Oyo State Government on Saturday, January 9, 2021, warned owners of private health facilities against managing cases of COVID-19 in their health facilities.
The government while warning private hospitals, said that the increase in the rate of COVID-19 cases have been linked to private hospitals in the state.
Emergency Operations Centre, EOC, and the state’s COVID-19 Technical Task Force made these declarations in Saturday, January 9, 2021.
The taskforce noted that there are 30 approved Testing Centres including the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, for the purpose of testing samples.
It added that those suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus infection should be referred to these centres for testing and that testing for symptomatic or suspected cases is free.
Temitope Alonge, the chairman of the state’s COVID-19 Technical Task Force, in a memo addressed to Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers, and Managers of private health facilities in the state, appealed to the health workers to comply strictly with the advisory, reiterating that the Oyo State Government could not afford any depletion in the healthcare workforce due to ill health arising from coronavirus infection.
Alonge said, “The spread of the new wave of the coronavirus infection in Oyo State is increasing and the reports reaching the Emergency Operations Centre and the Technical Task Force is that some of the people infected had been managed for various ailments in some private health facilities.
“In some cases, the private health facilities fail to notify the EOC about suspected cases that would have had their samples taken by the EOC at the invitation of the private health facilities. Sampling of such cases by the EOC has been the established protocol and it is still in place.
“However, repeated breach of this protocol is worrisome and I wish to remind all health care providers that we are not immune to this infection and admitting suspected cases in private health facilities is unacceptable.
“No private health facility in Oyo State has been licensed to manage COVID-19 patients. Strict adherence to the laid down infection prevention and control measures will be enforced by the EOC at any private health facility.
“I wish to inform you that there are reports of an increase in the number of healthcare workers who have contracted coronavirus infection at various healthcare facilities.”
Source: Daily Post
