Dilemma for health workers amid the pandemic

When the government lifted some of the containment   measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, the country’s infection rates had fallen to about four per cent. Unfortunately, after one month later a new wave emerged.

Unfortunately, we lowered our guards too soon and the pandemic penetrated even areas that were perceived to be free of infections.
Patients are lining up for services but the beds, ICUs and ventilators are all taken up in most counties.

One of the commitments health workers make on entering the profession is to accept greater than the usual personal risk in times of urgent need, such as an outbreak of a pandemic. But Covid-19 presents a dilemma never witnessed before in practice. For instance, clinical personnel have the most urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPEs).

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However, Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya says most health facilities have run out of PPEs  due to lack of funds.

This raises a profound moral anxiety – to what extent should doctors attend to suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases if appropriate PPE is unavailable? What if it is an emergency? Is it okay to say no to clinical interactions when PPE is not available? How should they balance their ethical duty to care for a patient against concerns of contracting Covid-19 and spreading it to their families?

The other dilemma that we may soon face is on vaccine administration. Who should get the vaccine?

The above dilemma, apart from being very personal, may also have larger ramifications for health care delivery.

As these thoughts pre-occupy the mind, the judgement of health workers may become clouded.