…70 Old COVID-19 Suspect in Enugu Concealed Information About Her  UK Trip

By Chinonso Odum

Being circulated on social media platforms were fallacies and lies by the so-called heartbroken oversea- based daughter of 70 year old woman who was in the news recently in Enugu as suspected corona virus patient.

While I commiserate with the bereaved family over the demise of their mum, I condemn in totality the decision by her daughter to covertly blackmail, blame and malign the medical personnel of Enugu State Teaching Hospital Parklane, government of Enugu State and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi over the demise of her mum. That is very bad of her.

It is a public knowledge that the 70 year old woman visited her daughter in London, where she spent five months.

Upon her return to Nigeria, she developed serious cold, catarrh and other illness similar COVID-19 symptoms.

This may of course be due to the weather condition in London at this winter period coupled with her age. It was also known that the woman was first rushed to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku Ozalla, where the medical personnel on realisation that she just returned from London, rejected, abandoned her and took to their heels for their dear lives.

None of the medical personnel at UNTH agreed to attend to her for fear of being infected with the deadly COVID-19 that is ravaging the world now.

It was at this point, that the son decided to rush her to Enugu State University Teaching Hospital Parklane, where upon their arrival, they concealed the information about her recent return from the medical personnel and management of the hospital.

It was after her admission in the hospital that a medical personnel from UNTH went on social media platforms to disclose that a suspected COVID-19 woman patient who returned from London and was brought to UNTH, but was rejected has been been rushed to ESUTH Parklane for treatment.

This information created panic and apprehension among the medical personnel, patients and management of Parklane Hospital Enugu.

But having come in contact with the woman, the medical personnel became helpless, resigned to fate and alerted the management of the hospital of the news about the woman on social media platforms.

That was how the Enugu State Government and State Ministry of Health moved into action immediately by providing a conducive environment where the woman was quarantined, her blood sample was urgently taken for Laboratory test which the result came out negative in less than 48 hours.

The outcome of her laboratory test brought relief upon the medical personnel and all that came in contact with her.

It is on record that even before the woman, the state government through the Ministry of Health has put proactive measures in place to combat this pandemic in the state in case of emergency.

While all these things were happening, it was the son of the woman that was with her and not the now heartbroken daughter, who sat in her comfort home in London to peddle falsehoods and lies against Parklane medical personnel, Enugu State government and Governor Ugwuanyi for no just cause.

It is quite unfortunate that instead of the now heartbroken daughter of the woman to commend and appreciate the efforts and promptness of the medical personnel, management of the Parklane hospital and Enugu State Government in handling the situation and dousing the tension and undue apprehension generated by the incident, she toed the line of cheap blackmail to score cheap popularity.

Just assuming without conceding, Is she saying that the emotional and psychological trauma her mum suffered for being rejected at UNTH coupled with her old age is not enough to weigh her down?

Or is she saying that cold weather which the old woman was exposed to in London for five month is not enough to make her sick upon return to Nigeria with different weather? There should be limit to blackmail and character assassination.

No medical personnel is trained to kill patients. They are trained to treat patients. No government or hospital management derives joy in seeing patients dying in their hospitals. That does not mean that patients will not die.

They will die because human beings are created to live and die. After all, it is often said that doctors treat patients and God heal them.
We the medical personnel in Parklane hospital with massive support from the state government as usual did our best to save the woman.

She is not the first patient to die and will not be the last. Her demise will not stop people from falling sick and won’t stop them from visiting Parklane Hospital for treatment.

Chinonso Odum, a medical staff of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) Parklane Enugu writes from New Haven Enugu. 

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