UYO – After the death of a woman she allegedly abandoned on suspicion of having COVID-19 a nurse mid-wife at University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State, hospital, now has a sad story to tell, following the brutal beating she got from some armed men, who went ahead to strip her in the process.
FIRST REPORTS, narrated how the five irate men allegedly tore her uniform after heavy beating for allegedly refusing to care for a patient who had surgery and was referred to the hospital, who happened to be the wife of one of the men, believed to be policemen.
Trouble started after a woman who had an operation to remove her baby (Cesaerean Section) died in the UUTH in the wee hours of today, April 29, after her health deteriorated.
The late woman was married to a police officer who became furious upon finding out that his dead wife was allegedly refused care because the nurse on duty suspected the former might have had Coronavirus.
Consequently, the husband to the late woman took off, and returned to the hospital at daybreak with more than five men who descended on the nurse, tore her uniform, and left her half-naked.
The source said it took the intervention of women in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward who all pleaded with the assailants to leave the nurse alone. It is not clear whether the UUTH security officers were called.
Another source who gave details of the unfortunate event said that the late woman was referred to UUTH semi-conscious after she had surgery in a private clinic in Eket.
She was moved from Polyclinic to Assurance Clinic, all in Eket, before finally arriving in UUTH in a very bad condition, the source told FIRST REPORTS.
In the UUTH, she was managed for complications arising from the surgery as she developed Renal failure and infections.
Medications were given to make her urinate but she could not, then she was booked for dialysis on Tuesday, April 28. The source said that the dialysis could not be done because the patient did not meet the criteria.
“The dialysis would have even killed her because her parameters were bad. In fact, she was very down and was returned to the ward for stabilisation. But she gave up in the ward,” the source said.
The source noted that the husband is perhaps furious that he has lost his wife, hence, his decision to transfer the aggression on the nurse who just happened to be on duty at the time the patient died.
When asked if the patient had symptoms of COVID-19, the source said yes, but added that she was yet to be tested for the coronavirus.
The management of the UUTH is yet to speak on the matter, but a total and indefinite strike has been declared by the Nurses to protest against the assault meted on one of their own.
FIRST REPORTS understands that the nurses are angry and are accusing the UUTH management of treating the assault which nearly took the life of their member with levity. (FIRST REPORTS)
