The suspected carrier of the novel coronavirus in Enugu has reportedly died.
This was revealed in an open letter to the Governor of Enugu State by the daughter of the 70-year-old woman, who just returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on March 11th, 2020, after spending 5 months overseas.
The emotional laden letter revealed that her mother passed away exactly four days after she landed in Nigeria on Sunday, March 15th, 2020. According to the daughter whose name cannot be ascertained at press time, the mother returned to the country to see her children.
The letter detailed how inhumane the health workers at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital Colliery Parklane were to her ailing mother, a helpless septuagenarian.
My mother was isolated in a dilapidated environment that seems to have been left uninhabitable over a long period of time. The isolation centre in Enugu is an abandoned old section of the hospital, where the grass and debris were being cleared whilst my mother was there.
— utchay???? (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020
She also noted that her mum was isolated in a dilapidated environment which was an abandoned section of the hospital.
"My mother was isolated in a dilapidated environment that seems to have been left uninhabitable over a long period of time. The isolation centre in Enugu is an abandoned old section of the hospital, where the grass and debris were being cleared whilst my mother was there. The staffs at the hospital were unprofessional in the way they handled my mother. She was stigmatized and this made her feel worthless," the letter read.
Citing the World Health Organisation, she wondered why the testing for COVID-19 was slow and took 3 days in such a dire situation.
Monday 16th March, 2020.
— utchay???? (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020
As declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that this is a global pandemic, one would expect a faster testing time. My mother had to spend 3 days in a dire situation, without adequate health care and unsure of what is happening around her.
My mother died due to the negligence and unpreparedness of the state in putting adequate facilities including staff training in place. The corona virus was detected in December 2019. It is absolutely disappointing that there is no appropriate isolation centre in Enugu State.
— utchay???? (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020
She ended up blaming her mother's death on negligence and unpreparedness of the state in putting adequate facilities including staff training in place.
"The coronavirus was detected in December 2019. It is absolutely disappointing that there is no appropriate isolation centre in Enugu State," she wrote.
What was worse after her mother's death was finding a stretcher to move her mother's body. Instead, she was carried on a wretched tool. The daughter went on to blame her mother's death on the state of the said isolation centre; wrong treatment; staff stigmatisation due to lack of training in dealing with such cases.
Are We Ready?
— Enugu Metropolitan Network (@The042Network) March 18, 2020
A Thread!
1. The woman that tested negative for #COVID19 in Enugu has reportedly died and according to a message has been credited to her daughter is accusing the staff at the Isolation Center and the government of negligence.
This is the isolation Center. pic.twitter.com/uc3ryjzwaf
She also heaped blames on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi's administration slow response of releasing 20 Million Naira for the management of the state isolation centre after the case was announced. She explained that the facilities should have been made available beforehand.
Furthermore, shortly after the news of a suspected Covid-19 patient was published, the Enugu state government responded by releasing 20 Million Naira for the management of the state isolation centre.
— utchay???? (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020
"In my opinion, that is a little too late as strategies for dealing with the Corona Virus pandemic should have been put in place before now. It should not have taken my mother’s suspected case to prompt an action from the government.
"The government should have anticipated this and appropriate measures and facilities put in place. As l write this, l am sure that no plans have been made for any future case of Covid-19 despite the promised allocated funds.
"In conclusion, l would like to reiterate that the environment of the isolation centre, staff behaviour and the unpreparedness of the Enugu state government resulted in my mother’s unexpected death.
"The objective of this letter is to make sure that no other person will have to go through what my mother went through. I am appealing to the governor of Enugu state to ensure that the funds allocated to the isolation centre is rightly used for the purpose for which it was meant. I urge the Enugu state government to ensure accountability to this respect." the letter concluded.
Enugu Isolation Centre/Twitter
