Doctor Treating Coronavirus Patient Tests Positive

 

A doctor at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, who was said to be treating patients with coronavirus, on Wednesday tested positive to the deadly disease.

This was disclosed by Aliyu Sokomba, the President National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) while speaking on Channels TV’s programme, Sunrise Daily.

According to Sokomba who disclosed that some doctors also died of Lassa fever, the medical practitioners are “left to take care of themselves” after treating patients.

He said “At the moment, as health workers continue to play their part in containing the spread of the disease, the health workers are not protected.

“One of our colleagues died just yesterday from Lassa fever. This is the state of our health care institutions and that is the fate of most health care workers in the country.

“Dr. Philp Dzuana is the sixth doctor to have died of Lassa fever in the country and very little is being done to getting this kind of situation under control.

“Just yesterday again, one of our doctors in ISTH, Iruaa, had tested positive for the COVID-19 disease

“What that means is that these doctors that are testing positive to various diseases are being left alone to take care of themselves.

“There is no form of life insurance for them. There is no form of compensation. To say the least, what these doctors benefit at the end of every month as hazard allowance is N5,000.

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“So, we are worried that if victory against COVID-19, Lassa fever outbreak in the country is to be achieved, the welfare and wellbeing of doctors and other health workers who are on the frontline must be secured.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday, confirmed twenty-three new cases of coronavirus in the country. 

According to the NCDC official Twitter handle, 9 cases were recorded in Lagos, 7 in the FCT, 5 in Akwa Ibom, 1 in Kaduna and 1 in Bauchi State respectively.