A report by the Nation has revealed that Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, neither consulted the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the campaign against COVID-19 nor the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before opting for personal treatment in Lagos.
PTF and NCDC officials stated that they only read the announcement of his relocation to a private hospital in Lagos like other Nigerians.
A top source said: “We read his statement on his decision to move to Lagos for private treatment like every Nigerian. He did not seek any advisory from the PTF and NCDC.”
“And since he said he did not want to overburden the public health sector, we allowed him to have his way. We could not have stopped him because it was a private health option and he went to a designated hospital for COVID-19 treatment.
“We respected his decision because of underlying health challenges he had which he wanted the hospital to manage with COVID-19.
“It was not the Federal Government that took him to the First Cardiology Consultants hospital in Lagos. In essence, he was not NCDC patient in the real sense of it.” The source said.
Lagos State Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi confirmed in a statement that Kyari died from complications related to Coronavirus in Lagos.
The commissioner has also disclosed the hospital where Abba Kyari died.
“Following enquiries on the passing away of the Chief of Staff to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mallam Abba Kyari on Friday 17th April 2020, the Lagos State Government states that:
“Mallam Abba Kyari died from complications of Coronavirus infection at First Cardiology Consultants in Lagos. This hospital is a Lagos State designated high care, biosecurity-compliant, COVID-19 facility, accredited by the Health Facility Management and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) of the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
“As a basis for accreditation, First Cardiology Consultants established a separate specialist wing with staff dedicated to the treatment of complicated cases of COVID-19, under the supervision of the Lagos State COVID-19 emergency response team.” The statement said.
Source: The Nation
