Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has urged residents in the state to continue to adhere strictly to COVID-19 guidelines in other to curb the spread of the dreaded disease from the state.
Speaking on Monday, September 7 during an executive committee meeting with traditional rulers in the state, the governor noted that it cost about N400, 000 to treat one COVID-19 patient.
According to El-Rufai in the meeting which was chaired by Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, the huge sum is as a result of the increasing cost of drugs, feeding, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors taking care of infected patients.
The governor noted that the government could not fold its arms and ask patients to pay the bills as most people would not be able to pay for the huge sum. El-Rufai said doing so could lead to further spread of the pandemic in the state.
He said, “We have a very high success rate in treating COVID-19 patients. Even a 90-year-old person, with underlying conditions, diabetes and hypertension was treated successfully in the state,”
“The virus has not left us. We may ignore it, but it is still there. We urge you to sensitise our people to protect themselves against this virus, particularly those that are above the age of 60.”
“It costs about N400,000 to treat one coronavirus patient. They have to be isolated and fed. The cost of medicine has increased, even the personal protective equipment that the doctors treating them have to wear. When you add all this up, the average cost of treatment is over N400,000 per person. We have to bear the cost.”