The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, says it has the responsibility to give free medical care to victims of the Ijegun pipeline explosion which occurred last Thursday.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the facility, Dr. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, gave the assurance during a ward visit with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Titilayo Goncalves, to some of the victims admitted at LASUTH.
Fabamwo said: “The assurance is that we have a responsibility to give care to the victims free of charge and the Ministry of Health has been supporting us immensely.
“We have not lacked funds or any other thing that we needed to give care to these patients.
“Until they leave the hospital, none of them is going to spend a Kobo in their care and they will have all the supply that they need.”
He said that about five patients were currently receiving treatment at the hospital and were responding well.
“We expect a very good outcome for them,” Fabamwo said.
Also, Goncalves said that all the victims received prompt and fast treatment and had the very best of care.
She said, “We have used the most expensive materials to make sure that the victims got the highest level of quality in terms of healthcare and out of no cost to the patient.”
Responding, two relatives of victims including minors, aged five and 10 confirmed that they did not pay for the treatment.
One of them, Mrs. Adenike Fatai, said that all tests carried out at the hospital’s laboratory were free.
“We also got our drugs free and the doctors and nurses are attending to us; I appreciate what the hospital management is doing and also the state government,” Fatai said.
Also, an aunt to one of the victims, who did not give her name, said her niece was responding to treatment, which according to her, was free.
“Unfortunately, we lost the mother to the sad event.
” I am appreciative that the hospital management is giving us the care we need,” she said.
The July 4 pipeline explosion at Ijegun, a Lagos suburb, had claimed no fewer than 10 lives, while several houses and property were destroyed.
The cause of the explosion had been attributed to the activities of pipeline vandals.
NAN
