The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have swung to action after a Nigerian woman decried the organisation’s ineptitude and blamed them for the death of her Son-in-law.
The woman shared her disappointment as well as her concern for the safety of her daughter and Grandchildren in an audio recording on popular instant messaging platform, WhatsApp.
After the audio went viral, officials of the NCDC visited the dead man’s family home on Saturday to take samples for COVID-19 testing.
The man’s wife has been asked to go into self-isolation alongside five of her children after the NCDC officials visited her home.
“If they had come earlier than now, if they had responded to our calls, my husband would probably have been alive but now that it’s too late they finally came to say they want to save our lives,” the woman said.
She also said her neighbours should be advised to isolate themselves because they interact a lot with her husband.
“Also the International Clinic should be immediately looked into because he was first admitted there,” she said.
When contacted, the Kano state COVID-19 rapid response team confirmed that authorities at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital are investigating the circumstances behind the man’s death.
In a Whatsapp chat with our correspondent in Kano, the Deputy Coordinator of the response team, Sabitu Shu’aibu, explained that they had not been able to respond to calls within the last three days because the NCDC is yet to supply them with testing facilities.
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According to him, the COVID-19 hotlines that respond to emergency calls have not been operational in the last three days due to the closure of the Kano laboratory as a result of a lack of sample collection commodities.
Dr. Sabitu, however, gave the assurance that the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, as well as Nasarawa and Murtala Muhammad hospitals, would be ready for sample collection on Sunday.
