Ebola: Fashola Visits As First Consultants Hospital Reopens

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Friday, visited the
First Consultants Hospital Obalende in Lagos, which has been certified
ready for operation after the decontamination done for its treatment
of the index Ebola patient, the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer.

Governor Fashola, briefing newsmen after the tour of the facility,
said that his visit to the hospital was in order to identify with the
staff on the way forward, adding that since the Ebola Virus Disease
had been dealt with professionally, the way forward was to get on with
life.

"It was also a doctor who just refused to give up on them, Dr. Davis,
and this is the way it must be. Whether you are a journalist, a
soldier, a police officer or a footballer, just do what you do with
dedication and all will be well", he said.

The Governor said the first stage of the containment process was to
save lives while the second stage was to help affected businesses get
up and run again.

He reiterated the need for members of the public to put the issue of
EVD behind and get on with their lives.

"We (Nigerians) must not live in fear of what we do not know. We have
dealt decisively, comfortably and professionally with what we know.
Anything that comes out from the woodworks then we must confront it
again and deal with it and resolve it," he said.

Governor Fashola also told the Chief Medical Director of the hospital,
Dr. Benjamin Ohiaeri, to articulate the equipment losses suffered by
the hospital as a result of the decontamination after the death of the
index case, with the view to assisting the hospital replace such
equipment.

He, again, paid glowing tribute to the hospital staff, particularly
the management, for the role they played in bringing the index case to
the knowledge of the State Government instead of taking the easy way
out. He added that if they had not insisted on detaining the patient,
the story would have been devastatingly different.

Addressing the public, Governor Fashola said that everything relating
to the issue of Ebola has been settled, adding that what remains was
for the people to ensure that they take cleanliness very seriously by
washing their hands regularly with soap and water.

The CMD, Dr. Ohiaeri, while regretting both the human and material
losses suffered by the hospital as a result of the EVD infection from
the index case, praised the Governor and the State Ministry of Health
for their prompt response to the information on the index case, adding
that although the Governor was on lesser hajj at the period, the
Ministry acted promptly and professionally.

First Consultants Hospital was where the index case of EVD in the
country, Mr. Patrick Sawyer from Liberia, was received and attended to
on Sunday, July 20, 2014, after he was rushed from the Murtala
Mohammed International Airport where he collapsed on arrival from his
country.

He died at the hospital on Friday, July 25. As a result, the hospital
was shut down and decontaminated later with some of the equipment
destroyed as part of the decontamination process.

With the Governor during the visit were some members of the State
Executive Council including the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide
Idris and his Special Duties counterpart, Dr. Wale Ahmed as well as
other top government officials.