From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Chief medical Director, of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, DASH Lafia, Dr. Ikrama Hassan  has said he  would do everything within his powers to ensure that Nasarawa gets a testing Centre for Lassa fever in the state. 
Dr Hassan Ikrama, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of DASH made the disclosure on Wednesday in Lafia while addressing healthcare workers from the facility who stage a procession in solidarity of their deceased colleagues.
Dr. Ikrama explained that the  two Consultant gynaecologists got infected after performing a surgery on a probable case of Lassa fever
“the two Medical Doctors participated in the surgery of a woman that was bleeding after delivering a baby at the facility suspected to be a carrier of Lassa Fever.” He added
” you know we could not do testing here because there is no testing facility in Nasarawa, and the woman’s case was an emergency, so we believed that is how the two doctors contracted the virus.
“If there was a testing centre here, I believe such test for Lassa fever would be conducted before carrying out the surgery, gone are the days where a patient has to wait for many days before getting a test result but now ones a sample is sent for testing in few hours, the result is out, it is  very unfortunate that we lost two special people as a result of lack of this facility in Nasarawa.”
He further said the two doctors  developed symptoms of Lassa Fever  after performing the surgery  were taken to medical facilities in Abuja because both have their families  there.
The medical boss further said all health workers including non health workers who had contacts with the deceased Doctors were assessed, through contact tracing and testing, their results returned negative.
“We have Immediately traced all the personnel’s in the hospital that had  contacts with the deceased to the patient and the Doctors, all the contacts including medical personnel in the hospital were tested negative and free from lassa fever at the moment.”  He said
“Unfortunately, we lost the the Doctors as well as the mother and her baby,” the CMD added.
He therefore assured that the hospital would be  more vigilant in detecting suspected Lassa fever cases and would  acquire a testing facility for Lasa fever. He added.
Dr Ikrama used the medium to caution  all healthcare workers to treat every patient as a suspected lassa fever patient to avoid any eventuality.