Patients flee Soroti hospital after admission of 4 corona cases

Doctors in Soroti regional referral hospital are in a dilemma as patients are secretly escaping from their wards following the admission of COVID19 patients last night.

By Godfrey Ojore    

Doctors in Soroti regional referral hospital are in a dilemma as patients are secretly escaping from their wards following the admission of COVID19 patients last night.

The hospital received four of its first COVID19 patients in the region who were picked from Kumi district.

Though the isolation ward for COVID19 is fenced off far from the other wards, the tension and fear among patients is high and uncontrollable.

Dr. Wilson Etolu the doctor in charge the isolation ward revealed to New Vision that many patients escaped last night and they were continuing to escape while others were pleading with doctors to discharge them.

“Its true some patients escaped last night while others approached doctors to discharge them. People fear that they might contract this virus but that is not possible because they are separate from the COVID19 patients,” Dr. Etolu said.

Dr. Etolu, who says that the situation of the COVID19 patients is stable urged patients admitted over other illnesses that they are safe.

“We have special doctors and nurses handling the COVID19 patients, they don’t mix with others neither do they enter other wards. I urge all patients to be calm and remain in their wards to complete medication,” Dr. Etolu appealed.  

He made the remarks while receiving personal protection equipment’s (PPE) worth shs 50m from Capt. Mike Mukula.

He noted that the condition of the four patients was stable and that the samples of a 11 year old boy who was with the patients was taken and they were expecting results from Entebbe soon.

Capt. Mukula, on his part urged people in Teso to observe Ministry of Health guidelines so as to avoid contracting this deadly virus.

The PPEs comprised of facemask, coveralls, gloves and sanitizers.