Not more than 25 doctors on self isolation in UBTH after 3 patients tested positive for COVID-19
EXCLUSIVE: About 25 doctors on self isolation in UBTH after 3 patients tested positive for COVID-19.
There is palpable fear and apprehension among the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) right now as 3 patients have been confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus in the hospital.
This coronavirus crisis started when three patients who initially tested negative for COVID-19 were re-tested and results now came back positive.
When the first series of test was reported to be negative, the patients were removed from isolation and taken into the male medical ward and in the process, other patients, doctors, nurses, cleaners, porters and patients relatives must have been exposed to the deadly virus.
While in the ward, the clinical state of one of the patients with a pre-existing medical condition – chronic kidney disease to be precise, deteriorated and was was taken to the renal unit for dialysis(another exposure) and he later died in the intensive care unit of the hospital (yet another exposure of health workers in ICU).
In the meantime, the doctors who attended to these patients confirmed to the Nigerian Health Blog via a phone interview that the patients were admitted via A and E with complaints of cough, difficulty in breathing, catarrh but they all denied their travel history.
According to one of the numerous doctors who had direct contact with the patients: “I am scared for my life, why do patients lie?, why are most patients bent on spreading this virus to health workers, i clerked these patients personally in the Medical Accident and Emergency Unit but none of them told me they just returned from Europe including the relatives that brought them even when i asked several times.
“We decided to take their samples for COVID-19 screening to Irrua Specialist Hospital because their symptoms were highly suspicious of coronavirus infection.”
“The results came back negative about 72 hours later and by this time, one of the patients had died in ICU after an unsuccessful dialysis. Repeat results today has now confirmed they are all positive. To make matters worse, it is today am hearing the remaining two have admitted to travelling abroad.” He said.
The Nigerian Health Blog reliably gathered that one of the coronavirus infected patients have been referred to Irrua Specialist Hospital, while the other has been removed from the ward back into isolation.
Meanwhile, at most 25 medical doctors have gone into mandatory isolation. Out of the 25 doctors, at least 13 are house officers and close to 12 are resident doctors.
A message received by the NIGERIAN HEALTH BLOG from a senior doctor whose department was directly involved in this unfortunate saga read:
“Currently 13 houseofficers and at least 8 Residents in my department have been asked to go on isolation because they had direct contact with both case. So there is practically no where to scale down further to than to close the department.”
As tension is building in UBTH over this ugly situation, the CMD of the hospital, Prof Darlington Obaseki has set-up a life insurance package for health workers that will be in the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients.
He (Obaseki) has been constantly criticized for the poor handling of coronavirus in the hospital as many of the healthworkers have complained of lack of personal protective equipments like face masks and hand sanitizers. Others say the hospital was never prepared for COVID-19 inspite of several warnings.
Fumigation is presently ongoing in the wards and emergency units of the hospital. The usually busy hospital now looks deserted.
If you want to get full details on how this controversy started, click on this link.
Lastest Update!
The CMD of UBTH has formally confirmed this report in his just released press statement. Click here to see it.
This post was last modified on April 5, 2020 3:13 pm
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All patients coming through the A&E should be seen as high risk patients. Precautions are to be taken even while clerking. Also, patients for whatever reasons lie in their history. As a doctor or health care personnel, every patient you come across should be assumed to be infected with the corona virus until proven otherwise. That's the only way to protect yourself.
I am surprised someone is sounding as if the caregivers should have taken adequate precautions. Precautions while managing HIV positive patients is different from covid 19 :so also while operating a patient with low platelet count compared to a patient with normal platelet count. That's why history,laboratory tests etc are done.
Lawyers may win there cases by hiding the truth but doctors is by exposing the truths. Whether in Benin Ilorin or Lagos the patients and their relatives are wicked.
Could it be that the testing facility was not sensitive enough. For the patient to die so quick after the negative result
I am beginning to doubt the efficacy of the Covid-19 test, though it is sufficiently reported that a patient can test negative and then positive. It is regretful that Doctors are allowed to work without adequate protective materials in a teaching hospital. Its needless to say the Minister of Health is from Edo State. Nigeria may have to resort to native doctors because the hospitals would be deserted by medical doctors. Government should be more serious
Why can't the test be carried out in UBTH,why go so far?If it was available,some of these mistakes could have been avoided.The CMD isn't serious,he really doesn't provide enough Personal protective equipment for health workers to work it .I just hope all the person's that are in self isolation are safe and that God protect them .
Nurses usually are in direct contact with these patients, who is talking about them? What about the ward attendants and cleaners who were also attending to the patients? Contact tracing involves them all. Please it's important they also are considered as all lives are important. lying about a travel history? that's the height of wickedness! You put even your own family at risk. Let us all be careful. Kudos to all front liners, May our efforts not be in vain
Federal government should provide welfare package for we Health Workers as we are prone to real serious health hazard. Yet, at the end of each month government paid us just N5,000 (Five thousand Naira) only as our Health Hazard allowance. May God continue to protect us even as we care for other people.
This claims further exposed the inadequacies in our health research institutions like UBTH. The right facilities and PPE are not just there. If you have done tests there you will understand better. Our health institutions needs total overhauling. If 25 doctors are in high risk of contracting it there, imagined all other unclassified group unknown who would have come in contact with those people and close family members. For God sake, why would patients lie about their travel history? That means they have the intention of free spreading the virus. They are very very wicked. Let hospital workers be more careful. Rely on your tests and life observations, know when a patient lied. Chinyere Chinenye, take note the only hospital for diagonising Covid-19 in Edo State is at Irrua and currently we have only 5 centres in Nigeria. 2 in Lagos state, one Abuja, one in Enugu state and the one at Irrua. Just 5 in the whole country. May God help us. UBTH couldn't have done better.
The front liners should see all patients are COVID 19 positive and should therefore take utmost precautionary measures.
Covid-19 test is done in 2 phases: the first which is the initial preliminary test and the second which is the confirmatory test. If the first and second tests results come out negative, the patient is said to be negative. If any of the test results is positive, the patient is said to be positive. The initial test result may come out negative hence the need for the confirmatory test... For more accurate results. Everyone just need to be very careful, especially healthcare workers.