Jinja recovered COVID-19 patient declines transport offer

May 24, 2020

Dr Florence Tugumisirize, the hospital director announced that the patient who is a resident of Buikwe district got his final results on Thursday midnight.

HEALTH    COVID-19

JINJA - One of the three COVID-19 patients at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital has been discharged after recovering fully.

Dr Florence Tugumisirize, the hospital director announced that the patient who is a resident of Buikwe district got his final results on Thursday midnight.

"We got his last results which showed that he was COVID-19 negative and we are doing the last preparations to have him discharged officially since he was safe to go back to the community," she told the press.

Being their first milestone in the management of COVID-19, Tugumisirize said they had planned to also celebrate publically with their patient but he declined.

According to Tugumisirize, the patient opted to leave quietly as is with any other patient who leaves the facility without necessarily being recognized in the media.

"Ideally, we are supposed to take the patient and resettle him in the community, but he declined. We have respected his wish," she said.

She said the patient would have gone back earlier but they encountered hiccups that have rendered him to spend 28 days in the isolation unit.

Since there have been several reports of recovered COVID-19 patients being shunned by the community, Tugumisirize said they prepared this particular patient's community in advance and it is ready to receive him without being stigmatized.

She said the patient was in touch with his LC1 village chairperson together with opinion leaders who were ready to receive him.

The hospital is now remaining with only two confirmed patients at the isolation unit.

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