Moshood Adebayo, Lagos
The Lagos State Government has taken delivery of a 110-bed isolation facility in Onikan, where confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can be managed and treated in the state.
The facility was said to have been conceived and constructed in collaboration with the management of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank).
The isolation facility, which sits on an expansive area in the middle of a sports stadium, is divided into operational sections, including Intensive Care Unit (ICU), regular-bed wards, pharmacy department, doctors’ quarters and consulting rooms.
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The facility is also equipped with ventilators for the use of patients that may develop acute respiratory symptoms.
The Managing Director of GTBank, Mr Segun Agbaje, personally handed over the hospital facility to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu five days after the bank started the construction of the isolation centre sited on the main bowl of the Mobolaji Olufunsho Johnson Stadium in Onikan.
While taking delivery of the facility, Sanwo-Olu lauded the bank’s management for the speed with which the structure was built, disclosing that the facility was equipped with “world-class” equipment and medical supplies that would aid the state government to deliver adequate care to those infected with COVID-19.
Our 110-bed fully equipped Onikan #COVID19 Isolation Centre in partnership with @GTBank is ready!
We are excited about our private sector partners that are answering the call to assist us with visible impact. Our government will leave no stone unturned to protect our residents. pic.twitter.com/MMBk5ikWYh
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) March 28, 2020
“I am very excited to take possession of this 110-bed isolation facility which the Lagos State Government and Guaranty Trust Bank have put together. In our assessment, it is a world-class facility which has been achieved within a week. Contractors at multilevel worked tirelessly to put up the structure.
“This is a reflection of strong can-do spirit of Nigerians, especially the brand called GTBank. I am happy that the GTBank saw the need for this collaboration. We are going through trying times globally, which is occasioned by the unprecedented level of a pandemic. What we are doing in Lagos is that we are building excess capacity in the event that we witness a spike in cases of COVID-19 infection,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu allayed the fear of residents over the growing cases of the disease, saying the state was working tirelessly to stem the rate of transmission, especially by those who have returned from abroad.
While suggesting that there had been an improvement in the recovery of some patients currently isolated at the state’s Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, he added that the state would continue to build capacity to enhance its response strategy and actions towards containing the pandemic.
Agbaje hailed the state government for accepting the collaboration offer in building the facility, noting that half of the resources used to build the isolation centre was donated by the Africa Finance Corporation.
He expressed optimism that the effort would strengthen the capacity of Lagos to stop the spread of the virus.