Already, he has been suspended from work.
What more? Some Nigerians have launched an online campaign under the hashtag, ArrestProfSalami, through which they are calling for the arrest and prosecution of the professor for deliberately endangering the lives of others.
Indeed, Prof. Alakija Salami can be tagged as wicked and unmindful of other people’s safety.
A senior consultant of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Kwara State, the management has suspended Prof. Alakija Salami, for allegedly concealing the travel history of a suspected coronavirus patient, Alhaji Muideen Obanimomo, who died in the hospital on April 3.
The hospital has also constituted a committee to investigate the allegations against Salami, who is an expert in respiratory medicine and HIV medicine, with research interest in infectious and non-infectious pulmonary diseases and core interest in tuberculosis, obstructive airways diseases and HIV/AIDS.
Memo by hospital management on the constitution of an
investigative committee to probe Prof. Salami.
The patient, who recently returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, fell ill
shortly afterwards and died while on admission at the Accident and Emergency
unit of the hospital.
Despite showing strong coronavirus symptoms prior to his demise, the patient’s corpse was hurriedly released to his wife for burial in his Offa hometown without ascertaining the cause of his death.
Following pressures from various quarters, the deceased’s wife was eventually tested and found to have been infected with coronavirus.
She is one of the two coronavirus cases confirmed by the Kwara State government Several healthcare workers who had contact with the deceased while on admission are said to be isolation, while tracing of all those who had contact with corpse as well as the wife during the burial has also begun.
A statement by UITH’s management late yesterday reads, “The management of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital hereby suspends Prof A.K. Salami as a senior consultant in the hospital.
“This is as a result of his unethical conduct in the admission, management and eventual release of the corpse of a suspected COVID-19 patient who died in the hospital on the 3rd of April, 2020.”
Howver, the wife of the man, a UK returnee who died as a result of contracting coronavirus at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) last Thursday, is asymptomatic after testing positive.
The ICIR source from Kwara State Ministry of Health, said the wife of the deceased man, Kwara Covid-19 index case, is still alive and well, also asymptomatic at the moment.
According to the source, “the wife is alive and well, asymptomatic at the moment. She was picked up last night (Monday) to the isolation centre by members of Kwara COVID-19 team and the State Department of Public Health.
As at now, the team has about 300+ contacts it is already tracing, among those who attended the burial and those who had contact with the index case before his demise, the source said.
It will be recall that medical personnel, including doctors and nurses also came in contact with the index case have been placed on self-isolation.
Other possible contacts include Professor A.K Salami, a Senior Consultant at UITH, who bathed the deceased and those who followed them for the burial in Offa last Friday.
Considering the exposure of the deceased to many people, more suspected cases of COVID-19 are expected to be identified in Ilorin.
The state capital neither has a COVID- 19 isolation centre nor a testing centre.
According to a source who pleaded for anonymity, Offa has in a few days witnessed influx of UK returnees, but the town, about 30 minutes’ drive from Ilorin, has only one isolation centre in Sobi Specialist Hospital and does not have any testing centre.