Fayemi is positive for COVID-19, wife, aides undergo tests

• PDP wishes governor quick recovery
• NMA alleges govt’s neglect of health facilities

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has tested positive for the dreaded COVID-19.

The governor, who disclosed this on Tuesday through his verified twitter account, said that he remained asymptomatic and was already in self-isolation at home.

He said that his deputy, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, would perform daily routine duties of government while he is in isolation.

“I took my third COVID-19 test yesterday and it came back positive. I’m generally okay and I am already self-isolating at home and receiving the best of care from my medical team.

“I’m delegating critical tasks to my deputy but will continue routine duty from home.”

Dousing the tension that Fayemi’s case might have elicited, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua, urged Ekiti State people not to panic over the governor’s medical situation, saying that he remains asymptomatic as of now.

He said they decided to break the news as a responsible government that believed no information about the governor should be hoarded from Ekiti populace.

Meanwhile, the state government yesterday said that the wife of the governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi and all the governor’s personal aides had gone for COVID-19 tests.

It said that the tests became imperative because of the closeness of the First Lady and the personal aides to the governor who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebide, stated this yesterday at a media briefing on the update on COVID-19 in Ado-Ekiti.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has expressed its sympathy to Fayemi.

The party, through the Secretary of the State Caretaker Committee, Diran Odeyemi, wished the governor quick recovery, urging those around him to isolate themselves and undergo the COVID-19 test too.

In another development, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Ekiti State Chapter, has said that the alleged neglect of the primary and secondary health system in the state was affecting government’s plan to ensure universal health coverage for those at the grassroots.

It, therefore, urged the governor to implement the payment of hazard allowance and insurance cover for doctors working to combat COVID-19 in the state, saying that the claim that the proposal had been implemented was disheartening and misleading.

This was contained in a statement made available by NMA Chairman, Dr. Tunji Omotayo, in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

Omotayo said that the poor condition of service at primary and secondary health cadres necessitated the ongoing strike embarked upon by the doctors in the three specialists and 19 general hospitals as well as hundreds of primary healthcare facilities in the state.

“In the last 18 months, there has been a gradual but steady decline in the number of doctors in the employment of the Hospitals’ Management Board (HMB) to cover the three specialist and 19 general hospitals in the state.

“This decline reached an alarming proportion in the last six months. Within this period, the number of doctors in the employment of the HMB dropped from over 120 to just over 70. This gives an average of three doctors per hospital. Some general hospitals have only two doctors while a few have only one.

“Within the same period, the number of medical consultants (specialists) in the three specialist hospitals has decreased from 15 to five. Out of the five, three of them are CMDs of their respective hospitals. No good health index can be expected from this unfortunate narrative.”

“In primary healthcare, there are only 12 doctors, leaving some local councils without clinical cover for their PHCs. The secondary healthcare facilities are worst hit with not only external migration of its doctors to other states but also internal migration to other hospitals.”

Omotayo, therefore, urged the government to quickly implement skipping incentive, hazard allowance, rural posting allowance, appropriate placement of promoted officers and proper insurance cover for doctors across the state.

The NMA boss, who also perceived the claim of the Ekiti State Government that it had taken an N2.5 billion Life Insurance cover of N2 million each for 500 frontlines medical personnel involved in the COVID-19 assignment as frustrating, said that no qualified doctor working for the state had been paid the COVID-19 special allowance.