Coronavirus Patient Who Tested Negative In Enugu Allegedly Dies Due To Stigmatization

The Coronavirus patient in Enugu has reportedly died despite testing negative for the novel disease that has been ravaging the world since December 2019.

The patient was reported to be in stable condition while in the isolation centre at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane and receiving the best available medical treatment.

But according to a new report on social media by a man claiming to be her son, the 70-year-old woman who recently traveled down from the UK, has died.

Taking to Twitter, the man identified as Uche Ngwu wrote that even though his mother tested negative for the disease, she died as a result of stigmatization she suffered in the hands of the medical personnel at the hospital.

He wrote:

Dear RT. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,*

I am writing on behalf of myself and family in regards to the 70 year old woman suspected of the Covid -19 in Enugu published on Saturday 14th March 2020.

The patient who is my mother unfortunately passed away on Sunday 15th March 2020 having tested negative to the aforementioned virus. She returned to Nigeria on Wednesday 11th March, 2020 after 5 months trip to the UK to visit her children.

Whilst the health workers/officials at ESUTH Colliery Parklane had to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against this virus, the manner and state at which they treated my mother was inhumane.

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. My mother arrived at the hospital on Friday 13th March, 2020, blood samples were collected on Saturday 14th March, 2020 with results expected on

Monday 16th March, 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.

If the result for Covid-19 was ascertained on time, my mother would still be here with us, as she would have been moved to a better equipped hospital with the right experts to deal with her underlying illnesses.

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.

After the death of my mother, finding a workable stretcher to move her body was impossible! You would expect any hospital to provide basic facilities such as a stretcher – my mother’s body was carried into the ambulance on a wretched tool.

Considering that the Covid-19 result proved negative, we can conclude that my mother died due to the following reasons – · The state of the said ‘isolation centre’ ( pictures attached). · Wrong treatment · Staff stigmatisation due to lack of training in dealing with such cases.

*Dear RT. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,*

I am writing on behalf of myself and family in regards to the 70 year old woman suspected of the Covid -19 in Enugu published on Saturday 14th March 2020. pic.twitter.com/4WJ0SRGMxc

— utchay😍 (@UcheNgwu7) March 17, 2020