Durban - A patient with suspected Ebola was allowed to walk out of Addington Hospital on Wednesday when he decided he no longer felt sick, staff at the hospital say.
But on Thursday he was admitted again, this time with health officials dressed in protective gear and the police escorting the ambulance to the entrance of the isolation ward.
Shortly after his arrival, an urgent announcement was made for all hospital staff to return to, and remain in, their designated work areas.
Professor Lucille Blumberg from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed the man who had returned from work in Sierra Leone had become anxious about his health and was referred to Addington.
“The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health arranged for his admission again yesterday to allow for further assessment and to check specifically for other infections, including malaria, given the absence of risk factors and no direct exposure to persons with Ebola,” Blumberg said.
She said although the patient was not considered a suspected Ebola case, the NICD was conducting an Ebola test to allay patient and health worker fears.
An earlier statement by the institute said the patient had been complaining of a fever on Wednesday, but suddenly decided he was no longer ill and had been allowed to leave the hospital without being tested for the virus.
The provincial Department of Health has been criticised for its “irresponsible” handling of the case by not immediately isolating the man.
Michelle Connolly, from the health worker trade union Hospersa, said this was “glaringly” irresponsible of the hospital.
The union had received reports from panicked hospital staff claiming the patient had absconded after he was confirmed to have Ebola.
Connolly said besides the disputed status of the patient, Hospersa felt that the hospital was ill-prepared to deal with the dangerous virus.
“If this is how the Department of Health is managing the Ebola threat, then every South African ought to be alarmed.The hospital was willing to overlook a doctor’s opinion and take the word of a lay person that his condition did not, in fact, warrant an Ebola test,” Connolly said.
She said the hospital had no Infection Prevention Management System in place and no communication was occurring between the management and the Occupational Health and Safety representatives on the ground.
Connolly said the health authorities were failing to ensure that nurses were extensively trained and competent in all Ebola-related infection control practices and procedures.
“We were reliably informed that the patient had been tested for Ebola at the hospital and the results had come back positive. Staff said the patient had panicked and left the hospital,” she said.
Connolly said the union was, concerned that protocol had not been followed to protect healthcare staff.
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa’s spokesman, Sibongiseni Dalihlazo, said there was no cause for alarm because the patient had been admitted for tests.
“It is important that, when an Ebola case is suspected, precautionary measures are followed to manage the virus in ensuring that the patient receives the right treatment and health workers are not unnecessarily exposed to the virus,” he said.
On Thursday, concerned staff said they were scared to be at the hospital as they had seen the patient being taken to the isolation ward.
One employee said there was a lot of commotion when the man came in escorted by police.
“The worrying part is that no-one tells us anything as staff. We will be at risk if the patient’s results are positive and (we) have a right to know,” the source said.
Another staff member said after the announcement was made for everyone to remain at their work stations many had packed up and gone home.
“People are scared to be around where he was because of the way the ambulance he was brought in was cleaned afterwards,” she said.
All testing for Ebola is conducted at the NICD’s Special Pathogens BSL4 laboratory in Joburg.
Blumberg said the Ebola test results for this patient would be available within two days.
KZN Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo on Thursday declined to answer questions saying the national minister could answer the questions on the situation
He was responding to reporters who bombarded him with questions during the opening of a mobile clinic in Pietermaritzburg.
“There is only one leader who collates the information.”
He said there was a comprehensive report by the national minister, based on which provinces must be made ready to deal with Ebola.”You will get the report at the right time. We happen to be managing health, we can’t be managed by the media,” the MEC said. – Additional reporting by Sharika Regchand
The Mercury