Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, today commissioned the 118-bed Isolation and Treatment Center set up within the premises of Gbagada General Hospital for management of COVID-19 cases.
Within the three-floor Isolation and Treatment facility are the dedicated intensive care isolation unit, ventilators, monitors, respirators, mobile x-ray, ultrasound, oxygen amongst other ultramodern medical equipment.
Speaking at the unveiling, Sanwo-Olu said an existing facility within the Gbagada General Hospital complex, which was not in use, was converted to the 118-bed biosecurity compliant Isolation and Treatment facility after an extensive renovation and upgrade was carried out.
He added that the facility was revamped and converted to an Isolation and Treatment Centre in order to provide additional capacity to already existing isolation centres in the State.
Sanwo-Olu said, “We have had to do extensive builders’ work and renovation of this health facility and make it conform to a biosecurity isolation facility. We are indeed happy and excited at the level of work done by the contractor and the supervising Ministry”.
“This facility as you know used to be the Cardiac and Renal Centre but has not been used for some time now, so what we have been doing in the last two and a half months is to upscale the facility, finish up with the builders’ work and revamp the entire place to conform with an Isolation Centre”, he disclosed.
The Governor explained that the facility, which is now designated for management of COVID-19 cases, has been demarcated into Green, Yellow and Red Zones in line with Infection Prevention and Control management.
According to him, “Green Zone will be for the health workers before they enter into the premises, Yellow Zone is holding Bay for suspected COVID-19 cases who are on observation while the Red Zone is for the management of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The facility has an Independent Power Supply and backup Power Generator for uninterrupted power. This facility, I must say, is first class and of international standard and has all the trappings of a clinical care Unit”.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who also used the occasion to celebrate frontline health workers and other allied professionals involved in the COVID-19 battle, described them as unsung heroes of the 2020 May Day celebration.
In his words, “Today being May Day, we’ve had a celebration and our frontline health workers have been celebrated as the real heroes of 2020 May Day Celebration and everybody that is a health worker and frontline worker in public and private sectors are the ones we are celebrating today; all of the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, health attendants, psychosocial caregivers, street sweepers, firefighters, emergency responders are the real celebrants for this May Day celebration and I think it is important that we celebrate them and mention that their sacrifices and labour are recognised”.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that two other isolation facilities dedicated solely for frontline health workers who may come in contact with COVID-19 has been completed and expected to go live today.
While noting that the State will continue to ramp up its bed capacity and increase its isolation bed spaces in both known and undisclosed Isolation facilities, the Governor said the State would always be ready to admit confirmed COVID-19 cases and discharged them after successful management.
“Today, I encouraged and spoke with our health workers at various isolation centres undergoing treatment. They are all in very high spirits and I know as from tomorrow some of them would be discharged to reunite with their families”, Sanwo-Olu said.
