EXTRA: Meet US-based Nigerian doctor using Igbo songs to help COVID-19 patients

Michael Igwe, a US-based Nigerian doctor, is among health workers at the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic across the globe.

According to BBC Pidgin, the Abia-born doctor said being creative in handling COVID-19 patients is key for health workers to make significant progress in combating the novel disease.

A lover of Christian music when he was young, Igwe has been using Igbo worship songs to help himself as well as his patients overcome the fear that comes with the killer virus.

“I have been singing song since I was a small child. My mother is a singer too. When I was in Nigeria, I used to lead songs at the church I attended. That was how I embarked on singing even as a medical doctor,” he told the media outlet.

“Our experience at the hospital with this COVID-19 pandemic is that it mostly instill fear into people and sometimes, the fear will be too much for us.

“During a period like this, your training at school is not enough to keep you going. That is when I call unto the Holy Spirit and my spirit will just be okay.”

Aside being a medical doctor, Igwe also believes prayers — which include songs — can be a veritable tool to help people cope with the pandemic.

“I have situations when prayer changes lives, and someone whom people thought had died would rise again. The first thing is that music helps me to focus my mind so that I can do what I am supposed to do,” he said.

“Music is an important aspect of healing. It touches the heart and soul. The kind of songs I enjoyed the most are Igbo Christian songs. There is something about the songs that our forefathers use in praising God. When you start singing them, God will help you.”

He went on to enjoin people not to be scared, noting that with the right actions, the coronavirus pandemic would soon be a thing of the past.

“This coronavirus will come and go, we’ll survive it,” he added.