There was uproar in Kwadon, a community in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, Gombe State on Tuesday as COVID 19 patients in an isolation centre in the community forced their way out of the facility to protest the alleged ill treatments by the state government and the COVID 19 Taskforce.
THE DAILY VENDOR gathered that no fewer than 20 patients took over the Federal highway linking the state to Biu community in Borno State.
According to a source, the patients were protesting over lack of care which according to them had worsened their medical condition in the isolation centre and as a result they would prefer to get self-medication and proper care outside the isolation facility.
An eyewitness who spoke on the condition of anonymity told our correspondent that “we the residents of the community were thrown into state of confusion and serious shock knowing how dangerous the virus is.”
It was learnt that the protesting patients were chanting that the state government lied against their status, while some were arguing that they were fine and had no reason to be held in the facility.
It was however learnt that the state’s Commissioner of Information and Culture, Alhassan Ibrahim Kwami, explained that the patients protested because they misunderstood their COVID 19 status.
According to him, all the patients at the Isolation centre are asymptomatic, so there is no need to give them drugs.
He said “Not knowing that they are asymptomatic and there is no way anybody can be giving drug without showing any symptoms
“The third issue was, one of the patients is having an ailment which they were not comfortable sharing bathroom with.”
He urged the patients to be calm while assuring them that, the task force will do everything possible to address their grievances.
