On Thursday, a 36-week pregnant woman, for whom COVID-19 test had been requested but turned down, absconded from FMC Lokoja, Kogi.
Some in Kogi think the woman was Discharged Against Medical Advice (DAMA), but no; this was a clear case of abscondment.
#FisayosCovid19Series
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Some in Kogi think the woman was Discharged Against Medical Advice (DAMA), but no; this was a clear case of abscondment.
#FisayosCovid19Series
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When the woman arrived at the hospital on Sunday, it was with a temperature of 40°C.
The next day, it was 38.6°C.
She presented with community-acquired pneumonia, severe headache and serious respiratory distress.
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The next day, it was 38.6°C.
She presented with community-acquired pneumonia, severe headache and serious respiratory distress.
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COVID-19 was SUSPECTED so a test was requested but — just as with the previous cases I reported on Tuesday — it was turned down.
The woman had been on oxygen at times in isolation at the FMC.
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The woman had been on oxygen at times in isolation at the FMC.
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She couldn’t be moved to any of the state-designated isolation centres, as she would have died since none had anything in there to keep her alive.
At some point, the husband requested her discharge so that she could be cared for in Gwagwalada, on the outskirts of Abuja.
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At some point, the husband requested her discharge so that she could be cared for in Gwagwalada, on the outskirts of Abuja.
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The hospital hadn’t yet acceded to the request. He was only told to buy her some antibiotics and, phew, they vanished into thin air, leaving behind all her personal effects.
Her disappearance has raised two concerns.
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Her disappearance has raised two concerns.
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One is that the husband never drove a car to the hospital or came in one, even on the day of abscondment, meaning the patient may have been conveyed out of d hospital with a car already stationed within the premises.
This would imply some internal forces were part of d plot.
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This would imply some internal forces were part of d plot.
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The second is about the safety of the patient. A walk from the isolation ward to the hospital gate typically lasts no less than 10 minutes.
Therefore, if no internal forces were involved and the patient walked, her safety would have been compromised.
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Therefore, if no internal forces were involved and the patient walked, her safety would have been compromised.
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Who facilitated this patient’s abscondment & what was the mission?
And if no one did, how did a severely-troubled patient only surviving on oxygen manage to walk 10 mins from the ward to the gate without collapsing midway?
For now, in Kogi, there're more questions than answers.
And if no one did, how did a severely-troubled patient only surviving on oxygen manage to walk 10 mins from the ward to the gate without collapsing midway?
For now, in Kogi, there're more questions than answers.
