EXPOSED: COVID–19 Isolation Centers in Sapele, Bomadi, Ughelli in poor state, lacks basic amenities

… You lied on establishment of isolation centers in Delta, APC tells Okowa

 … Delta is ready; will not to be caught napping–Delta Govt

 By Shedrack Onitsha,

Advocate can authoritatively report that against what the Delta State government would want world to believe, three of Isolation Centers for the novel Coronavirus established last week by the state government lacks basic amenities for human habitation.

Delta State Government in the wake of the spread of the pandemic last week announced that it has established 11 isolation centers across the state, as parts of measures to manage patients that may come down with the viral infection.

Advocate investigation has however, revealed that most of the centers are in inhabitable condition as most of them are very untidy, without portable water and electricity power supply.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had announced the establishment of 11 centers including Sapele Central Hospital, Bomadi General Hospital and the Ughelli Central Hospital as isolation centers for COVID-19 treatment and management, but a Saturday night visit to the Bomadi Isolation Center, revealed that the center which was under lock and key, was in total blackout amidst poor infrastructural facilities and untidy environment.

When Advocate visited Ughelli Center, it was also discovered that though the place which used to be the Chest Ward in the Hospital has just four beds, poor toilet facilities and over grown weeds which were hurriedly being cleared by a gardener, it as well lack of portable water and electricity supply.

A staff of the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “Though the ward was abandoned in times past, we are currently sinking the borehole to supply water to the ward and as regards power supply, the ward is linked to the hospital power supply which comes on between the hours of 10a.m to 4p.m from Mondays to Fridays while the small generator used for only light (bulb) is between the hours of 7p.m to 7a.m daily.”

A visit to Sapele Central Hospital, the much talked about holding center, there was no much difference from what we saw at Ughelli and Bomadi, the Sapele center is a building at the extreme end of the hospital premises, close to the theater and mortuary building.

It was gathered that two step-down transformers was provided to help transmit the line 33 that the state government has provided for the hospital, the holding center building which is under renovation and empty, has no power supply or water, a source told Advocate that renovation works started on Saturday, with the inner room tiles completed on Monday morning.

The source said, “all the necessary equipments, including a disaster kit has been brought in on Saturday night with a truck and they are patiently waiting for the renovation to be completed and installation work begin, by Wednesday, you will be surprised at how well, the center will be when completed.”

Bricklayers were seen partitioning the back of the apartment to create a restroom, while outside of the building still looked unkempt with used forms and cupboards littered everywhere. The Isolation center, when completed, is expected to house four patients in case of emergency, for the mandatory two weeks isolation period.

 

You lied on establishment of isolation centers in Delta, APC tells Okowa

 

Reacting to the readiness claims by Governor Okowa, the APC stated that apart from the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, which has some semblance of isolation centre for the disease, all other hospitals do not have Isolation centres and/or facilities to tackle Coronavirus related ailments.

The party in a statement by its publicity secretary, Sylvester Imonina, said: “Contrary to the claim of Delta State Government that isolation centres had been set up in different parts of Delta State to tackle any possible outbreak of Coronavirus epidemic in the State, the state chapter of the APC can authoritatively report that the PDP- led government has done nothing to prove any sign of seriousness to tackle the dreaded menace.

“There is nothing on ground to suggest seriousness on the part of government. A visit to more than 80 percent of the said hospitals where isolation centres are purportedly located showed that they are home to darkness and torchlight when it is dusk, lack of drugs, under-staffing and dearth of competent medical personnel are synonymous with the hospitals.”

 

Delta is ready, will not to be caught napping by COVID-19 pandemic –Delta Govt

 

Meanwhile Delta State Commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, on Monday night program, “Democracy Today on AIT, monitored by Advocate, while discussing measures put in place by the state government in combating COVID-19 pandemic assured that the state is ready to tackle virus outbreak should it get to Delta.

According to him, “inspite of the fact we don’t have it in Delta, the government of Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has put in place a lot of facilities including where we can have a holding point where anybody that is suspected to have it could be placed pending when we are able to ascertain whether the person have it or not and then from there we have also developed a place where we can for the purpose of case management.

He added that, “you know at the moment it is reported not to have any known vaccine you can deploy to treat it, but what we have done is to try as much as possible to put in place those things that will enable us not to be caught napping when it comes, but we pray it doesn’t come.”

 

MORE PHOTOS:

Outside view of Sapele isolation center