Menu Close

Nigeria frowns on Federal health institutions’ rejecting COVID-19 patients

Mr. Boss Mustapha, Chairman, PTF on COVID-19

* This is unacceptable; we are saddened by this development ──PTF Chair Boss Mustapha

* Says in next 70 hours, PTF will review, conclude ease of lockdown

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

A situation in which Nigerian Federal healthcare institutions apparently reject patients for fear of contracting the infectious Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic is unacceptable, as it is worsening efforts at containing the spread of the virus in the country, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said.

Mr. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Thursday, May 28 at the 37th joint national briefing of the Task Force, in Abuja, FCT, stated that rejection of patients in hospitals is causing more deaths.

The PTF Chairman also expressed sadness over the continuous refusal of health institutions in the country to treat patients for fear of the COVID-19.

According to Mustapha, the development has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities.

He said that statistics had indicated that there is a drastic drop in the percentage of attention being paid to other ailments not related to COVID-19.

“This situation is made worse by the fact that Federal tertiary institutions have been mentioned among those rejecting patients for fear of COVID.

“This is not acceptable. We are saddened by this development.”

According to him, further recommendations would be submitted to the president for a decision.

Within the next 70 hours, the PTF will conclude its assessment on the impact of the measures put in place, he disclosed at the briefing of the PTF on COVID-19.

The SGF stated: “While we take necessary steps, the PTF would continue to appeal to Nigerians on the need for taking this fight with utmost diligence.

“It is for self; it is for your family, and it is for the whole community.

“On our part, we are sparing no effort in coordinating the national response, collaborating with all necessary stakeholders and supporting sub-national entities in their individual state responses, which we always maintain should be in synergy with the national response.”

Mustapha added that “truth be told, we are having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID-19.

“The reason for the greater emphasis on COVID-19 is because it is a pandemic, and if not curtailed has a capacity of wiping out large segments of our population.”

Kindly Share This Story

 

 

Kindly share this story