Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that the government spends about N400,000 to treat a COVID-19 patient in the state.
El-Rufai disclosed this during an executive committee meeting with traditional rulers chaired by Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto.
The governor said the amount was as a result of the increasing cost of drugs, feeding and personal protective equipment for doctors.
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.”