Prominent Nigerian Medical Doctor Dies After Contracting
Coronavirus While Treating UK COVID-19 Patients
68-year-old prominent Nigerian-born medical doctor, Dr. Alfa
Sa’adu who devotedly treated victims of coronavirus in the United Kingdom has
died after contracting the virus.
His son, Dani Sa’adu, announced the demise of his father who died in London on Tuesday and was until his death a physician at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.
“Today at approx.. 7.30am, Dr. Alfa Saadu (my dad) died of
the Coronavirus. He had been fighting the virus for 2 weeks but could not fight
anymore,” Dani said.
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According to Dani, his father was a living legend who worked
for the NHS for nearly 40 years saving people’s lives in the UK and in Africa.
He was still working part time saving people until he got sick,
He said the “NHS were amazing and did everything they could.”
“The Coronavirus is not a joke, please take it seriously and
listen to the government,” he urged people.
Reacting to the death of Sa’adu (who was the Galadiman
Patigi), the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Council,
Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, described his death as a great loss to humanity.
The monarch in his condolence message issued on Tuesday by
his spokesman, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, expressed sadness over his
unfortunate demise saying, “We have lost an irreplaceable asset in the nation.”
Sulu-Gambari said, “the late Galadiman Patigi was one of the
finest medical practitioners whose penchant for professionalism, humanity and
traditional institutions knows-no-bound as a foremost product of the emirate.
“He was the son of the late Alhaji Ahman Pategi, one of the
highly respected Ministers who served in the Northern Nigeria under the late
Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto in the first republic. During my
stay in England, I was his guardian, he lived with me and enjoyed his loyalty,
steadfastness and humility.
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“I received the news of his death with crude shock and
depression because he was indeed a great asset for us in Kwara and Nigeria in
general. He contributed his quotas to national development as foremost medical
practitioner and community leader. ”
The emir commiserated with the Kwara State Governor, Mallam
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Umar Bologi II, and the entire
people of Patigi emirate council over what he described as ‘the colossal loss.’
He prayed Allah to forgive the late Galadiman Patigi his
shortcomings and give his immediate and extended families the fortitude to bear
the irreparable loss.
Dr Alfa Saadu’s death was also announced on Facebook by
former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The Facebook post shared by Saraki to mourn Dr Saadu reads:
“Inalilahi Wa Ina Ilaehi Rajiun. My condolences go to the family of late Dr
Alfa Sa’adu, the people of Pategi and Kwara State on the death of the foremost
medical practitioner who passed away in London this morning (March 31).
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“Late Dr Sa’adu provided leadership for our people in the
diaspora as he served for many years as chairman, Kwara State Association of
Nigeria (Kwasang UK). Back at home, he was a community leader and traditional
office holder as Galadima of Pategi. He will be sorely missed.
“We pray that Allah forgive his sins and grant him a place
in Aljannah Firdaus. May Allah also grant his family, the people of Pategi and
Kwara State the fortitude to bear the loss.”
Prominent Nigerian medical doctor dies after contracting Coronavirus
while treating UK COVID-19 patients
Another Facebook post mourning the doctor reads: “A very sad
day for UK doctors as one of the brightest, kindest and most respected
stalwarts of Nigerian doctors in the UK, Dr Alfa Saadu has just died after volunteering
to help in the wards and caught the bug. He came off the ventilator this
morning.
“It is indeed a sad day for Nigerian doctors in UK. But also
for doctors worldwide who sometimes are thrown into the deep end without
adequate resources. May his soul RIP.
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“We just lost a gem in the Nigerian medical community in the
UK to COVID-19.”
His son, Dani Saadu also wrote a tribute to his father. Dani
added that Dr Saadu “had been fighting the virus for 2 weeks but he could not
fight anymore.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says the country recorded two more COVID-19-related deaths with 210 additional cases in the last 24 hours.
The NCDC, in its latest update on Sunday morning, said the cases were reported in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It indicated that the country’s total infection from the pandemic currently stands at 204,201 while the fatality toll increased to 2,673.
It also noted that six states – Benue, Kano, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara – recorded no new cases.
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The breakdown shows that Lagos remains the nation’s epicentre of the virus with 79 cases, followed by Edo with 20 new infections and Anambra third with 19 cases.
Other states are Rivers (18), Ondo (15), Gombe (14), Oyo (13), Kaduna (11), Ekiti (8), Delta (6), FCT (5), Bayelsa (1) and Kano (1).
The NCDC stated with the new figure, a total of 192,421 patients have so far recovered from COVID-19 in the country.
It added that over 2. 9 million samples of the virus from the nation’s roughly 200 million population have been tested.
The NCDC noted that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continued to coordinate the national response activities.
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The agency stated that the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 9,098.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to give corps members health insurance cover during service.
The MoU was signed by the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Prof. Mohammed Sambo and the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Sambo said that it would ensure that corps members were integrated into the scheme to enable them to properly access healthcare during their service year.
“We are working on the presidential mandate on leaving no one behind in the health insurance scheme.
“So, today, it is big step to ensure that corps members are integrated into the scheme, this will expand coverage ratio of the scheme and also access to health facilities for corps members,’’ Sambo said.
According to him, for the purpose of continuity the corps members after their service year will enroll on what is called kinship programme.
He said that the corps members would migrate from the NYSC insurance to kinship where a token is paid and when they are employed they would join the formal sector programme.
Also speaking, the D-G of NYSC said that the MoU was in line with presidential directive that corps members should be enrolled in the scheme.
Ibrahim said that such directive showed that the government was concerned about the health of corps members in the country.
According to him, such gesture will encourage the corps members to carry out their service properly.
Ibrahim said that MoU would address the financial burden of the members in terms of health.
The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) says the country’stotal infection toll now stands at 195,052, with a fatality toll of 2,522.
The NCDC made this known via its verified website on Sunday morning, adding that Nigeria recorded 27more Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths and964new infectionsfrom 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the 964 fresh cases reported on Saturday indicated an increase from the 444 cases posted on Friday.
The public health agency noted that Lagos State, the country’s epicenter of COVID-19,reported 456; Ondo followed with 180, while Edo recorded the third highest infection with 66 cases.
The agency also noted that the country’s active coronavirus cases in Nigeria were 10,026,with a total of 182,463 cases successfully treated and discharged after recovery as of Sept. 4.
The NCDC said that over 2.7million samples of the virus out of the nation’s roughly 200 million population were tested.
The agency said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated at Level two continues to coordinate the national response activities.
Meanwhile, the NCDC noted that with the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, Nigerians must all do their part to help minimise instances of exposure.
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The agency stressed that every COVID-19 related death was a reminder of the damage COVID-19 could cause when it gets into thecommunity.
While urging Nigerians to get vaccinated, it stressed that the COVID-19 was causing severe illness in people of all ages.
The centre therefore advised Nigerians to get vaccinated now to protect themselves, their friends and community from the virus.
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