BY MARY KUYE
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has pledged to fully pay bills of patients in the 27 General Hospitals in the state who are in the emergency/casualty, maternity and surgeries wards.
Sanwo-Olu stated this at the State House in Marina during a press briefing on Saturday.
The Governor said: “The Lagos State Government will, for the duration of the restriction on movement, take full responsibility for the medical bills of all patients who fall in the following categories at all Lagos State-owned secondary healthcare facilities: Emergency/Casualty cases, including registration, laboratory tests, surgeries, and drugs, Maternity Cases: Normal delivery and Caesarean Sections.
“What this means is that, at this time, patients with the above-listed conditions will not need to pay to access.
The governor also commended Lagosians for obeying the instructions to stay indoors, saying “it’s been five days since the Federal Government ordered a restriction of movement in Lagos State, as part of measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“It has not been easy, but it is abundantly clear that this was a step that had to be taken, a necessary sacrifice, to avoid far more disruptive outcomes.
“The restrictions have also started paying off, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control has told us that they have been able to take advantage of the absence of traffic on our roads to make appreciable progress in their contact tracing.
“I would like to thank everyone who has dutifully obeyed the instruction to stay indoors, resisting the temptation to defy these directives that have been made for the good of all of us”
Sanwo-Olu took the opportunity to announce more good news about the recoveries we are seeing among COVID-19 patients in the state.
He said: “You may have seen videos and testimonials from some of them in the media. We are all just as delighted as they are. Just as we have seen some patients being discharged, we, unfortunately, also have some new ones being discovered in the metropolis.
On Friday, April 3, 2020, eleven (11) new patients were diagnosed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the State to 109. I have no doubt that all the patients will continue to enjoy the excellent care being offered by our indefatigable medical officials, who deserve credit for their heroic exploits on the frontlines of this battle”
“On behalf of all Lagosians, I thank our medical and emergency personnel, and all our ad-hoc staff and volunteers. When the story of this brave fight against Covid-19 is told, there is no doubt that your sacrifice, service and heroism will feature prominently.
“As a Government, we shall continue to work with the Federal authorities, represented by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We thank them for all the support thus far.”