BY AJOKE BABAREKE, ILORIN – The wife of a man, who is believed to be a returnee from the United Kingdom that died of suspected infection from Coronavirus at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital last Wednesday, is believed to have also died.
A source from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said on telephone that; “The wife has also died this evening except they resuscitate her, it is a very sad development. In fact, right now people are being very careful around here,”
Another source corroborated the first source saying;
“the woman died on Monday evening. Her death is yet to be made known to the public due to the speed at which more details are unfolding concerning the death of the index case.”
This is even as the management of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, on Monday announced the immediate suspension of Professor A.K Salami, a Senior Consultant with the hospital for unethical conduct.
A statement signed by the Director of Administration of UITH, David Odaibo, on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, explained that Professor Salami suspension was as a result of what he described as “unethical conduct” in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 case, who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020.
Odaibo said; “The suspension is as a result of his unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 patient who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020.
A Professor in UITH, who does not want his name in print, said: “About 25 health workers, including doctors and nurses were exposed to the deadly COVID-19 patient. The group on duty was called Firm 3 on the said day.
“Being the patient of the Professor of Internal Medicine (their boss), some House Officers and junior doctors on duty rushed to pay attention to the COVID-19 patient.”
“The patient had developed symptoms upon arrival in Lagos from the UK but the Professor made him to relocate to Ilorin.
“As I am talking to you, about six doctors and 19 other health workers have been quarantined by the hospital management.”
The source further said that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has demanded a brief from the Chief Medical Director of the Teaching hospital, Prof. A.D. Yusuf.
Forefront News gathered that the late suspected case was a UK returnee, who was rushed to the hospital at the instance of the suspended Professor Salami.
From every indication, more suspected cases of COVID-19 are surfacing in Kwara State though yet to be announced officially by the NCDC even as some individuals close to those suspected say offa, a popular town in Kwara State about 35minutes drive from Ilorin, the state capital have no COVID-19 Isolation centre neither a testing centre.
It was also gathered that the popular Offa town, has in few weeks witnessed an influx of UK returnees.
A source specifically gave an instance of a young man (name withheld), who is also a UK returnee and has only arrived Offa some few days ago, but suspected to have shown some signs of COVID-19, yet has refused to self-isolate himself.
It was however gathered that the Kwara State Committee on COVID-19 has scheduled to pick up the suspected case from Offa today (Tuesday) to Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin for isolation where he will be attended to
With the present situation of cases of COVID-19 springing up in Kwara State, the State government, it was gathered is considering adopting stiffer measures to tackle the spread of the pandemic among which is a lockdown on Offa town in particular and Kwara as a whole before things get out of hand.
It was also gathered that the test carried out on the wife of the deceased suspected index case at UITH Ilorin was carried out in Ibadan
As it is Kwara State has only one isolation centre situated in Sobi Specialist Hospital but does not have any testing centre in any part of the State
The Sobi Specialist Hospital which is being used as isolation center for the medical team that attended to the late case (name withheld), who died of suspected case of COVID-19, serves as an immunization centre, though built during Ebola outbreak period as an Isolation centre.
Kwara State with 16 Local Government Areas, has one Isolation centre in Ilorin, the State capital.
