The Lagos State government has sought to clarify comments made by the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, that it cost the state government N1 million to take care of COVID-19 patients at the various isolation centres.
In the clarification, the state government said that the cost of treatment is dependent on the level of manifestation of the coronavirus disease, which ranges from mild and moderate to severe and critical situations. The cost of treating these manifestations vary considerably.
This was disclosed in a press statement that was issued by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, on Friday, July 24, 2020.
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In the statement, Omotosho revealed that the estimated cost of intensive care, which usually requires a longer period of admission, ranges between N500,000 and N1 million per day. He said it applied to no more than 200 out of the 2,490 admissions, majority of whom recovered.
Going further, the information commissioner said that the balance of the 2,290 noncomplicated admissions each had an estimated cost of N100,000 per day.
Omotosho pointed out that considerations factored into the costing of intensive care include ventilation, dialysis, intravenous antibiotics, oxygen and other high and intensive care requirements, depending on the complications of the case.
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He also revealed that the 2,490 admissions into the state’s isolation centres are 18% of the 13,835 positive cases identified in Lagos State thus far. Of all these patients that have been admitted, about 7% were severe and 1% was critical, that is 8% of total admissions.
He said that the Commissioner for Health, in the interest of transparency, gave an insight into the economics of COVID-19 care, but unfortunately, a section of the media misunderstood his comments. He said that although the N1 million sounds more sensational than the N100,000, sincerity should not be sacrificed on the altar of sensational news reporting.
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He pointed out that certain sections of the press chose to latch on to the figure of N1 million and disregarded the painstaking context that had been provided by Prof. Abayomi.
On the testing protocol, Omotosho said that the number of tests that are being presently conducted has shown incredibly significant growth when compared to what was done in the early stages of the pandemic. He noted that even with challenges, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the tremendous progress that had been made.
He said improving testing protocols is a process rather than an event, and while recognizing the challenges, the state is actively engaged in addressing them.
On Thursday July 23, 2020, Lagos State Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi, addressed a press conference at which he spoke on several facets of the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the conference, he took questions@jidesanwoolu @gbenga_omo #LASG #CovidLASG pic.twitter.com/4oV3zdpIE7
— The Lagos State Govt (@followlasg) July 24, 2020
