News

Just In: Another COVID-19 Loophole Bursted In Edo

Published

4 years ago

May 17, 2020

Editor

A lady identified as Mercy Kemefa has narrated her ordeal in the hands of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and Edo government COVID-19 Committee on what she described as “keeping me in an isolation centre for nothing.”

Kemefa, in a video posted online revealed how she was first stigmatised by nurses when she went for a check up in a popular private hospital, Airport Road, Benin, because she had high temperature.

She said despite showing Doctors and Nurses in the hospital results of her previous tests and scannings that she’s a patient of abdominal pains, they insisted that COVID-19 test must be carried out on her, yet they abandoned and distanced themselves from her while she shivered and suffered helplessly on the ground until she was referred to Stella Obasanjo Hospital Isolation Centre, Benin.

“They taught I have COVID-19. They asked what’s wrong with me, I told them what’s wrong with me. I showed them all my scan and test results, yet they insisted that I go for COVID-19 test, and that they will not let me leave, yet, they refused to attend to me. My temperature was very high, I was shivering, they distanced themselves from me, I was highly stigmatized”, she revealed.

According to her, on getting to the Isolation Centre, though there was a little delay, test was carried out on her and her sample was taken to the laboratory with the assurance that the result would be out within three (3) days.

She further narrated that she was promised the next day but when the day came to no avail, lamenting that she had stayed in Stella Obasanjo Isolation Centre for good six (days) without any result from her test.

She said, “They brought me here on Sunday, they refused to do the test on that Sunday till Monday. They did the test and took my sample and said the result was going to come out within 3 days which was on Wednesday. Wednesday came, they told me there was delay in the result, and that it was going out on Thursday. I asked for my result on that Thursday and the guy who attended to me said the result was out, but they have not sent it yet, so, I waited till evening yet no result. And today is Friday, I am still here waiting for the result.”

Kemefa further lamented that the response she’s been given when she request for her test result now is that, the laboratory they earlier took her sample to had already full hence they had to take it to another laboratory. This she was not told earlier.

“Now, they are telling me that the laboratory they took my sample to was full, so they had to transfer my sample to another laboratory. I have been kept here for good six days and my result is not out. This is what is happening in Stella Obasanjo Hospital. They are just keeping me here for nothing and I don’t know why”, she lamented in the video.

News

UPDATED: Rivers Assembly Gets New Speaker

Published

2 mins ago

May 8, 2024

Editor

A new factional Speaker has emerged in the Rivers State House of Assembly in person of Victor Jumbo.

Jombo is among the four lawmakers loyal to the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara since the political crisis that rocked the state started.

The former factional Speaker, Edison Ehie, who was the leader of the pro-Fubara lawmakers, later resigned membership of the Assembly after President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to broker peace in the feud between Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Ehie was later appointed Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, by Fubara.

Jumbo is the member representing Bonny Constituency in the state House of Assembly.

A source in the Government House, Port Harcourt, familiar with the development, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed the development to our correspondent on the telephone.

He stated, “Yes, I can confirm to you that Hon Victor Oko Jumbo has just emerged as the new Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“His colleagues elected him during their sitting in Port Harcourt this afternoon. That is all I can say for now.”

More to come…

News

Over 91,000 Vulnerable Persons benefiting from free basic Healthcare In Edo – Health Insurance Commission

Published

54 mins ago

May 8, 2024

Editor

The Director General, Edo State Health Insurance Commission (EDOHIC), Dr. Rock Amegor, has said over 102,000 vulnerable persons in the state are benefitting from the state’s Equity Fund and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Dr. Amegor disclosed this in Benin City during an event to commemorate two years of providing care to vulnerable groups under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund by the Commission.

The Fund is being managed by the Edo State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government to cater for the healthcare needs of vulnerable persons in the State.

He noted, “We are here to mark the two-year anniversary of providing healthcare services for the very vulnerable in our society. The State and Federal Governments have put funds aside to take care of those who are very vulnerable. We have classified the vulnerable into five groups: Those under five years of age, pregnant women, indigents, the poorest of the poorest and those above 65 years of age.”

According to him, “These vulnerable groups, as the Bible says, the poor have always been with us. It is what we started with to show the empathy of today’s government.

“We have other plans but in March 2022, we started giving service from only three facilities under the basic health care provision fund, and in that year, we had only enrolled 9,000 people into the scheme, but as of today, with the contribution of the State and Federal Government, we gave enrolled about 80,000 people into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund or the Equity Plan. Over 69,000 persons from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, and another 22,000 persons from the State Equity.”

Amegor added, “They are complementing each other. The beauty about the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the State Equity Plan is that there is no co-contribution from the enrollee or patients whenever they go to the hospital.

“Those within the rural and the semi-urban and urban areas, the likes of the Ward Development Committee or the officer-in-charge of the facilities and even the Enigies and the Odionwere of the societies, they know those who are vulnerable within them.

“They are given a number to register vulnerable people so that every month we get a target of at least 20/20 per facility to make sure those living in desolate areas, those even living in urban and rural areas can get access to health care whenever and wherever they need this health care.

“If you look at the statistics of enrollment and when we call out for programmes and outreach for people to participate in their health care service, Edo North had consistently come top and so, one of the statistics that the digital agency has also drawn out and has also contained what you have said is that Edo North has a very high health-seeking behaviour even when manpower deficit is the same across board.”

He restated, “What we are doing is using that statistics to inform those in other senatorial districts to improve their health-seeking behaviour because what that generates or what it relates to is that for those who have health-seeking behavior, they have more longevity, their life expectancy is better, their quality of life is better and ultimately their productivity is better.”

Also, the State Coordinator, NHIA, Theodore Ehanire, expressed satisfaction over the contribution of the state government in keeping with its mandate to provide continuous health care assistance to vulnerable people in the State, including people living with disabilities.