Peter Obi, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last presidential election, has frowned at the manner Anambrarians handled the index case of COVID-19 in Anambra State, even when he singled out St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu for commendation for their professionalism.
In a statement made available by Obi’s media office, he thanked St. Joseph Hospital for being pro-active, going by the measures they took in handling the case, but described the stigmatisation of the index case by the people through videos and publications in various media platforms, and the accompanying psychological trauma, as against the basic principle of collective fight against the pandemic.
Expressing confidence in St Joseph Hospital, Obi said it remained one of the best health facilities in this part of the country and that its Dr. Joseph Nwilo Heart Centre remained the best of its kind in Nigeria, manned by the globally-acclaimed cardiologist, Dr. Joe Nwilo, one of the most patriotic Nigerians who, though based in the USA, comes in from time to time at his own cost to perform free heart operations. Obi also noted with satisfaction the fact that St. Joseph Hospital is among the over 400 facilities made available by the Catholic Church to the Federal Government of Nigeria to assist in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic
Obi also commended the Anambra State government for taking the index case to an isolation centre and for following up on the matter in line with prescribed practices. He urged them to do whatever is necessary to ensure the speedy recovery of the patient.
Also, Obi made a special appeal to the people, saying: “I urge all Anambrarians and Nigerians to know that the Coronavirus illness is not sexually transmitted or a criminally-induced disease. It is beyond politics and should not be subjected to fake news. Those afflicted need love, care, understanding and above all, prayers to God to intervene in this scourge ravaging the world.”
Obi urged all those that had contact with the index case to present themselves for testing and or isolation as the case may be.