Port Harcourt — SOME Staff of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital stayed away from their duty post following the failure of the management to remove from the morgue the corpse of medical doctor, Dr. Ikechukwu Enemuo, who died of Ebola.

When The Guardian visited UPTH yesterday, some of the workers who pleaded anonymity said they were infuriated that the management refused to disclose to them the exact cause of the death of the medical doctor who is declared as the first Ebola victim in Rivers state. According to them, the management has failed to provide adequate protective gears for workers in the laboratory and other critical departments of the hospital.

The Guardian findings revealed that federal authorities have sealed up the UPTH morgue and quarantined some of the morgue attendants. It was also gathered that some of the morticians who had worked in the morgue since the remains of the late doctor were brought there have not reported to be quarantined. It was also gathered that measures have been put in place to decontaminate the UPTH morgue.

All the wards in hospital were empty as at yesterday due to Ebola scare that has pervaded Rivers State and the refusal of the UPTH management to allow resident doctors resume work.

The private hospital where the late Enemou worked until his demise was still open for business as at yesterday. Similarly, the hotel in Port Harcourt where he allegedly treated the ECOWAS diplomat who brought the Ebola virus to Rivers state was still open for business.

THE CROSS River State Government and Authorities of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) have denied traces of Ebola in Calabar, Cross River saying what is making rounds in town is rumour.

Yesterday a former member of the National Conference and also former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Orok Duke posted on his Facebook page that "a case of Ebola has been reported in the Calabar University Teaching Hospital (UCTH). The Patient who arrived today from Port Harcourt has been detained (quarantined), along with the doctor, the medical staff and the accountant who received money from him etc. There is no Isolation Unit and the Student Doctors have all been sent home."

Orok said "some medical doctors in the UCTH had shown in a text that there is Ebola case in the hospital and the man was vomiting blood and doctors were running away. I challenge anybody who is saying otherwise should produce the patient. As I speak, there is no place in Calabar to prove if there is ebola case or not. I stand by my posting in the Facebook, it is a shame that the hospital is denying it."

But the State Commissioner Dr. Mrs. Angela Eyo-Ita, said, "it is absolutely false, whoever is bringing that up does not mean well for the state".

THE Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) yesterday called for the same level of protection provided to medical officials, as the nation moves towards containing the Ebola Virus Disease in the country.

The Union is also calling for comprehensive health insurance for health workers.

President of the Union, Felix Faniran, said in Abuja yesterday that the notion that the hospital is the terrain of only doctors was erroneous.

He said: "The nation was unfortunate to have experienced the Ebola virus disease which came to the country through an American Liberian, Patrick Sawyer on July 20, 2014.