An Abuja-based woman, Sadma Ahmed, has raised the alarm over the safety of her family in Kano, Kano State after her son-in-law died of Coronavirus Disease.
According to Ahmed, her son-in-law, whose name she did not give, fell ill on Monday.
She said after the call from her daughter, who informed her that the husband had high fever and typhoid, she told them to watch out because of the issue of COVID-19.
She said by Tuesday when she made further enquiry, he was said to be getting better.
But at about 3am on Wednesday, her daughter called her that the husband could not talk again and his breathing was getting difficult.
Ahmed said she then told them that her suspicion from the onset was COVID-19 and that they should call the help line of the NCDC in Kano and rush him to the hospital.
She said her daughter informed her that they had been calling the NCDC lines but none had gone through and for the one that went through, nobody picked.
Ahmed said she then called the NCDC lines in Abuja.
There was a response.
She added: “When I called the ones in Abuja, they said they will get back to me.
“That they will call the Kano branch and tell them what is happening.
“They asked me where he is now and I told them they have taken him to a private hospital named International Hospital in Kano.”
Ahmed said at the hospital, he was admitted and put on oxygen.
She said about an hour after her son-in-law was admitted, another Doctor came and said he should be taken to Mallam Aminu Kano Hospital because he was not responding, adding: “And I know his not responding to that oxygen is just a way to drive them away from that hospital.
“And I don’t blame him.
“So on getting to Aminu Kano hospital, they put him again on oxygen.
“I call this people, NCDC, again in Abuja.”
Ahmed said she asked to know if the NCDC agents had made a move as the patient had been moved to Mallam Aminu Kano Hospital.
She said they promised to go there and that she kept calling every 30 minutes until the son-in-law died about two hours after arriving at the hospital.
She then requested to know the truth and was told the NCDC in Kano State had been shut down.
Ahmed added: “I am holding the NCDC in Kano and the Kano state Government responsible for the death of my son-in-law.
“And now, what is paining me most now and my heart is broken into pieces is what will happen to my daughter and her children, my grandchildren, when there is no NCDC in Kano?”
The 70-year-old woman then called for assistance as she was dying over the none responsiveness of the NCDC to the state of health of her daughter and grandchildren.
The NCDC had on Friday said the laboratory in Kano had become dysfunctional.
It said tests in Kano are now conducted in abuja.
The DG of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said this when he answered questions at the daily press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
As reported earlier by The Eagle Online, Ihekweazu said: “The reason for the delay seen in release of updated Kano numbers is the temporary closure of the Testing Centre in Kano for disinfection.
“We have in the meantime been sending Kano samples to Abuja.
“But the Kano Laboratory should be reopened by tomorrow.”
