Kunle Adelabu
Although, the lockdown was in the interest of the general residents across the country, but its effects have started manifesting as medical staff in Ikorodu General hospital were prevented from getting to their duty post due to the directive of the government that people should stay at home as one of the measures to fight the spread of the Coronavirus, particularly in Lagos State and Abuja.
The lockdown also prevents vehicular movement across Ikorodu township, thereby preventing the conveyance of some people on essential services to their respective places of work.
When our reporter, who visited four of the councils in Ikorodu Division to monitor the compliance level of residents to the lockdown, got to the General Hospital in Ikorodu around 10.00am, only a handful staff members had resumed to work.
The few senior staff members of the hospital that managed to find their way to work were seen making frantic efforts to look for ways to get the stranded staff members to work.
THE IMPACT gathered that the special unit in the children hospital and other units were affected as the nurses and other supporting staff members at the section could not get to work due to the lockdown.
It was also gathered that the hospital only attended to emergency cases while patients with minor cases had been advised to stay back at home due to the stay at home directive of the government.
THE IMPACT gathered the directive for residents with minor cases to stay at home was to prevent them from trooping into the hospital due to the social distancing directive ordered to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
Our reporter also found out that few patients seated under the roof provided for the out-patients due to the emergence of the pandemic CONVID – 19, were not being attended to as at the time he visited.
Attempts by our reporter to reach the Medical Director and the Public Relations officer of the hospital proved abortive, but reliable sources told THE IMPACT that the hospital is prepared despite the enormous challenges posed by the pandemic.
A source also informed our reporter that the hospital management has made the general section of the hospital available for any CONVID – 19 refferral since the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, pronounced the hospital as one of the centres that would host isolation centres for the victims of Coronavirus.
The source also stated that the hospital is ready to accommodate any emergency situation pertaining to the Coronavirus.
Another source, who also confided in THE IMPACT, stated that the General hospital management made provision for the movement of its staff from their various houses to the hospital and assured that there is no cause for alarm.
“The management actually made arrangements for buses and ambulances to pick our staff from their respective areas. We did that yesterday and they have also been deployed this morning. You will be seeing them being brought into the premises any moment from now.
“You must also understand that we are in a serious situation and you don’t expect things to be normal”, he added.
