Death of Coronavirus Suspect, Hours After Testing Negative Sparks off Panic in Enugu

The sudden demise of a female septuagenarian in Enugu hours after she tested negative for the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic sparked off fresh panic among residents of the Coal City State on Wednesday as the deceased family accused the state government of failure in providing adequate medical attention to their mother.

The deceased who reportedly returned from the United Kingdom and was quarantined at Colliery hospital which served as isolation centre for dreaded diseases when she displayed symptoms linked to coronavirus.

She, however, was said to have died on Sunday, the same day her result showed negative.

In a viral social media post by a lady who simply described herself as the woman’s “heartbroken daughter”, the deceased family insisted that she died as a result of negligence by the state government.

The claim has long been dismissed however by a grou of health workers including Chinwe Udeh, Agatha Nnamani, Nkem Eze, Emeka Anene and Peter Udemezue who said the woman received the best possible attention while at the isolation centre.

According to them, even when the deceased son refused to donate blood to the woman, the state had to source for blood from outside, amidst other medical attention given to her.

The health workers said they will not accept any attempt by the distraught daughter to blackmail the Enugu State government with her claims, noting that all efforts were made to ensure that the now-deceased woman received the necessary attention.

But, the “heartbroken daughter” who claimed that she resides in the United Kingdom, the  deceased returned to Nigeria on Wednesday 11th March, 2020 after 5 months trip to the UK to visit her children.

The lady, who addressed her well-worded letter to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi wrote, "I am writing on behalf of myself and family in regards to the 70-year-old woman suspected of the COVID -19 in Enugu published on Saturday 14th March 2020.

"The patient who is my mother, unfortunately, passed away on Sunday 15th March 2020 having tested negative to the aforementioned virus.

"Whilst the health workers/officials at ESUTH Colliery Parklane had to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against this virus, the manner and state at which they treated my mother was inhumane.

"My mother was isolated in a dilapidated environment that seems to have been left uninhabitable over a long period of time. The isolation centre in Enugu is an abandoned old section of the hospital, where the grass and debris were being cleared whilst my mother was there.

The staffs at the hospital were unprofessional in the way they handled my mother. She was stigmatized and this made her feel worthless.

My mother arrived at the hospital on Friday 13th March, 2020, blood samples were collected on Saturday 14th March, 2020 with results expected on Monday 16th March, 2020.

“As declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that this is a global pandemic, one would expect a faster testing time. My mother had to spend 3 days in a dire situation, without adequate health care and unsure of what is happening around her. If the result for Covid-19 was ascertained on time, my mother would still be here with us, as she would have been moved to a better equipped hospital with the right experts to deal with her underlying illnesses.

“My mother died due to the negligence and unpreparedness of the state in putting adequate facilities including staff training in place. The new strand of the corona virus was detected back in December 2019 and it is absolutely disappointing that there is no appropriate isolation centre in Enugu State.

“After the death of my mother, finding a workable stretcher to move her body was impossible! You would expect any hospital to provide basic facilities such as a stretcher – my mother’s body was carried into the ambulance on a wretched tool.

“Considering that the Covid-19 result proved negative, we can conclude that my mother died due to the following reasons –The state of the said ‘isolation centre’ ( pictures attached), Wrong treatment, Staff stigmatisation due to lack of training in dealing with such cases.

“Furthermore, shortly after the news of a suspected Covid-19 patient was published, the Enugu state government responded by releasing 20 Million Naira for the management of the state isolation centre.

"In my opinion, that is a little too late as strategies for dealing with the Corona Virus pandemic should have been put in place before now. It should not have taken my mother’s suspected case to prompt an action from the government. The government should have anticipated this and appropriate measures and facilities put in place.

"As l write this, l am sure that no plans has been made for any future case of Covid-19 despite the promised allocated funds.

"In conclusion, l would like to reiterate that the environment of the isolation centre, staff behaviour and the unpreparedness of the Enugu state government resulted to my mother’s unexpected death.