—As state Govt reacts, says violence ensues between medical staff and patients relations
Gunmen, on Wednesday, attacked the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi state, and disrupted a COVID-19 planned press conference.
According to a reliable source, the hospital had scheduled a media briefing for the day to demand a COVID-19 screening centre in the state and to also speak about the challenges health workers are facing with regard to the disease.
The armed men were said to have arrived at the facility in three vehicles and shot sporadically to disperse the meeting.
Health workers were said to have been harassed by the gunmen who took away laptops and vital documents.
They were also said to have stolen blood samples of patients from the hospital laboratory. They ransacked the Medical Director’s office, too.
It could be recall that Governor Yahaya Bello while speaking at the three day fida’u prayer for the late Nasir Ajana, Kogi Chief Judge, on Tuesday in Lokoja, said COVID-19 was a hoax “created to shorten the lifestyle of the people”.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has so far announced three cases of COVID-19 in Kogi, but the state government has insisted that the state is free of the disease.
But in swift reaction through Kingsley Fawon, Commissioner for Information and Communication, the state government stated that Preliminary findings revealed that the violence ensued when relations of patients in the medical facility protested against the failure of the management of the hospital to attend to them.
The statement reads;
“The attention of the Kogi State Government has been drawn to the unfortunate scuffle between the Staff of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja and some patients’ relatives at the hospital, this morning.
Preliminary findings revealed that the violence ensued when relations of patients in the medical facility protested against the failure of the management of the hospital to attend to them.
Many people in the Emergency Ward were left unattended to and a mother delivered at the gate of the hospital. That generated a lot of public tension in the State.
Tension started building since yesterday when patients and their relatives learnt of a plan by the medical staff to stage a protest today, seeking protection from Covid-19.
We urge the people of the State to remain calm as Government will ensure maintenance of law and order.
We also sue for calm and urge medical authorities to remain committed to their medical profession and responsibilities as Government will protect them in order to give them the confidence to deliver. Healthcare management must never be politicized.
Also, Government will carry out further investigations to ascertain the remote causes of the breach of peace by the protesters and also address their fears.
The Kogi State Government will also make the State-owned Specialist Hospital available to patients in critical condition and who are denied medical attention by the authorities of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.” the statement said.
