The Edo State Government has said that the Central Hospital, Benin, is fully functional and open to the public, even as the hospital management is enforcing safety measures to protect staff and patients in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, in a statement in response to a video on social media purporting that the hospital was closed to patients, said the content of the video was not representative of the true situation at the hospital.
According to him, “There has been a video circulating on social media about the alleged closure of the General Out-Patient Department (GOPD) and Accident and Emergency (A&E) section of the Central Hospital, Benin.
“The maker of the video purported that the hospital was abandoned and that there was nobody to attend to patients.
“We want to state that that section has only just been fumigated and decontaminated in view of the coronavirus prevention and control protocol, which resulted in temporary vacation and relocation of the unit. The maker of the video only got to the GOPD & A & E section when the protocol was winding down.
“The maker of the video was obviously not aware of this. We understand that she may have been impassioned in demanding that her relative be attended to, however, she only needed to have approached the officials for proper guidance. The hospital is very much open to the public and patients are free to come for consultations and other health needs.”
The commissioner assured the general public that the hospital is in full operation and would continue to take safety and precautionary measures to protect the staff and patients at the hospital.
