COVID-19: Kogi health workers threaten to withdraw services

Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), has threatened to withdraw service of health works in Kogi over alleged lack of COVID-19 testing in hospitals in the state.

The union chairman, Comrade Obajemu Samuel told newsmen that health workers at the state Federal Medical Centre (FMC) were daily at risk of contracting the virus due to lack of provision of testing of patients to know their status.

He said the situation was even more worrisome as health workers in the state were made to work without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) to safeguard them from infection.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) through its chairman, Dr Zubairu Kabir, is also said to have decried non-testing channels for patients who manifested symptoms if the novel coronavirus in the state.

He cautioned that the development could lead to the transmission of the virus at high rate in the state.

This development cane at a time an investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, in a tweet on his twitter handle, @fisayosoyombo, made a chilling allegation of how four patients died at FMC in Kogi after manifesting symptoms of the dreaded virus.

Fisayo wrote: “On Saturday, a patient died at FMC, Lokoja, Kogi State, after exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. His samples weren’t taken. That was the fourth such death at the FMC last week alone. Not once were the patient’s samples taken, dead or alive. It was a familiar cover-up.

“March 22 was the first time this scenario occurred. A patient who came into Kogi from Lagos required a CS. The patient exhibited COVID-19 symptoms, prompting the hospital to request for her to be tested. It was turned down. The patient was isolated for some time, surgery was done and she was discharged without testing.

“Last week, there were some patients in the O&G ward who manifested respiratory issues, inability to breathe, and other COVID-19 symptoms. Three of them died. They’d come from private hospitals, one in Lokoja, another in Okene, and the third in Ogudu.

“The first of the trio, Mrs GI (her initials), a 43-year-old woman, who arrived at the hospital on Thursday, had a temperature of 38.8°C. The other two had temperatures of more than 40°C. In each case, no sample was taken before or after death.

“Now, on the final day of the week, a patient admitted to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Ward with a temperature of 40.3°C was transferred to the male medical ward. The patient spent three hours in the ward and then died.

READ ALSO: Four travelers from Sokoto intercepted by police in Oyo test positive for COVID-19

“One more patient exhibited potential COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday but moves for sample collection were futile; by yesterday, the patient was dead.

“For whatever reason, the state government believes the NCDC has politicised COVID-19 cases such that if samples are sent, they will automatically return +ve.

“It is a reason that defies logic, actually, but it exists all the same.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now