The Lagos State Government has clarified its financial expense on the treatment of Coronavirus patients in various isolation centres in the state.
This comes on the heels of outcry that trailed a disclosure made by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on the amount the state government spends on the treatment of Covid-19 patients in critical conditions, which a section of the media sensationally put at N1million per day.
However, responding to such, in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, on Friday said that factual account of what Prof. Abayomi said was sacrificed for sensational reporting by some news outlets.
The statement reads: “Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, addressed a press conference at which he spoke on several facets of the state’s response to Covid-19. After the conference, he took questions.
“While we commend the role of the press in probing into the application of public funds, we look up to them to be balanced and accurate their reporting.
“It is clear that N1,000,000 sounds more sensational than N100,000, but we must not allow sincerity to be sacrificed on the altar of sensationalism.
‘What the Honourable Commissioner sought to communicate was the range of symptom manifestations of the Coronavirus – from mild and moderate to severe and critical.
“He explained that the cost of treating these manifestations vary, considerably.”
