Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja
The Medical Director of Precious Life Medical Centre, Abuja (The Clinic), Dr. Eze-Boulhassane Jennifer Chinwe has clarified that only a COVID-19 male patient was evacuated from the hospital in Games Village, Abuja.
She said the suspect, who was not a resident of the posh Games Village, had arrived from South Africa about three weeks ago.
She also said the hospital did not at any time admit a woman and three children with Coronavirus cases.
The medical director said the patient has had long infection in the past 10 years and had visited four clinics before coming to Precious Life Medical Centre.
She, however, said the patient withheld his travel history in the last two (2) months.
She confirmed that it was Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), acting on contact tracing and surveillance that alerted the hospital of the index case.
She said the evacuation of the patient from the hospital did not cause any panic in the estate.
She said personnel from the Epidemiological Unit of the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA) decontaminated the hospital after the evacuation.
Dr. Chinwe made the clarifications against the backdrop of a story in The Nation of March 25, 2020 on the evacuation of a COVID-19 index case from the village by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Her letter reads in part: “I write on behalf of the Clinic with respect to the above subject matter wherein The Nation published a false and misleading article about a woman and three (3) of her children testing positive to COVID-19.
“The article was on page 7 of your newspaper of Wednesday 25th March, 2020. The article also made it to your electronic (online) platform which was retrieved via https://thenationon|ineng.net/uk-returnee-kids-evacuated-in-abuja/.
“In the article, your reporter alluded to the fact that “there was panic yesterday at the posh Games Village in Abuja following the evacuation of a woman and her three children suspected to have flaunted the 14-day self-isolation directive”.
“He further stated that “The woman, who returned from the United Kingdom in the last two weeks, was also said to have observed Juma’at Service at the mosque in the estate, last Friday”.
“Both assertions are false and very misleading, as there was no panic whatsoever and the suspect (The Patient) is not a “woman” who returned from the United Kingdom but a man who returned from South Africa, about three (3) weeks ago.
“The Case’ is a Christian, and we wonder how he could have worshiped in a mosque on a Friday, when he does not reside in the Games Village Estate.”
The managing director gave the details of how the hospital admitted the COVID-19 patient and how he was evacuated.
She added: “‘The patient’ had barely stayed in our clinic for three (3) hours before officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), acting on contact tracing and surveillance, placed a call to us intimating us of a case of suspected COVlD-19 and promptly arrived to collect specimen from ‘The Patient’.
“Upon positive confirmation for COVlD-19, ‘The Patient’ was evacuated by officials of NCDC and Personnel of the Incidence and Management Team of the Epidemiological Unit of the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA) carried out a decontamination of the hospital. All of these within 36 hours of presentation of the patient’.
To put the records straight, as previously stated, ‘The Patient’ is male, does not reside in the estate, has never visited our hospital before he presented to our facility. He has had a recurrent lung infection due to trauma to his right lungs of about ten (10) years duration and has been having breathing difficulties.
“He withheld his travel history in the last two (2) months. He had also visited four facilities in the last weeks prior to presentation at our facility. We wonder why your media house did not report this.
She faulted the story in its entirety and alleged that it has led to the stigmatization of the staff of the hospital in the Games Village and loss of revenue.
She said: “Your reporter also stated that”According to investigation by The Nation, the UK returnee had not complied with the directive of the Federal Government to self-isolate for 14 days. It was learnt, that the tempo of her activities had increased in the last two weeks in the village”.
“This statement in its entirety is false. Your correspondent did not carry out any investigations as he claimed because as we stated earlier, ‘the patient’ does not reside in the estate and as a result, the issue of “her” activities increasing within the estate in the last two weeks should not arise.
“Before rushing to press, your correspondent and organisation did not deem it fit (like other news agencies) to contact our hospital via our number (which is available from a simple Google search) on the internet nor paid a visit, to verify the veracity of the claims made. This is unethical and in sharp contrast to; ‘TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREDOM’.
“The statement also attributed to a top source who spoke in confidence with your correspondent, stated thus; “NCDC came with an ambulance to evacuate a woman and her three children who were found positive of COVlD-19 at the clinic in the Games Village” and that “The husband has also been referred to the appropriate centre for test. NCDC and relevant health authority have fumigated the hospital where the woman was evacuated”.
“This statement is false because as stated earlier, ‘the patient’ is a man and not a woman. He alone was evacuated. His children did not encounter our facility at any time.
“In fact if four (4) persons (‘The Patient’ and three of ‘her’ children) tested positive to the COVlD-19 as your correspondent claimed and were evacuated, it would have increased the total number of COVID-19 persons declared by the NCDC from two (2) to five (5) in Abuja, as at that time.
“We would not ordinarily have responded to this (sic) falsehoods if your correspondent and news organization did not reference our Clinic and insert a photograph of our facility both on your print and online platforms.
“We are the only clinic in Games Village and our clients, residents of the estate and the general public easily deduced from the pictorial and references, that we are the clinic mentioned.
“The article has put us in very bad light, caused our clinic financial loss and created chaos and disaffection within the estate. Since your publication, we have been inundated with calls from across Nigeria and our staff are now being stigmatized within and outside the estate.
“Subsequently, we demand therefore: (a) A retraction of the publication because it is inaccurate and does not represent the facts; (b) Tender a written apology to Precious Life Medical Centre, Games Village; (c) A public apology to (a) Precious Life Medical Centre, Games Village, Abuja; (b) The Management of the Games Village Resident Association (GVRAA) and its residents; (c) The Muslim Community and Worshippers of Games Village Mosque. The apology must be carried on both your print and online platforms.
“Take notice therefore that it would amount to a specious gamble on your part if this letter and the issues raised therein and our demands are treated with levity.”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
The story was published without malice to the hospital, the residents of Games Village, in particular the Muslim community and the COVID-19 patient. The identity of the hospital was deliberately concealed. The story of the evacuation was published in the overall interest of the estate. The discrepancies, noted by the hospital management, were inadvertent.
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