The Lagos State Government says its earlier statement detailing how much it cost to treat COVID-19 cases in Lagos isolation centres was misinterpreted and quoted out of context.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, said this in a statement on Friday, noting that the misinterpretation of the facts necessitated an explanation by the government.
It may be recalled that the Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, revealed the state government spends about N100,000 daily on each COVID-19 patient whose case is mild-to-moderate, adding that a severe case could gulp up to one million naira to maintain daily.
Omotosho, however, still insisted that it costs the state government about the same amount earlier quoted.
He explained that only 8 per cent of those admitted were in critical and severe conditions and that their treatment cost between N500, 000 to N1 million per day depending on the severity of the cases.
“Of the 13,835 positive cases identified in Lagos thus far, about 18% equivalent to 2,490 have been admitted into the state’s isolation centres. Of all these patients admitted – about 7% were severe and 1% was critical; that is 8% of total admissions.
“Every case is different and it is very difficult to calculate exactly how much managing a COVID-19 patient would cost, but what is clear to us is that when you add up the expenses of maintaining the facility, infrastructure, human resources, feeding and consumables, it costs the government approximately 100,000 naira per day for a non-complicated COVID-19 admission.
“The Honourable Commissioner gave an indication of the considerations factored into the costing of intensive care, including ventilation, dialysis, intravenous antibiotics, oxygen and other high and intensive care requirements, depending on the complications of the case.
“He went on to estimate the cost of intensive care, which usually requires a longer period of admission, and may range between N500, 000 to N1, 000,000 per day,” he said.
Further speaking, Omotosho said N500, 000 to N1 million, applied to not more than 200 out of the 2,490 patients on admission and that majority of them recovered, while the remaining 2,290 patients in the non-complicated category cost around N100, 000 per day.
