The Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti has produced hand sanitizers and face masks as part of measures to prevent members of hospital community from falling victim of the dreaded COVID-19.
The high quality preventive products, produced in the hospital according to the FETHI Infection Control Unit are for the use of the hospital staff, patients and relatives. “We do not produce for sale”.
Adejoke Awotona of the Unit who spoke at Ido Ekiti while showcasing the products, said, “Wards/clinics are supplied daily for use by staff, patients and relatives use. The sanitisers are also at strategic locations for anybody coming to the hospital.
“Our products are for FETHI community consumption, right from the gates, the security men are there administering to everyone coming in to the hospital, so also censors (sanitizer dispensers) are placed at strategic positions in the hospital which are constantly refilled.
“We considered producing our own in as much as we have the technical knowledge and there is scarcity resulting from high demand of the commodities which can result into production of substandard products, the management felt that it is best we prepare our own based on World Health Organisation standard.
“The present situation in the world in view of the pandemic necessitates strict standard precautionary measures for every health care worker. WHO and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control gave us safety guidelines and hand hygiene which include handwashing/or hand sanitizer rub.
“Then COVID-19 is considered to be droplets/airborne and we want to make sure that anybody in the FETHI community does not fall victim,” she said.
Awotona, who said, “As at April 15, 2020, we have produced approximately 460 litres of hand sanitizers and about 650 face masks. The production is by Infection Prevention and Control Committee of the hospital.
“The committee headed by the Chief Medical Director, Prof Adekunle Ajayi, represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Idowu Adebara comprises experts from every department including microbiologists, virologists, infection control, quality control, environmental, pharmacy, medicine.