The quarantined Italian who tested positive to the deadly Coronavirus reportedly attempted to flee Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, yesterday.
According to Punch, the health workers at the Mainland Hospital, disclosed the Italian man threatened to leave over the poor condition of facilities at the Isolation center.
Speaking anonymously, a senior staff of the hospital reeled out excessive heat and mosquitoes bite as some of the complaints the Italian made which made him want to leave.
“The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Friday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot. There is nothing there (inside the isolation ward) aside from bed and hospital locker. He almost ran away and is still threatening to do that“, the anonymous Health worker reportedly said.
Punch reports further that the anonymous health worker stated that the level of preparedness in Lagos State for infectious diseases such as Coronavirus and Lassa fever is zero and the State does not have the facilities to accommodate individuals who might have come in contact with the Italian.
The health worker added that the facility that is meant to accommodate both suspected and confirmed Coronavirus cases is still undergoing renovation and might take a while before it is up and running.
“The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to Coronavirus is kept. There is no single equipment inside that place. It is just like any other regular hospital room with a bed. That building you see that is being repainted is the original place meant to quarantine Coronavirus patients.
As you can see, the place is not ready. The State government is just renovating it, despite the fact that the virus started spreading since December 2019. It is really sad that a country like Nigeria is never ready to medically contain infectious disease outbreak. This is why most health workers leave because they are predisposed to danger of infection.
The place meant for Lassa fever patient has been under construction in the past one month. It is not yet completed. As you can see, they are makeshift structures, hurriedly put together with white tarpaulin. They are not permanent structures and I don’t know how this place can actually accommodate humans that have a highly infectious disease like Lassa fever.
The standard medical operational procedure is to track all contacts and have them quarantined to avoid further spread of the virus. But we cannot do that here because we lack such facility, which is why there is emphasis on self quarantine. Even where the Italian man is presently being isolated was a room vacated by a patient. I pray God saves us in the coming months because we are not ready for the danger posed by the Coronavirus“, the anonymous staff reportedly said.
Lagos State Commissioner of Health Prof. Akin Abayomi during the visitation to the quarantined Coronavirus patient in Yaba
