The Federal Government is considering the option of home-care treatment for COVID-19 patients due to lack of bed spaces in certain states.
The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at a briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“Concerning the availability of bed spaces for the management of patients, there’s no doubt that we’re struggling in certain places, especially in Lagos State, and to an extent, Kano and Abuja. But the biggest challenge right now is in Lagos where bed spaces are really tight.
“Across the country, we have about 3,500 bed spaces identified as available for coronavirus, but in Lagos we’re already struggling. So, we’re going to work with them to keep trying to make more spaces available.
“But ultimately, we might have to change that strategy a little bit and start considering homecare in certain circumstances where, firstly, you’re able to provide a room where a patient can be managed sufficiently and secondly, we’re able to support the care by enabling healthcare workers to come there. We’ll always be honest to Nigerians.
“We’re struggling at the moment and we might have to adapt our strategies because of the realities we face. Over the next few days and weeks, and as we do that, we’ll make that clear to Nigerians.
“Our policy hasn’t changed, but the pressure is there and that might have to change in the next few days,” Ihekweazu said.
On a bill in the House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, seeking to make the NCDC more proactive, said he was personally not in favour of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis, he said: “I’m personally not in favour of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis. I think we need to get over the crisis, get our heads around what has happened and use the momentum again with all stakeholders to come up with a bill that will really serve this country, not only for now but well into the future.”
