By Dele Moses, Ilorin
Management of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has suspended a senior consultant in the hospital, Professor Alakija Salami, over his handling of the case of a suspected COVID-19 patient in the hospital.
The patient and his wife were said to be returnees from the United Kingdom (UK) who went for self-qurantine in Ilorin before he suffered breathing difficulty on the 13th day of their quarantine leading to his being rushed to the hospital.
He was said to have been pronounced dead at the hospital after efforts to rescucitate him proved abortive while his corpse was immediately released for burial in Offa, his hometown.
All the medical personnel who attended to him reportedly went into self-qurantine while family members who had contatct with him and his wife were directed to do the same.
Samples were taken from his wife and four others and on Monday the wife was confirmed to test positive to the coronavirus.
The senior consultant may have been sanctioned for negligence in his admission and management of the patient and release of his corpse when travel history and symptoms exhibited by the deceased gave room for suspecting him of suffering coronavirus infection so that due care is taken in decision to admit him and to release his corpse to guard against spread of the virus.
The UITH management, in a terse statement signed by David Odaibo, the Director of Administration on behalf of the Chief Medical Director of the hospital said the consultant is suspended as a result of his unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual relase of the corpse of the patient.
“The Management of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital hereby suspends Prof A K Salami as a Senior Consultant in the hospital.
“This is as a result of his unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected Covid -19 patient who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020,” the statement reads.