The Lagos State Government has reiterated that COVID-19 testing for residents of the state is free of charge in public laboratories. Mr Gbenga Omotoso
The Lagos State Government has reiterated that COVID-19 testing for residents of the state is free of charge in public laboratories. Mr Gbenga Omotoso, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy said this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
”The state would like to reassure the general public that testing is still free at all the COVID-19 public testing laboratories for all Lagos residents. Residents are enjoined to take advantage of this service if they feel unwell or feel they have had close contact with an infected person,” Omotoso said.
He said that the government has established sampling centres across the state and has continued to enhance the capacity of the public testing laboratories to examine all those who required testing free of charge. According to him, if any resident feels unwell, he should please, lodge a complaint through the appropriate channel by calling 08000CORONA. He said that the state government has launched a consortium of seven private laboratories in the first phase.
“This is part of the testing strategy of the state to increase the accessibility of testing facilities to the organised private and corporate sector who wish to test for various reasons. For the avoidance of doubt it is necessary to reiterate to members of the public that testing remains free of charge at all public testing laboratories,” the commissioner said.
However, testing isn’t free in private laboratories. The state’s commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi disclosed this while launching the Lagos State Private-Public Consortium on the management of COVID-19 to increase the capacity of the state government in the management of the pandemic.
He said though the tests were being conducted in government owned laboratories free, the approved private laboratories will conduct COVID-19 tests in the state at a cost of between N40,000 and N50,400.
With this development most residents, particularly those with suspected symptoms are apprehensive that they might not get adequate attention from the public hospitals or other facilities, where they usually undergo the screening free of charge on the excuse that the testing kits are inadequate.
The state Commissioner for Health, Professor Abayomi said the inclusion of the private consortium in the testing was part of the moves to expand the state government’s COVID-19 response capacity.
