COVID-19: Controversy Surrounds Items Donated By Cross River Government For Isolation Center (SEE LIST)
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COVID-19: Controversy Surrounds Items Donated By Cross River Government For Isolation Center (SEE LIST)

By Jonathan Ugbal

CrossRiverWatch has obtained the list of items donated by the Cross River State government to the isolation center at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in Calabar.

The state had on March 13, issued a statement that it has donated items to the isolation center.

A cursory look at the report of the list shows some clerical error on the part of the donor as some items were either understated or overstated.

For instance, the State said it had donated 6 iron beds but the report by UCTH showed only 4 were received. Also, only 1 bedside locker against the 6 listed were received while 6 plastic tables instead of 5 were donated.

The health commissioner, Betta Edu had on Wednesday night taken to her Facebook page to announce the state’s readiness to combat the pandemic.

See the Facebook post here

A screenshot of the argument between Betta Edu and James Ibor 6:46AM on 26/03/2020, hours after some comments were allegedly deleted

Edu who said she was enjoying the attention and workload averred that: “I commend the efforts of frontline health workers, volunteers and all stakeholders that are contributing to this process. The support of My Boss Governor Ben Ayade and his dear wife Dr Linda Ayade who is a health specialist herself has been enormous and guiding.”

She shared over two dozen photographs of the isolation center and drills carried out for health workers.

However, James Ibor, a rights lawyer claimed the five bed center was not enough especially as there was no ventilator available.

“We need a big hall, more beds fitted with ventilators,” he wrote in one comment, adding in another that; “5 beds with no ventilators is a huge joke.”

Edu later replied saying Mr. Ibor will not recognize a ventilator and Ibor replied that he post was a “PhotoSCAM.”

This sparked a debate with the comments later deleted. Ibor accused Edu of being dishonest and for deleting some of his comments.

However, the list obtained by CrossRiverWatch showed no ventilator while sources at the UCTH said the only ventilators at the tertiary health facility were over a decade old and not functional.

The source added that the ventilator sent from Kaduna was diverted to the Aso Villa clinic in Abuja.

As at press time, 51 cases have been reported by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control of which 48 are active and one death recorded.

Below is the list:

A further analysis of photographs taken the day these items were donated showed that there was no ventilator.

Below are the images…

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