Nigeria: COVID-19: 24 Ogun Hospital Staff Infected, One Dead As Management Begins Test Sampling Without Protection For Employees

Staff and medical workers at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital have been engulfed in fear as hospital management began COVID-19 tests without proper and adequate facility in place.

In less than three weeks the hospital began test sampling, over 24 staff have been infected with the virus and one death recorded.

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One of the staff has also infected his wife and two children with the virus.

A staff of the hospital, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said the hospital ignored various warning to put in place adequate protection and disinfection equipment before commencing the testing of sample.

The staff said, “We told them that it is highly infectious but they insisted that they will go ahead with the sample testing.

“Everybody was exposed to the sample. A letter was written to the management complaining of the health risk but they ignored the letters and warning.

“We told them to set-up an insolated laboratory to be running the test sample just as it was done during the outbreak of Ebola but they also ignored the advice.

“As at today, 24 staff is positive to COVID-19 while some other people are expecting their result, which there is a high possibility that it will come back positive because many of us were exposed to the virus.”

It was gathered that the staff asked the hospital to provide personal protective equipment but they said the hospital did not have money.

“When a letter was written asking the hospital to provide protective gear as it is being used in standard COVID-19 test centre, the management of the hospital said the hospital does not have money to buy protective equipment and staff should continue working as they do,” another staff said.

One of the infected staff, who also spoke with SaharaReporters, said the hospital was putting the lives of people at risk due to its decision not to provide them with protective equipment.

He said, “I heard my test result from a third party, my colleague who called me and informed that I am positive.

“The hospital then asked us to go home for self-isolation.

“The decision of the hospital has cost a life already and it is putting the lives of many others at risk.

“We interact with each other at the hospital and there is a high possibility that about 40 per cent of the staff will test positive to the virus.”

Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Peter Adefuye, said the staff can test positive to the virus because it was in the community stage.

He, however, ended the call when asked if the hospital had protective measure in place for staff exposed to the samples during testing.

PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :