Toluwalope Jombo – Akure
The death of a patient who showed symptoms of Coronavirus at Government Hospital, Ipe, has caused crises among health officials and residents of Ikare Akoko, Oka Akoko and Ipe Akoko, in Ondo state.
The patient was first admitted at State Specialist Hospital, Ikare and later transferred to General Hospital at Oka, and before moved to Government Hospital Ipe.
It was gathered that all efforts made by the family members of the deceased in last days to access principal authorities to conduct test on the patient failed as officials of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Owo allegedly claimed they do not have logistics to get to the hospital in Ipe to pick the patient for test.
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Family members of the deceased said health workers at the hospitals the patient was taken to could not ascertain his ailment until he died
on Tuesday, 28th April.
A health official at the hospital who confirmed the death of the patient to our correspondent said the patient died at General hospital, Ipe, two hours after he was admitted.
“The patient was brought in unconscious, having fever of 40 degree celsius; cough with grunting respiration 52cpm and PCV 7 percent. Patient just discovered to be RVS (Retroviral Screening) reactive.”
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“We called NCDC officials in Owo Federal Medical Centre, who promised to come to collect sample but they later told us that they cannot come due to logistics. They told us to release the corpse to the relatives.”
“Imagine that, even the relatives that brought the patient wore hand gloves and mask, meaning they even suspected something.”
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“We could not ascertain the travel record of the patient as patient because he was brought in unconscious, he lived alone at the time he fell sick.”
When contacted on telephone, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahaab Adegbenro, confirmed the incident, insisted that it was not a case of Coronavirus as being rumoured.
He said the government cannot disclose the ailment that killed the patient.
Adegbenro said the deceased died of an entirely different health condition insisting that proper diagnosis was carried out on the patient by medical personnel while on admission in the hospital.
He enjoined the people of Ipe Akoko not to be unnecessarily apprehensive as G
government would not treat any coronavirus case with kids’ gloves.
The Commissioner said that the patient who tested positive for COVID-19 at the FMC Owo was receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Akure.
