Enugu state health workers found themselves in the position of having to respond after a woman aired her grievances on Twitter, accusing them of negligence and holding them responsible for the death of her 70-year-old mother, who had tested negative for coronavirus in Enugu.
The woman’s open letter to Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, detailed her allegations, which she shared on Twitter with the help of a family friend @UcheNgwu7. In the letter, she claimed that the health workers neglected her mother during her quarantine and subjected her to inhumane treatment, ultimately leading to her death.
In response, the health workers took to social media to defend themselves, sharing photos of the hospital and health workers wearing protective gear to refute the claims that the late patient was kept in uninhabitable conditions and abandoned by the medical staff.
They denied the allegations of negligence, citing preexisting health conditions such as hypertension, sugar issues, and kidney disease as the primary causes of the woman’s death. Furthermore, they raised concerns about the daughter’s absence during her mother’s illness and management.
The social media posts detailing the allegations and the health workers’ response were widely circulated, sparking a public discussion on the matter.