The senior consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has been suspended for allegedly playing a role in concealing the health status of a deceased Coronavirus patient. The suspension of Prof. Alakija Salami was announced by David Odaibo, the UITH director of administration, in a statement released on Monday night.
According to reports, the professor of medicine reportedly colluded with a sick UK returnee to mislead doctors about his health status, even after the man died. It is alleged that the professor assisted the man in receiving private treatment at home, despite showing Coronavirus symptoms, and only sought emergency medical help at UITH when his condition worsened. Additionally, the professor is accused of falsely claiming that his friend was suffering from food poisoning upon arrival at the hospital, and manipulating the removal and burial of the deceased’s body.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq characterized the controversy as a breach of protocol due to lack of full disclosure, and stated that further action would be taken pending the outcome of UITH’s internal investigation into the incident.
The statement announcing Salami’s suspension highlighted his “unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 patient” who passed away on April 3, 2020. The statement also mentioned that the corpse of a Coronavirus patient is cremated in accordance with national guidelines for the management of Coronavirus patients.