THE University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) has described as “false and inaccurate” the allegation of poor management of the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Obadiah Mailafia, by the staffers of the facility.
The hospital’s management exclusively confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday evening that Mailafia died of coronavirus disease “due to comorbidities.”
This revelation was reluctantly made by the hospital’s management, which had insisted that the confidentiality of its patients is sacrosanct.
According to its Chief Medical Director, Bissallah Ekele, Mailafia had been managed at two other hospitals where his Covid-19 status was confirmed positive before being referred to the UATH’s isolation centre “when his case had fast degenerated.”
Recall that ethno-regional group, the Middle Belts Forum, on Sunday, issued a statement accusing the hospital of misconduct in the treatment of the late 64-year-old.
The statement, which was signed by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Isuwa Dogo, claimed that the wife of the deceased was requested to make a deposit of N600,000 before proper treatment.
The statement also said when Mailafia complained that he had breathing problems and pleaded with the doctors at the hospital to place him on a ventilator, he was ”flatly refused.”
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In reaction, however, Ekele described all the allegations against the hospital as false.
He said: “I can confirm in my honour that all the allegations circulating in the media are false. We never asked for any deposit before commencement of treatment. The doctor on duty that day was on ground and received the patient and he was never at any point refused oxygen. In fact, he was placed on a high-flow-oxygen to enable fast breathing.
“It was unfortunate that his health deteriorated rapidly despite all efforts to save his life”, he explained.
