We have indeed lost frontline healthcare workers to Corona Virus, which ought not to have been the case. However, it is not true that the government is to blame. 

Here is why,

A healthcare worker is one of the few individuals who should be more cautious of contracting any disease, whether in line of duty or away from the workplace.

A healthcare worker knows the causes, symptoms, signs, diagnostics, complications, treatment, prevention, risk factors, and treatments for almost all known diseases.

With such vital knowledge, you would expect that a healthcare worker will be safe from contracting any disease because they can use proactive measures to detect and prevent the diseases at an early stage before they contract the disease. 

Healthcare workers only need to put on their PPE, maintain social distance, avoid gatherings, and if they have underlying health conditions, they should stay at home. If only healthcare workers followed these simple directives, they would be safe.

But that is not the case.

Insert; KMPDU Secgen engages a colleague in a conversation. Photo credit (The Star)

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Healthcare workers do not contract the virus in hospitals. they contract the virus in social gatherings, bars, and other areas such as the public transportation system.

The majority of the healthcare workers we have lost to the virus had an underlying health condition and refused to take paid leave to stay at home; thereby increasing their risk of exposure to contracting the virus

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That these healthcare workers knew of the causes, complications, prevention, and risk factors for COVID-19 but still contracted the virus means that they are ignorant.

They acted out of cognitive dissonance and deliberately disregarded important information or facts on how to stay safe.

Their ignorance was not factual but rather objective and technical.

PPEs

On its part, GOK has released funds to counties to purchase PPEs for doctors. Local manufacturers are producing more than enough PPEs that meet local demand and export some. So the death of healthcare workers is not a question of lack of PPEs, but a question of ignorance. 

For this, I blame healthcare workers.

It would be prudent if all healthcare workers who have underlying health conditions took paid leave and stay at home to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus.