By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A suspect identified as Mr Solomon Oriere has been apprehended by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for allegedly selling COVID-19 vaccination cards to unsuspecting victims.
Mr Oriere was nabbed by officials of the hospital on Saturday morning following an investigative report by Premium Times.
It was said the suspect sells COVID-19 test results to his victims without putting them through the jabs as required.
After the report by the online platform, LASUTH swung into action in an attempt to clear its name from the mess.
In a statement, the health facility emphasised that Mr Oriere was not a member of its staff, noting that this was reiterated by the suspect in his confessional statement after his arrest.
“Since the advent of COVID-19 vaccination in the State and LASUTH, the process of COVID-19 vaccination has been efficiently carried out at LASUTH and is currently done in the LASUTH Immunization Clinic located just beside the Stroke Ward.
“At the immunization clinic, members of the public, staff and other Nigerians who seek to be vaccinated are taken through a seamless process of information collection, proper vaccination and documentation of the process on the NPHCDA website by a staff of the Immunization Clinic,” a part of the statement issued by the hospital stated.
“They are also given appointments for other doses based on whichever is given at contact. The staff of LASUTH Immunization Clinic were only provided with access to document electronically the current vaccination given and not past or future vaccinations.
“We believe that whoever the fraudster is would have full access to the NPHCDA website and may have been working clandestinely with other officials that are not within LASUTH.
“We dissociate the hospital from this report even though it seems to be happening within the premises but is not officially sanctioned nor commissioned by the management of the hospital,” LASUTH added.
“In order to validate the claim of the institution, the reporter and members of the public are invited to visit the LASUTH Immunization Clinic, which is the only commissioned and recognized outlet for COVID-19 vaccination in the Hospital and observe proceedings for themselves.
“As a tertiary medical institution that is very viable and socially responsible, we will keep the public abreast of the findings of the investigation,” it added.
