Kaduna State gov
El-Rufai made the disclosure at an executive meeting with traditional rulers in Kaduna.
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“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,” El-Rufai said.
When you add all this up, the average cost of treatment is over N400,000 per person. We have to bear the cost.”
He said when the state recorded over 300 cases in the first 75 days into the lockdown in March.
The governor noted that “the number of cases has risen to over 2500” since the lockdown was lifted in June” and stated that “the opening up has had consequences of spreading the virus.”
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the total number of COVID-19 patients in Kaduna State is currently 2208, with 2,095 recovered and 32 deaths.
The Lagos State Government in July said it spends an average of N100,000 daily to treat a COVID-19 patient, while it costs about N500,000 and N1 million to treat a patient with intensive COVID-19 case.
Like Kaduna, Lagos State said the cost of treatment includes feeding expenses, accommodation, equipment worn by health care workers and their services among others.
El-Rufai said the expenses the state was incurring in treating COVID-19 patients was “digging a big hole in the government’s coffers.”
The governor urged traditional rulers to ensure that every member of their locality adheres to government directives in curbing the spread of the virus.
