In this exclusive report, IQ4News Prince Dickson
speaks to Ebola victim, Nurse Justina, barely 24 hours before her death
at the quarantine centre at the Mainland Hospital Yaba, Lagos.
New worrying information from Nigeria suggests that damage from the disease may go far beyond deaths from the Ebola virus itself, as IQ4News speaks to a patient in quarantine and other health personnel, in this exclusive report.
IQ4News investigation reveals that Ebola could potentially claim more victims by damaging an already-weak local health systems, and its ability to respond to other medical problems, from malaria to emergency C-sections.
The ebola-driven rise in deaths from those other maladies may outpace the deaths from ebola itself. At the moment the Nigerian medical and Dental Association is embroiled in politics with itself over a now 6 weeks old strike.
The effect of the loss of services may be severe. Even before the Ebola outbreak, Nigeria was ranked low in the world for maternal and child mortality.
Mainland Hospital, Yaba
One of the patients, Nurse Justina that had primary contact exclusively spoke with IQ4News, she said "we are not being treated at all, it looks more of a prison, every now and then, the doctors come in and out, and we are given intravenous and antibiotics."
The nurse who was a student at the Ebonyi University Teaching Hospital, while the current Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu was Chief Medical Director asked government to act fast and decisively.
Asked if there were cases of recovery from the virus, Justina insisted that while some of them were stable, it cannot be referred to as recovery, “some of us can barely talk, at a point our phones were taken from us, so we don’t talk” she added, her voice very weak.
IQ4News made contact with a group (Igboville) that was responsible for buying and sending oxygen canister to a few of those quarantined.
According to a health official at the facility who did not want her name mention but confirmed the situation said the damage to the health care system is the "biggest threat" that the Ebola outbreak poses to Nigeria.
"Here we are just managing the patients in quarantine, we are not treating them and that is sad," she told IQ4News.
She added that despite all the effort of
government, the security even around the quarantine patients is poor,
and that explains why even one patient got away and went to Enugu, and
now we have cases in the state.
An expatriate doctor also spoke with IQ4News, “a lot of things are not done ethically here, I do not think I see real heroes here, apart from the patients that are battling to survive.”
Another medical personnel confirmed that a lot of supplies were lacking, we have made lists but nothing has been provided.
IQ4News put a call to the Director of Communication and community Mobilization at the Nigeria’s Emergency Center on EVD Professor. Adebayo Onajole who had told reporters that some patients were recovering but no response.
Government story
The Nigerian government says it is doing all it can do, according to Minister for Information Labarn Maku, in a phone chat with IQ4News said that the entire cabinet meeting was devoted to discussing effort at containing the virus.
"We have quarantined those that had primary contact with Sawyer, and doing the best in line with global best medical practices in Lagos, it is not true that we just quarantined them without treatment", he added.
He assured that even the nurse that disobeyed medical advice and traveled is being monitored, including those that made contact with her.
IQ4News investigation shows that there are only three Ebola isolation units in the country, and there are no specialized hospital facilities where infected patients are treated. The government strategy overlooks growing shortages of other vital health resources.
The health system is one that suffers shortages of everything from latex gloves to the reagents needed for laboratory tests.
Problems
Dr. Hassan Lantana told IQ4News that already "we have on several occasion battled an acute shortage of blood, especially during Boko Haram attacks and now blood donations cannot be collected safely during the Ebola outbreak.
An expatriate doctor also spoke with IQ4News, “a lot of things are not done ethically here, I do not think I see real heroes here, apart from the patients that are battling to survive.”
Another medical personnel confirmed that a lot of supplies were lacking, we have made lists but nothing has been provided.
IQ4News put a call to the Director of Communication and community Mobilization at the Nigeria’s Emergency Center on EVD Professor. Adebayo Onajole who had told reporters that some patients were recovering but no response.
Government story
The Nigerian government says it is doing all it can do, according to Minister for Information Labarn Maku, in a phone chat with IQ4News said that the entire cabinet meeting was devoted to discussing effort at containing the virus.
"We have quarantined those that had primary contact with Sawyer, and doing the best in line with global best medical practices in Lagos, it is not true that we just quarantined them without treatment", he added.
He assured that even the nurse that disobeyed medical advice and traveled is being monitored, including those that made contact with her.
IQ4News investigation shows that there are only three Ebola isolation units in the country, and there are no specialized hospital facilities where infected patients are treated. The government strategy overlooks growing shortages of other vital health resources.
The health system is one that suffers shortages of everything from latex gloves to the reagents needed for laboratory tests.
Problems
Dr. Hassan Lantana told IQ4News that already "we have on several occasion battled an acute shortage of blood, especially during Boko Haram attacks and now blood donations cannot be collected safely during the Ebola outbreak.
People are scared
As it is according to a health official at the
teaching hospital in Idi Araba, Lagos "The Ebola virus has caused
significant, dramatic declines in service delivery at the health
facility in the past month, because people are rightfully scared to go
to the health facility right now."
John Okiyi Kalu, of the Igboville/Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation on the death of *Justina muttered on phone, “the Nigerian state failed Justina, while the world watched and didn’t care enough.”
*Justina Ejelonu passed on few hours after this story was published.
Her last facebook posting reads…” "I never contacted his fluids. I checked his Vitals, helped him with his food, (he was too weak)...I basically touched where his hands touched and that’s the only contact. Not directly with his fluids. At a stage, he yanked off his infusion and we had blood everywhere on his bed...but the ward maids took care of that and changed his linens with great precaution…"http://www.iq4news.com/iq4news-nigeria/exclusive-report-ebola-patients-being-treated-prisoners-justina-ejelonu
John Okiyi Kalu, of the Igboville/Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation on the death of *Justina muttered on phone, “the Nigerian state failed Justina, while the world watched and didn’t care enough.”
*Justina Ejelonu passed on few hours after this story was published.
Her last facebook posting reads…” "I never contacted his fluids. I checked his Vitals, helped him with his food, (he was too weak)...I basically touched where his hands touched and that’s the only contact. Not directly with his fluids. At a stage, he yanked off his infusion and we had blood everywhere on his bed...but the ward maids took care of that and changed his linens with great precaution…"http://www.iq4news.com/iq4news-nigeria/exclusive-report-ebola-patients-being-treated-prisoners-justina-ejelonu
