UITH gives update on death of suspected COVID-19 patient
- A patient on self-isolation for 12 days following his return from the UK died at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
- The hospital management described the concealment of travel history of the suspected COVID-19 patient to the frontline medical personnel as highly unethical
-Owing to his travel history of the deceased, all the medics who attended to him at the UITH have been advised to self-isolate
The University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has condemned the concealment of travel history of a suspected COVID-19 patient that died in the hospital.
Authorities of the UITH described the patient's action as highly unethical, The Nation reports.
According to the hospital, attendants and the mortuary staff, who had first contact with the deceased, had no prior information of his medical history.
Mrs Aishat Saka who is the chairman of Medical Advisory Committee of UITH said COVID-19 team Committee of the institution swung into action by labelling the case as ‘suspected’ as a result of hidden and additional information.
She said: “A 57year old, male, Muslim patient was brought into the UITH’s Accident and Emergency Department on the night of Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 in the company of one of the hospital’s professor of Internal Medicine (a specialist in infectious diseases) with history of abdominal discomfort/stooling, following ingestion of rotten pineapples."
Source: UGC
Saka explained that the patient was admitted and managed as a case of ‘food Poisoning’. He later died in the early hours of the following day, April 2, 2020.
She noted that after the patients's corpse was released to his family for burial (in accordance with Islamic rites), the hospital management received several anonymous calls disclosing information of recent travels by the patient and his wife to the United Kingdom.
The anonymous callers also disclosed that they have also been self-isolation on arrival to Ilorin 12 days prior presentation at the hospital.
Acting on this hidden and additional information, the hospital’s management and the UITH’s COVID-19 Committee immediately swung into action. The case was labelled a ‘suspected case;’ while the Kwara state COVID-19 Committee Response Team was notified.
Other actions taken were the fumigation of the hospital Medical Emergency Department while close contacts of the patient while in the hospital have been advised to self-isolate.
The UITH’s COVID-19 Committee Team, in collaboration with Kwara state COVID-19 Response Team are already doing a follow-up and contact tracing in the community.
“Others are collection of laboratory samples from the deceased’s wife, the professor, and all others identified as ‘very high risks contacts’ using National COVID-19 Guideline and institution of other measures at every point of clinical services to protect health care staff in the frontlines and other, in cases of deceptions from clients with probable symptoms of COVID-19."
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The hospital management expressed gratitude to the anonymous callers who provided it with the critical information.
In another report, there was confusion at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Benin City, Edo state following the conflicting results of two patients who are suspected to be infected with the dreaded coronavirus.
Legit.ng reported that two patients at UBTH, who earlier tested negative to the coronavirus pandemic, were later declared positive, after further tests.
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Abba Kyari, El-Rufai, other VIPs who have tested positive for Coronavirus | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
