence Day from all of us at Medbury Medicals!
While today is our country, Nigeria’s 61st Independence Day Anniversary, we like to think of it as Frontline Heroes Day. This year, our Independence day Heroes are those, sung and unsung heroes, who fought the fight of our lives: the battle against deadly health breakouts in Nigeria like the Ebola virus and the Covid 19 pandemic.
Meet the Heroes of the frontline
Chikwe Ihekweazu (NCDC ED)
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu is the Acting Director of the Regional Centre for Disease Control for West Africa.
The NCDC under the watch of Ihekweazu is responsible for the health security of the nation and the world. He set up a network of molecular-biology labs across the country and became the steward of multimillion-dollar grants intended to diffuse the threat any epidemic in Nigeria poses to the rest of the world. As the leader of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu keeps on working to ensure the nation is protected from any form of deadly outbreaks and disease.
Dr. Ihekweazu’s quest for data, transparency, and teamwork has led to the center’s acceptability even in otherwise difficult states in the country – an attitude that has helped in the management of cases across the country.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, Dr. Ihekweazu has led a quick public health response to the pandemic through the NCDC. He is the leading fighter on the frontline.
He is also a Member of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
Dr. Adeyemi Johnson
Dr. Adeyemi Sanyade Johnson is the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Cardiology Consultant.
In January 2020, when the world was coming to terms with the possibility of COVID-19 becoming a global nightmare, Dr. Yemi Johnson, already saw the future. He knew people with certain health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory diseases, among others, were at risk of heart complications if they contracted the virus.
Dr. Johnson set up critical care units only for COVID-19 patients in his world-class hospital. This innovation made his hospital the first private health facility in Nigeria to admit and manage COVID-19 patients with the knowledge of the federal and Lagos State governments.
Many Nigerians with serious complications from the Covid-19 infection have reunited with their families after being successfully treated at the critical care units set up by Dr. Johnson at First Cardiology Consultant.
Professor Akin Abayomi
Professor Akin Abayomi is the current Commissioner of Health in Lagos state. Many of the protocols and policies being implemented against COVID-19 in the country were the brainchild of the virology professor; a development that made Lagos a model state for the nation and other states in the fight against the pandemic.
He is also Lagos’ Deputy Incident Commander on COVID-19. He played a great role in the defeat of the Ebola disease in 2014. He was with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research in Lagos when he was appointed Commissioner by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2019. Following the reported index case of COVID-19 in Lagos in March 2020, Abayomi was appointed to lead the response against the virus in Africa’s largest commercial city. On 24 August 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered on 31 August 2020.
Nurse Awotona Ajoke Adijat
Awotona Ajoke Adijat is an infection prevention and control nurse at Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti. She is responsible for providing critical care to patients with COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit. Awotoma Ajoke Adijat, placing her life on the line for her patient, says that the Pandemic turned her into a champion for providing first-class care to patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
She and the team made a local preparation of hand sanitizer and ensured a constant supply of hand sanitizer to every unit, ward, clinic, and office in the hospital throughout the lockdown until things got better.
Ndubuisi Anozie
Ndubuisi Anozie is the Chief Programme Officer at the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who until recently led a team of contact tracers for ‘passengers of interest’ in Lagos. His day began at 9 am and lasted for eight hours, much of it interacting with people who were generally not very willing to divulge information about themselves. Some believed it was an invasion of their privacy.
Nevertheless, the satisfaction of helping Nigeria fight against this deadly virus kept Ndubuisi Anozie going.
Professor Oyewale Tomori
Professor Oyewale Tomori is a Nigerian Professor of virology, educational administrator, and former vice-chancellor of Redeemer’s University.
He is also a former WHO regional virologist and weighs in on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines currently being produced and distributed worldwide and also assures of availability. A fond memory of his is his contribution to eradicating poliovirus in Nigeria. His role as an advisor to the health minister involves supporting the government during the COVID-19 response. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Professor Tomori examines the efficacy and accessibility of vaccines.
Dr. Robert Egot
Dr. Egot Robert serves as the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Medical Association, FCT Abuja. He is the immediate past president of ARD (Association of Resident Doctors) NHA (National Hospital Association).
As an anesthesiologist at the National Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Dr. Robert Egot places his life on the line for his patients every day. He says
“Facing a pandemic and working as a frontline doctor is a landmark experience in my career because it involves standing up to save the sick ones who have been infected by the virus that had no cure or vaccine. This entailed passion to put others first even if it involves risking your own life. I reflect that this moment is a defining moment for all doctors.”
Daniel Friday Okon
Daniel Friday Okon is a biomedical engineer at Ibom Specialist Hospital. As a result of the paucity of biomedical engineers in most health facilities including Ibom Specialist Hospital, he had to be present at the health facility on a 24/7 basis. In some cases, he stayed back in the hospital for days without taking any breaks to ensure doctors and nurses could provide care to patients.
Dr Ibrahim Salim Abdullahi
He is a case manager and ICU service provider at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital who practices his specialty with passion.
He faced the pandemic working as a frontline doctor. Which involves standing up to save the sick ones who have been ravaged by a deadly virus that had no cure or vaccine available at the beginning.
Dr. Job Gogo Otokwala
Job Gogo Otokwala is an anesthetist at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
He is one person who has successfully provided ventilatory support to patients, including many who “were fellow health workers who got infected in the line of duty.”
Late Dr. Aliyu Yakubu
Late Dr. Aliyu Yakubu, a private medical practitioner based in Daura, Katsina State, was said to have traveled to his home state Kogi, before moving to Lagos, and then returning to Daura to continue his medical practice.
He was the first doctor to die of the Nobel Coronavirus in Nigeria. He is one of the people who gave their lives for the cause of saving lives.
Late Dr. Emeka Chugbo
The late Dr. Emeka Chugbo, a private medical consultant, contracted the virus while taking care of a patient who had also contacted Coronavirus.
He was asthmatic and his symptoms became severe. He lost his life along the line while trying to save others. He was indeed a great hero.
Mr Boss Mustapha
He is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19. In managing the disease, Boss Mustapha has been able to lead the nation through testing, information dissemination, and management. The fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria will imposingly mention his name.
Osagie Ehanire
Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire is a Nigerian medical practitioner and politician. He is the current Minister of Health in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The Ministry of Health had begun monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak since news of the outbreak got out. They also conducted risk assessments of the threat to the country, which revealed the Points of Entry, especially establishing that traveling by air is the risk area. The provision of thermal screening and a protocol for contact tracing was introduced at our points of entry.
Dr. Faisal Shuaib
Now the current Executive Director and Chief Executive of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who was also the head of the emergency operation in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak has ensured that the spread of the virus doesn’t turn into a worse situation for the nation.
While serving as executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (the organization responsible for eradicating polio, controlling preventable diseases, immunizing children, Vaccination, and other proven interventions), he piloted the campaign to eliminate this infectious disease.
Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad
Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad is the Incident Manager, of the National COVID-19 Response Centre of the Presidential Task Force, in Abuja. He is a part of the body that strengthens Nigeria’s public health program through the implementation of high-quality service standards and quality improvement programs and also ensure compliance, monitoring and performance measurements for covid-19 care and treatment program in Nigeria.
Under Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad’s watch, the task force enable effective and safe treatment centres to ensure capacity to manage outbreaks, provision of logistic response commodities for case management, infection prevention and control, sensitization and awareness campaigns for the general public on prevention measures and response activities and diagnostic laboratories and deployment strategies.
He also coordinates Nigeria’s engagement with other countries’ bilateral and multilateral bodies, international organisations to share lessons, best practices, and technical assistance.
Keeping the public abreast of strategic progress with Nigeria’s response, and emerging developments regarding outbreak preparedness.
Specifically, Mukhtar’s overall mission as an incident manager is to stop the spread of Covid-19 within Nigeria, as well as to ensure basic treatment for those infected and to reduce the adverse effects on the country’s social and economic systems.
Dr. Abimbola Bowale
He is the managing director of the infectious disease hospital at Yaba Lagos. He was one of the health workers that managed the first Coronavirus case that entered Nigeria from an Italian traveler. He is celebrated today as one of our front-line heroes because he was infected by the virus while managing the patient. Although he has fully recovered, we will not forget his great deeds.
Professor Princewill Chike
He is the commissioner of health for Rivers state. In some of his press releases, Prof Princewill Anthony Chike mentioned that he wants to channel resources towards the health sector in the state to guarantee a safe and healthy community for his people.
He has since then made collaborative leadership and engagement with the World Health Organization in strengthening continuity of quality essential health services even as River State is responding to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and other disease outbreaks.
While several other states had a significant decline in testing, Rivers state has maintained its testing at very high levels. Professor Princewill Chike’s coordination and contribution to the outbreak of the virus and other diseases in the state are worthy of emulation.
Dr. Amarachukwu Allison
Dr. Amarachukwu Karen Allison worked as a medical doctor for Lafarge Nigeria private medical center in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. She was the Nigerian doctor who detected the country’s first confirmed Covid-19 case.
Cacovid Team
CACOVID meaning Coalition Against COVID-19, is an effort spearheaded by the likes of private sector giants like Dangote, Access Bank, BUA, UBA, and so many other notable organizations to support the Nigerian Government’s efforts to combat the unfolding Covid-19 outbreak and they include the following people:
In conclusion
There are so many heroes at the forefront of the fight and this article is in no way exhaustive; The few we have mentioned here in this only represent some of the exceptional individuals who have contributed and are still contributing to the fight against the Covid-19.
Do you know any COVID heroes around you? Drop us a message about them.