Cross River is one of the two states laying
claim to being COVID-19 free. The other state is Kogi. The Cross River
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Beta Edu, who reiterated that claim on
Wednesday, in this interview with PAUL UKPABIO, explained the issues
surrounding that claim, the steps the state took and why she feels other states
need to borrow a leaf from Cross River. She also shared with us some
interesting aspects of her personal life.. Excerpts:
Do you really think that COVID-19 deserves
all the attention presently being given to it when Africa has other equally
deadly medical issues like malaria, Lasser fever and others?
Yes it does. The mode of transmissibility and the speed
of spread calls for a lot of caution. Countries with strong health systems have
been unable to prevent COVID-19 deaths of many in their countries not to talk
of countries with weak health systems. Furthermore, the virus is novel, with
little researches available; so everyone is still struggling with a clear
understanding of the public health implications. Unlike other diseases with
lots of researches available, with clear understanding on how to manage them.
However, we must not neglect the other diseases that affect our population as
case fatality rate for COVID-19 still remains low compared to malaria and so
on.
Furthermore, it is important to state that what you
call “noise” in respect to COVID-19 is due to the fact that first, it is a
pandemic; meaning it affects all continents of the world, with high case
fatality, mortality and morbidity and sadly with no vaccines nor generally
acceptable forms of treatment. Thus COVID-19 in comparison with other pressing
medical issues as you mentioned, is an emerging infectious disease that needs
to be treated as a priority, needing all the necessary attention required to
contain it.
Till date, is Cross River still COVID-19
free?
There is no case of COVID-19 as at today (Wednesday) in
Cross River State. And this was even confirmed on Monday when the leader of the
NCDC team, Dr. Omobolanle Olowu, lauded the state governor, Sen. Ben Ayade, for
his strong leadership in the battle against the pandemic, by successfully
keeping it away from Cross River State. On behalf of the Federal Government,
Dr. Olowu strongly commended Governor Ben Ayade, and his energetic team, who
started response in January when others still lived in denial. Our governor was
proactive in shutting down borders, screening visitors and suspected cases and
initiating the ‘no mask no movement’ campaign in Nigeria.
I am proud of the level of compliance with the ‘no mask
no movement’ policy of the government. And I believe that other states have a
lot to learn from Cross River State in this regard.
What else did you do to ensure you got it
right?
We insisted on the best practices for Nigeria. The
government produced facemasks, face shields, PPEs in its garment factory. We
also embarked on contact tracing, surveillance and testing which was done by
the state. And we worked hand in hand with the University of Calabar Teaching
Hospital.
Has the ‘no mask no movement’ policy
yielded good result?
Sure! The government of Cross River State under the
leadership of Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade has shown effective leadership in the fight
against the COVID-19 pandemic. We are the first state in Nigeria to invent the
‘no mask no movement’ policy” and it is evident that the nation as well as
other states are already copying our model. The idea of the policy is
simple: look in Africa and in Nigeria specifically, it is difficult to
maintain social distancing, which is one of the standards in contending this
pandemic. It is a bit difficult to tell an uneducated market woman to keep one
meter away from a customer. It is unrealistic to tell people in rural communities
to keep social distancing. Yes, social distancing is good and we encourage
that, but we must understand our African culture; our settings won’t support
such policies. Hence, as a proactive government that is practical and
futuristic in nature and understands the challenges of the people, Governor
Ayade brought the policy of ‘no mask, no movement’.
The scientific rationale behind this policy is simple:
research has shown that a COVID-19 carrier without a nose mask has a 70%
transmission probability to a healthy contact with face mask. Whereas a
COVID-19 carrier with face mask has just five percent transmission probability
to a healthy contact without a face mask. But a COVID-19 carrier with a face
mask has transmission probability of just 1.5% to a healthy contact with
facemask. If you evaluate the statistics given above, you will simply agree
with me that there is no better strategy than the compulsory use of face mask
by everyone in response to COVID-19.
And so far with Cross River State recording zero case,
this status justifies our policy of ‘no mask no movement’ and we simply
recommend this policy in Africa and beyond. We are not just recommending the
policy, we have one of the biggest garment factories with manpower in Africa
that favour mass production of face masks. Hence, interested states can procure
from the Cross River State Garment Factory at a very cost effective prize.
For those who don’t know, what palliative
measures did the state come up with for the people and how successful has it been?
For Cross River State, the palliative is not just rice,
yam garri and so on. Of course, we bought that for the elderly, the physically
challenged and so on. However, the real palliative was the 10,000 jobs created
by the Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Ben Ayade, to fully engage the
burning energy in the youth of the state. To properly channel same to
agriculture, environment, manufacturing, security etcetera.
Furthermore, I will like to give you a rundown of what
we have done so far. As a state, we have carried out numerous interventions
with sensitive palliatives in ensuring that the disease does not find its way
into our state, vis-a-viz manage the outbreak in case of eventuality.
First, we set up and inaugurated the State Emergency
Operation Center (EOC) and carried out state wide training of health personnel
responsible for a state wide sensitisation campaign to communities and
hard-to-reach areas engaging services of town criers etc. We also engaged radio
and television stations across the state for state wide continuous radio and
television jingles on COVID-19 and ways of preventing it.
Thereafter, we set up and equipped the isolation
centers at UCTH, Tinapa and Ogoja LGA as well as organised six-hourly daily
drills for health workers in those isolation centers in collaboration with
UCTH. We quickly inaugurated the state COVID-19 Task Force Committee, which was
done by His Excellency, Sen Prof. Ben Ayade, after which I constituted and
inaugurated COVID-19 Adhoc Committee, including medical professionals,
military, the para-military and civil societies.
As the tension in Nigeria was growing, and our people
started panicking, we set up the CRSMOH COVID-19 Emergency Response Center
(situation room) with toll free lines running for 24 hours daily. We then
moved on to the procurement of ventilators and other equipment for the state
isolation centers. We started massive production and distribution of over
200,000 hand sanitisers free of charge to Cross Riverians and residents and
that production is still ongoing. Then came our policy on ‘no mask no movement’
with production and free distribution of over one million facemasks from the
state-owned garment factory across the state, interestingly still free of
charge. It is important to also state that the state House of Assembly has also
passed a law which empowers our policies. So, the policy is not just executive
order but one that is backed by law.
We have also procured and distributed food items to
poor households across the state as part of our palliatives to cushion the
effect of the pandemic on our people. Just to add that we have locked/closed
all borders both local and international borders in the state as well as the
Margret Ekpo International Airport. The state has released funds and 50 new
branded vehicles for the fight against COVID-19 by the Cross River State
Government. We are currently recruiting over 8000 volunteers. Other
palliatives, policies and programmes are on the pipe line and will not want to
let the cat out of the bag yet.
What do you think has influenced your
choice as, first of all, the Director- General of Cross River State Primary
Health Care Development Agency Education, a Special Adviser to the Government
on Community Health Education and now the Commissioner for Health? What challenges
did you face, and presently facing in each of the positions?
The favour of God, passion, skills, medical
qualification and exposure, dedication to service, love for humanity, youthful
energy and innovative thinking amongst other attributes have influenced my
choice.
In all the positions, I have occupied, I work very hard
and focus on end results. All I do is to keep my focus and give in my best in
every task or responsibility given to me and wherever I find myself.
There have been numerous challenges at various stages,
from understanding politics to leading at a very young age, to being a woman in
position of authority and all the pressures of gender disparity. It’s been an
interesting learning process with great teachers and mentors, my governor, Sen
Ayade, and his quintessential wife, Dr. Linda Ayade, who as parents have
carefully schooled me. I am blessed with a principal, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade, who
understands the importance of health and has made a lot of sacrifice to invest
in the health sector in the state.
How are you coping with office pressure and
challenges?
I am a medical doctor, so working under pressure is not
new to me. I am coping and doing just fine. With support and encouragement from
all angles, we will continue to make a difference.
Having been in government now, are you
going to go deeper into politics?
I don’t have any intention to go into politics.
I’m a technocrat and I would like to grow as such. However, I’m a strong
advocate for women’s participation in politics.
As a woman, do you think politics is a
dirty game?
It all depends on your perspective about politics and
how you play it. Politics is technical and demands a whole lot of caution but
saying it’s dirty, no! I strongly believe that the right people should lead and
the society should offer opportunities to young persons who want to make a
difference. We need to allow the wish of the masses to override the interest of
a favoured few.
What prompted you into the medical
profession?
I just love to help weak people. I grew up as a
missionary; it shaped my thinking and perspective; the passion to see mankind
devoid of any sickness or health challenges. The passion to help people has
always been my motivation.
As a child, what were your dreams? Who did
you hope to be like in the future?
I dreamt of making the world a better place for all. My
desire is to become a United Nations Secretary General. By Gods grace, I will
get there, not for the status but for the opportunity to change lives globally.
Most often, people in the medical
profession marry people in the medical profession, is that the case with you?
No. I still feel medicine is too stringent, boring and
stereotyped. I needed someone outside my field. I can’t discuss patients all
day, then go home and continue. I needed some spice. I found someone outside my
field of study thankfully.
Tell us something about your fashion and
style?
I’m not a fan to big styles and fashion but that
doesn’t mean I am archaic. I dress simply and comfortably. A beautiful woman
doesn’t need too much drama; dress right for the occasion and keep it simple
bearing in mind that you are a role model to your generation.
If you were not in the medical profession,
what else would you have loved to be?
A musician and a pilot. I haven’t given up on these
two. I will definitely fly a plane someday. For music, it heals my soul and
eases the stress.
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