About twelve months already that the health personnel of the Allada Epidemic Treatment Center (Cte) are at the front as part of the response to Covid-19 in Benin. For a year, therefore, he has been rubbing shoulders with death in order to save those affected.
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The health personnel of the Allada Epidemic Treatment Center (Cte) have come a long way. Requisitioned for a year as part of the management of Covid-19 cases in Benin, the medical profession as well as the site that houses it are living testimony to the journey of the various victims of the pandemic.
A year after its deployment for the cause, the medical staff still carry in their hearts the weight of an illness which has claimed many victims around the world. However, the number of lives saved in twelve months is a cause of relief and hope for the women and men in white coats assigned to the four walls of the hospital, to ensure the care of the sick. At the end of a year, the big clouds which obscured the sky of the coordinating doctor of the CTE, Rodrigue Grace Aho-Glèlè and his collaborators begin to dissipate.
“Even though there are deaths, a lot of lives have been saved. After a year, the results that we obtained, the pain that we experienced with the cases of death, but also the joy that we shared with the patients cured and discharged from the hospital are the reasons which motivated the mass of ‘thanksgiving that we organized on Sunday May 23, in order to thank the Lord for his mercy and his blessings on our behalf, ”he underlines.
The calm that has reigned in these places since the start of the treatment of Covid-19 cases in May 2020, echoes the visitor who crosses the threshold of the hospital. It is in this atmosphere devoid of any uproar that the nursing staff exercise. Each case cured is a great relief and a source of pride. Some health workers also left their skin there.
“Despite the fact that we are sorry for the cases of death, we are satisfied to have contributed to allowing our country to position itself today as one of the safest countries in terms of the response to Covid-19 . In a year of tireless work in this context of a pandemic despite having recorded a few cases in the ranks of the staff, God has given us thanks and we give him thanks, ”he said.
Recognitions
The first Covid-19 patients were officially admitted to the hospital on May 19, 2020. Like the medical profession, cured patients express both their gratitude to the Lord and their admiration to the health personnel.
Bruno Hounkonnou, father celebrating Thanksgiving Mass, is a living testimony to the coronavirus disease. He came close to the worst. “I have been to this hospital and I sincerely believe that all health workers are under the authority of holiness. What struck me the most in my flesh as a servant of the sick was the promptness of the health personnel, ”he testifies.
Now saved from the
Covid-19, the survivors position themselves as messengers to the unbelievers: “When we went through the Cte, we had breathing difficulties, we were put on oxygen, we can not dare to say that the Covid- 19 does not exist. The disease is real and serious. Early detection allows adequate management ”.
Very early on, the government relied on this approach in order to control the evil. The strategy has been successful. Emmanuel Kokouvi, departmental director of Atlantic-Littoral Health, welcomes the vision of the authorities at the highest level as well as the efforts made by the staff of the CTE. “The work that has been done in this center is difficult to describe. The staff have sacrificed their lives every minute without giving up, ”he explains.
The installation of the Epidemic Treatment Center (Cte) is one of the main measures put in place by the government in the early hours of the contamination in Benin in order to contain the disease. The history of its implementation provides information on the progress made.
“On April 1, 2020, a delegation headed by the Minister of Health went to the site of the Allada zone hospital for the establishment of the CTE. In 28 days, the necessary due diligence was carried out and the adequate arrangements made so that the activities actually start, ie on April 28, 2020. Several training sessions and simulations have been organized for staff since that day in order to prepare them for success. manage the pandemic and take good care of patients, ”says Rodrigue Grace Aho-Glèlè.
Today, Benin is recovering better from the pandemic with a stabilization of cases. “Benin recorded its first case on March 16, 2020. As of May 17, 2021, it recorded 8,025 cases including 101 deaths, 7,893 people cured and 1,352 hospitalized or undergoing treatment for having developed a severe or simple form of the disease, ”notes Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health. The most affected departments are the Littoral, the Atlantic, Ouémé and Borgou.
Proud candle
As part of the fight against the disease, the country has put in place a complete intervention package: from transporting Covid cases to treatment centers, to taking care of serious cases which require a lot of resources for the intensive care. The patients at the Cte are positively marked by the routine visits of the Minister of Health, who performs the permanent round to boost his troops as well as the patients.
The nursing staff at Cte d’Allada honor him for the consistency of his efforts. “We salute the leadership of the Minister of Health, who has never failed to be by our side, since the establishment of this center until today. We salute his promptness and the ease with which we respond to the various requests, concerns and situations exposed to him, in particular the availability of oxygen, latest generation equipment, medical consumables, catering, accommodation, and transport. both staff and patients ”, greets Rodrigue Grace Aho-Glèlè.
The challenge for health workers is to maintain the momentum seen so far while increasing awareness.
He is already sharpening his weapons in order to face possible new waves. “We want to continue to make Benin a healthy country in the fight against Covid. There will be no shortage of cases. But we will continue to prepare in order to better manage any other wave, ”he reassures.
Charcoal for a year, the health personnel of the Cte have not exhausted themselves. A benevolent glance from the nation will surely bring balm to his heart. “The Allada center is one of the most successful when it comes to hardware, consumer products and personnel. We would like the State to continue to raise awareness so that the entire nation can know the work that is being done, ”he urges.
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