By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

There was a stampede at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi (NAUTH) over the weekend following the arrival of a man suspected to be a Coronavirus patient.

News Expressgathered that some doctors and non-medical staff on duty also fled when the patient was brought in to avoid contacting the contagious virus.

Information has it that the unidentified man, a Lagos returnee, developed signs of the disease.

But the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Anthony Igwegbe, dismissed reports of a stampede.

He said that the male patient brought to the hospital had a history of visiting the hospital where the first Anambra index case was admitted.

Igwegbe added: “Some of the doctors, having known the history of the patient, were hesitant to attend to him as a result of fear, but the situation was later professionally handled.

“There was no stampede. I was just informed by the deputy chairman, Medical and Advisory Committee (CMAC) that a patient was brought and because there was a history that he was seen some time ago at the hospital where the index case was handled, some doctors started thinking that this might be a contact with the index case. And they were a bit hesitant.

“What we did was to provide the necessary personal protective equipment for them to attend to the patient.”

The CMD said that though the man was not quarantined, he was put at the right place; pending when the result of his blood sample taken to Iruua Specialist Hospital in Edo State for COVID-19 test is out.