Adazi-Nnukwu, Saturday, April 11, 2020
St. Hospital has lately been on the news. So far no media out-let has ask the Administration of the Hospital for the official version of the story, except Fides Media. People have calling from everywhere asking what is happening. It has, therefore, become necessary for the Administration to make an official statement. The Administration of St. Hospital wants to put the record straight. It will respect the privacy of patient by keeping his name private secret.
The patient was admitted at Dr. Joe Nwiloh Heart Center of St. Joseph’s Hospital for heart problem on Tuesday April 7, 2020. A Medical Officer who went attend to him noticed that he was cuffing our blood, and was shivering. He suspected that the patient has symptoms of covi19 and informed the Cardiologist who admitted him. He did not think that the symptoms indicated were strong enough to suggest the virus infection. However, he authorized the staff the center to call the office the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC). They did so several times. Each time the office assured them that their staff was coming. After sixteen hour of waiting the authority of the center decided to send a delegation to the office of the CMD of Amaku Universtity Teaching Hospital, Awka. The team was able to persuade the CMD to send people to come and take the man’s sample for testing and to transfer him to Government designated isolation centers. It is supposed that he consulted with the Commissioner for Health and the Governor and eventually a team of medical personnel was sent to collect the man’s sample. The team said the result will be ready within forty-eight hours.
After forty-eight hours; the medical team delegated to follow up the case began call the NCDC office. All they could get after several phone calls is a verbal report that the index patient is positive. Up till now the Hospital Administration has not received any official report of the result of the test. What have today all over the media is that St. Joseph’s Hospital has a patient with covid19 virus. What is the motive behind this? It is certainly not the interest of the common people that the hospital serves nor that of the patient. The staff of the Center was very professional in their approach to the issue.
Meanwhile, since the office responsible for taking up the matter was duly informed, the sample was taken, but the result was not forthcoming; the staff continued to treat the patient for the symptom of heart disease which he presented. He got better and was discharged because insisted on going back to his house. The patient did not run away from the Hospital. He paid his medical bill. The Center discharged because the major reason why he was suspected of the virus was that he was not forthcoming with the information about his travel history.
I wish, therefore to state that St. Joseph’s has not been officially communicated that patient whose sample the NCDC collected from one its units tested positive of covid19. The Hospital Administration is reading this story from the internet and hearing from other media outlets, like everyone else. It is a surprise. The blackmail of the Hospital seems calculated. The Administration cannot at moment pin down the source of the information. But it is clear that the hospital has been hurt. The psychological trauma of the patient, whose medical information the hospital staff is duty-bound to protect, is incalculable. This will further wear out the confidence our people have in the medical profession. There are things which should never be treated as a matter for entertainment of means of making money. Personal integrity of people should always be respected and never to be exploited.
St. Joseph’s will continue its investigation of find out the source this wicked rumor.
By Jerome N. Okafor (Fr.)