Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says it cost about N400,000 to treat one coronavirus patient in the state.
He made the comment on Monday during an executive committee meeting with traditional rulers chaired by Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto.
The governor said the amount is a result of the increasing cost of drugs, feeding, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors.
El-Rufai said the government cannot tell patients to bear the cost of the treatment because it will lead to further spread of the disease.
“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,” el-Rufai said.
Speaking on what it costs to treat COVID-19 patients, El- Rufai said the treatment of the disease is a very expensive process.
In his words, “the last time I received a report it cost about N400,000 to treat one COVID-19 patient because he has to be isolated, he has to be fed and the cost of medicines has increased and even the permanent protective equipment that the doctors treating them have to wear, when you add these up it is over N400,00”.
Kaduna has recorded a total of 2,214 COVID-19 cases so far.
In July, Akin Abayomi, commissioner of health in Lagos, said Lagos spends between N500,000 and N1 million daily to treat a COVID-19 patient in critical condition.
