COVID-19: Drama As Patient, Delta Govt. Disagree On Reason For Discharge

A former patient housed at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, who was said to have been forcefully discharged by his relatives has stoked more controversy in the state, as both the patient and the officials at the centre disagree on the circumstances surrounding the patient's discharge.

Michael, a medical worker at the Central Hospital in Agbor, Delta State, tested positive for the virus on 23 May and was isolated at the FMC in the state.

The Delta State government maintains that the patient, identified as Michael Mordi, 53, was forcibly discharged by his relatives with medical personnel at the centre approving of his discharge.

In a statement, the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, said that Michael was accommodating while at the centre, and that his forceful removal by his relatives was consented by him.

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The commissioner explained, “At 6pm June 1, 2020, against all medical advice, Michael Mordi, obviously consenting, was forcefully removed from the treatment centre by seven men who claimed to be his relatives and they did not wear any protective coverings.”

Explaining his side of the story to The PUNCH, Michael said, “They asked me to go and my relatives came to take me home. Nobody forced me out of the place.

“They overdosed me at the centre, and there were no symptoms of the disease. It was weighing me down and having adverse effect on me.

“They gave me 10 tablets every morning and evening for the past 10 days,”