The Head of Contact Tracing team at the Mamobi General Hospital in Accra, Naomi Adu, is scared for her life and that of her team members as uncooperating suspected COVID-19 patients threaten their lives.
According to her, some COVID-19 patients are making their work difficult by either refusing to subject themselves for testing or threatening to kill them.
‘“I am not sick, don’t call this line again, the next time you call this line I will look for you and kill you,”’ she said was a warning she received from one person.
She said they have had situations where they had to involve the military and the police to forcibly move people from their homes to the isolation centres.
“We had a situation where we had to involve the military and police to help us convene people from their homes to the treatment centre”
“Some people threatened to sue us when they return from the treatment centres,” she said.
Naomi said a lot of the patient were in denial of their status and, therefore, refusing to subject themselves for treatment.
“People are now not owning up even when they test positive. When you call the person that their results are in, and you need to see them and explain, they will say, I don’t need your results, you can keep it.”
“They threaten us, tell us things that will make us scared,” she said in an interview with Joy News.
The Ayawaso North Health Director, Dr. Sophia Quist, has also shared similar concerns about how COVID-19 patient in the municipality had refused second testing to ascertain their status.
“When we tell them that we are coming for your second test they refuse us entry into their homes” she noted.
According to her, the directorate was in talks with the assembly to engage assembly members.
“Our next task is to engage with the assemblymen because they are in the community with them, and also do more education because they need to really appreciate that for now, the only thing we can do is to educate them” she added.
She said the directorate has plans of using recovered patients as ambassadors to lead the campaign against COVID-19 stigmatisation and awareness.
The Head of Institutional Care at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyeam, expressed worry for the safety of the health workers.
He, therefore, advised COVID-19 patients to cooperate.
