Professor who hid travel history of Coronavirus patient won't be punished - NCDC

News Agency Of Nigeria

April 9, 2020 12:52 PM

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says it will not mete out punishment on Prof. Alakija Salami, a Senior Consultant in the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for alleged unethical conducts.

The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu. [Twitter/@BashirAhmaad]

Dr Alihu Adebara, NCDC Team Leader to Kwara, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Thursday, said the NCDC was leaving the matter of any punitive measures to the state government to handle.

NAN reports that Salami was accused of allegedly concealing his travel history, the management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID -19 patient who died in the UITH.

The Kwara Governor, Malam Abdulrahman AbdulRazak, however, had already called for the suspension of Salami, an expert in infectious diseases.

On the level of preparedness, Adebara said the NCDC had assessed the situation and level of preparedness in the state and found out the state government had put in place the necessary facilities.

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“Basically, the NCDC has confirmed two cases of COVID-19 in the state and so many contact tracing of over 200 has commenced.

“We will offer the necessary support to compliment the state government’s efforts,” he said.

The NCDC Team Lead, warned that COVID-19 is real, and called on anybody who had been in high risks countries to self isolate for 14 days.

He urged people to abide by the social distancing directives of the Kwara Government, adding that hand washing and hygiene should be practised religiously.

News Agency Of Nigeria