By Stephen Adeleye.
Dr Ahmed Attah, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH), has refuted the allegation that a baby had disappeared from the hospital.
There had been news making the round that an abandoned baby who was found and brought to the hospital for medical attention by the Ministry of Women Affairs, had allegedly disappeared from the hospital.
Recalled that a woman had on Oct. 8, abandoned her one-day old baby girl, on a refuse dump at Otokiti village in Lokoja.
The day old baby girl was later discovered by a good samaritan who took her to the State’s ministry of women affairs, where she was taken to the KSSH for medical attention.
Speaking to our Correspondent on the allegation of the baby’s disappearance, the KSSH CMD, Dr Ahmed Attah, said the allegation was totally and absolutely false.
He explained that the baby was brought to the hospital by the state ministry of women affairs on Tuesday Oct. 8, 2019, for medical attention because the baby was having umbilical infections.
”The baby in question was brought to our hospital on Tuesday Oct. 8, for proper care and assessment and to ensure that she does not have any health challenge.
”We gave her utmost attention wholeheartedly, and while in our custody, we safe the baby, took care of her and was treated to ensure that she did not suffer any health challenge.
”The baby was eventually discharged on Friday of that same week after full post natal care was given to her.
”So, we are worried by the purported news of baby’s disappearance by online media; it is a negative propaganda to paint the hospital in a bad light, which is totally and absolutely false,” he restated.
Attah stressed that the baby who was brought with umbilical infection, left the hospital hale and hearty, and had since returned to the custody of ministry of women affairs that brought her.
He, therefore, advised the news media to be professional as much as possible and not engage in fake news that was capable of causing unrest, mistrust and all kinds of negative reports against the hospital.
The medical director urged the people to discountenance the fake news meant to cause distractions and negative aspersions against the hospital management and the good work of Gov Yahaya Bello.
He reassured the commitment of the governor in providing standard quality healthcare to the good people of Kogi State, while warning the news media to desist from such wrong aspersions against the hospital.
However, a check by our correspondent to the Kogi Ministry of Women Affairs, revealed that the baby was in custody of the ministry.
Mr Suleiman Abdullahi, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, corroborated the CMD’s explanation about the baby, and confirmed to our reporter that the baby was hale and hearty in their custody.
