The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, has reacted to the report that a man who tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital, was turned back over a lack of bed space at the hospital.
The patient, Emmanuel Benson claimed he tested positive for Coronavirus at LUTH on March 21, according to SaharaReporters. He expected to be admitted and quarantined immediately but said a medical personnel told him there was no space for him at the hospital and advised that he goes home.
LUTH reacted on Twitter by stating that the story “appears to be concocted.” They further stated that “LUTH is presently NOT a treatment centre for COVID-19”, adding that “protocol demands that all confirmed cases are referred to Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.”
The full statement from LUTH’s official Twitter account reads:
Although this story appears to be concocted, there is a need to put things in proper perspective:
1. LUTH is presently NOT a treatment centre for COVID-19. The protocol demands that all confirmed cases are referred to Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.
2. “Long queue in LUTH waiting to be tested for Corona” is a figment of the imagination of the writer. There is no such thing happening in LUTH.
We therefore appeal with the general public to disregard the story.
We urge them to stay safe during this trying period and obey government directives on COVID-19 pandemic.
