COVID-19: Lagos Health Commissioner Reacts to Viral Video of Patient’s Alleged Maltreatment at Isolation Centre

Matilda Omonaiye/

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has disclosed that getting upset at the beginning of isolation is normal for most patients.

He said this while reacting to a viral video in which a man complained that his wife who had just been admitted in one of the state’s coronavirus isolation centres was not receiving adequate attention.

The man also threatened to forcefully take away the patient from the facility.

Abayomi said he was not surprised at the man’s outburst, adding that such was usually expected within the first few days of commencing treatment at the centre.

Abayomi, who spoke during the inspection of a 120-bed space isolation centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba on Tuesday said it was not out of place for patients to get upset at the beginning of their isolation process as it was a new journey for them.

According to him, isolation wards are not normal wards where patients are allowed to interact with persons who are not infected.

He said, “When COVID-19 patients come into isolation wards, it usually takes one to two days before they get used to the operations at the centre.

“In normal wards, people will come greet you; healthcare providers will come check your blood pressure as often as possible, among others. But in an isolation ward, every time a doctor or nurse comes in there, he or she wears a N70, 000 outfits, which can only be worn once.

“The healthcare providers will only come into the ward two, three or four times a day. A patient in that ward might be confused for the first day or two until they get accustomed to the fact they will not see their healthcare provider as often as in normal wards. There is a reason it is called isolation centre. But what is most important is that the patients are given qualitative care at any given time.”

He added that few days after admission, patients usually get comfortable with the isolation process, adding that every intervention they need are often provided within the period of the isolation.

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