Prof Alakija Kazeem Salami, a Senior Consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has been suspended for 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 Friday, April 3.
This was disclosed in a Monday statement signed by the Director of Administration of UITH, Mr. David Odaibo.
Salami allegedly brought his friend, who was a 57-year-old UK-returnee, Muhideen Obanimomo, to be admitted at the hospital on Wednesday where he eventually died.
The deceased was said to have contracted COVID-19, which the professor allegedly knew but concealed.
UITH accused the professor of hiding the travel history of the deceased, exposing medical personnel and others to the risk of the virus.
The fact of the matter was said to have become clear when the deceased person’s wife tested positive for COVID-19.
Salami is a professor of 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.
He was said to have used his influence to admit the patient at the Accident & Emergency (A&E) ward instead of at an isolation facility, despite having reasons to suspect that the patient had COVID-19.
The patient was said to have claimed that he had food poisoning.
When the prominent accountant eventually died, the professor also arranged for his corpse to be expeditiously released from the UITH for burial according to Islamic rites.
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