WHY ARE COVID-19 PATIENTS RUNNING AWAY?

Why will patients run away from quarantine centers if they have the best of conditions there? These are questions we need to answer not just criticizing people who want to have their freedom. I am sure if the conditions there were right they would stay. I even think people will offer themselves to be quarantined if there was no stigma and people have the best of conditions at  designated health centers. Even in abroad, I saw a man who was being chased on the street because he went to a pharmacy shop to buy medicine for his cold. His temperature was tested to be high so the officials started chasing him and he was just screaming as he was being chased on the street - such stigma and inhumane approach will certainly not let people own up. No one invited this virus and having Covid-19 is not a death sentence. I predict at a point this virus will become so common to us just like AIDs and Cholera. People paniced alot when these two were discovered but I guess now people are use to it as though they never existed. Are people not having sex without condoms even in the face of HIV-AIDS. Let's limit the fear and panic and stigmatization associated with this and give people the best treatment possible. (Kindly search for and read my article on limit fear and panic in the face of Covid-19)

This is even in an advance country like Italy where a free customer to a pharmacy shop was chased like a thief who had stolen something, how do you think the plight of the people are being handled here in Ghana? A case of 'trotro' passengers who refused to sit by some Chinese people also came up. If we don't stop the stigmatization, more people will be infected by Covid-19 because they won't own up. Actor Idris Elba, Prime minister, Borris Johnson, Prince Charles and many top people in the world owned up that they have the virus because their citizens handle it in a matured way there without so much stigma attached. Covid-19 is just like any communicable disease like cholera, Spanish flu, AIDs etc just that it's new to the world. Not that it is new though because reports has it that it was discovered by a Norwagian virologist in 1964. Many of the aforementioned names have been discharged from the hospital after they recovered and some are receiving treatment from home.

Anyway, no one wants to die of Covid-19. If patients are treated like prisoners or not offered the best of care, will they not run away? I know I would certainly run away if I am not being given a good treatment perhaps look for some chloroquine, prekese or nim tree and drink if that would save me as they say. As we seek to criticize those who have run away from quarantine centers let us also look at how we are hosting them there. I am sure the usual class of treatment will show it's ugly head where the rich will be treated better than the poor at these centers (though I have not been there) but it is probable knowing the Ghanaian and our health workers nature. I don't think any Covid-19 patient would intentionally want to put anyone in harm's way by escaping and spreading the virus.

We also heard of a case of a nurse who was bribed Ghs20 and allowed a patient who had landed from Germany with the disease to go and roam in town before coming back. His own sister had to make a video which became viral on social media. We had medical people who came out to refute the allegation but we know it's true. No one in the right sense can just do a video to expose his own brother. That matter died, the hospital name was protected and we don't know if the said nurse is still at post and will be receiving the 50% basic salary increment for Frontline workers? When we do cover up for such cases what do you expect will be the aftermath, just because you want to protect the integrity of a health facility in this country.

So let's look at both sides of the coin when handling cases of escape at these centers and find an amicable solution to the problem confronting us. Give patients best of care regardless and do not lower the standards for those who are rich at these centers to have the best of treatments and freedom in doing what they want instead of following the quarantine rules.