By Ralph Omololu Agbana.
- She Died A Natural Death, Not A Coronavirus Victim – Health Commissioner
The General Hospital, Egbe in Yagba West Local Council of Kogi State, Wednesday, turned down the request for the deposit of a corpse in the hospital’s mortuary over suspicion of coronavirus.
Acting on the order of the Senior Special Assistant to Kogi State Governor on Security in charge of Yagba West Local Council, Tade Oshaloto, the Medical Officer in charge of the hospital, Dr Ola Iwarere said the decision to deny the corpse bearers access to the use of the hospital mortuary facilities was in order to ascertain cause of death while allowing for isolation of the visitors that accompanied the corpse from Abuja.
Alternatively, he recommended that the family of the deceased, Mrs Bamigbola Olayemi, immediately proceeded for burial while visiting sympathizers are made to return imediately to Abuja as there were no facilities in the area to isolate the visitors.
The fears entertained bore out of reports that Abuja has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. Kogi State, presently, reportedly has zero case of the deadly virus.
Speaking with this reporter, the council chief, Oshaloto, attributed his decision not to allow entry of the course into the local government area to current efforts to prevent the spread of the virus to the area. He noted that information at his disposal was that the corpse left a hospital in Abuja for Egbe, Kogi State without any evidence of clearance.
He wondered how the ambulance secured passage from Abuja to Egbe despite the subsisting lockdown order in the state.
He recalled that the local council under his watch had banned all social gatherings, including burials, until further notice while also having a taskforce in place to enforce compliance to the sit-at-home order of the state government. The measures, he reiterated, were to ensure that the council stays free of the scourge.
Report as at 4:46 pm on Wednesday showed that the corpse was still stuck in between Odo-Ere and Egbe, along Lokoja-Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road just as traditional rulers in the area were seeing engaging families of the deceased on ways to resolve the issue, in the full glare of security operatives and members of the COVID-19 taskforce in the local government.
According to family sources, the remains of Mrs Bamigbola Olayemi were to be interred in her hometown, Egbe, this weekend.
However, Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Haruna confirmed that Mrs Bamigbola Olayemi died of a natural cause, according to the referral letter that accompanied the corpse, saying “there is no cause for alarm”.
He allayed fears about coronavirus as he said there was sufficient evidence the deceased did not die as a result of breathing difficulties but normal death and at an elderly 83 years old. He however commended the SSA security, Oshaloto and the people of the area for their vigilance.
A copy of the referral letter signed by Dr Oloyede A, for Medical Director, Gwagwalada Clinic and Maternity, New Kuntuku, Gwagwalada, Abuja and addressed to the Medical Team On Call, Accident and Emergency Unit, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada stated that the deceased, Mrs Bamigbola Olayemi, aged 83 years, was admitted at the facility on April 3, 2020 “with complaint of progressive generalised body weakness of two days and fever for two hours prior to presentation”.
