Osinbajo hails Sanwo-Olu, Lagos govt on COVID-19 management

Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, commended Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his team for flattening the curve and containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Osinbajo gave the commendation while speaking virtually during the official unveiling of Evercare Hospital, a tertiary health centre in Lekki, Lagos.

“I want to commend you, Mr Governor and your team on your handling of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. Thanks for showing the world what strong knowledgeable leadership can deliver even with the wave of unprecedented global adversity. You have done very well,” he said.

Osinbajo said serious investment in the health sector would reverse the trend of outbound medical tourism and begin to attract not just medical tourists from neighbouring regions but also developed nations to seek first-class healthcare in Nigeria.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in his remark, restated his administration’s commitment to improve healthcare infrastructure as well as make services more affordable and accessible for residents in Lagos State.

The governor said his administration was working with the private sector to reduce medical tourism and brain drain through the provision of infrastructure and retraining of personnel in the health sector.

He disclosed that his administration spent billions of naira last year on procurement of health equipment, adding that the equipment were on the way and when they arrived, would complement what the country had in public health facilities.

“For us as a government, we have raised our strength on health, especially our capital expenditure on health. We are currently renovating to a world-class, six of our general hospitals. We are currently building two new general hospitals. We are building a children hospital. We are building an international research centre. All these are meant to complement what we have currently.

“We will also scale up a tertiary health centre, Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). We will be discussing with you in the next coming months what we want to turn LASUTH to. All of these are to make healthcare accessible and affordable.

“We are trying to stop medical tourism; people travelling several thousand kilometres to go and secure or get health treatment. With good facilities, we will bring down the total cost of health care and provide quality health care,” Sanwo-Olu stated.

On why he is yet to receive the shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his decision was based on the need to follow the rules which enjoined that health workers at the frontline should first take theirs.

“I just want to follow the rules. The rules are that the health workers at the frontline should first take it. So, I am pleading with the Commissioner for Health to be gracious and let me also take. So, they have given me a date, tomorrow (Friday) and I am hoping that they would have started giving it to the health workers,” he said.

Also speaking, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the state government would create enabling environment for the private sector to change the face of healthcare services in the state and Nigeria.

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Osinbajo hails Sanwo-Olu, Lagos govt on COVID-19 management