Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health in Lagos, has said Abba Kyari, the late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, died at First Cardiology Consultants, a private hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The hospital is a top choice among wealthy Nigerians seeking cardiovascular treatment and has been in operation since 2008.
The presidency announced the death of Kyari on Saturday morning after which he was buried in Abuja according to Islamic rites.
In a statement, the commissioner said the state needed to clear the air following enquiries on the demise of the late Chief of Staff.
Abayomi said the hospital where Kyari died was an accredited COVID-19 facility, adding that;
Mallam Abba Kyari died from complications of Coronavirus infection at First Cardiology Consultants in Lagos.
He further explained that;
This hospital is a Lagos State designated high care, biosecurity-compliant, COVID-19 facility, accredited by the Health Facility Management and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) of the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
Professor Abayomi stressed that;
As a basis for accreditation, First Cardiology Consultants established a separate specialist wing with staff dedicated to the treatment of complicated cases of COVID-19, under the supervision of the Lagos State COVID-19 emergency response team.
According to Premium Times, this is contrary to the earlier position of the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, in his response to enquiries on whether any private hospital had been accredited for the management of Covid-19 or not.
Ehanire said there was no private hospital managing confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease in the country.
Speaking on Friday on the matter during the daily press briefing of the presidential task force on Covid-19, the minister said the management of the disease is difficult and can overwhelm private facilities due to technicalities involved in the management of the pandemic.
He said;
As at today, there is no private hospital that has been accredited to manage Covid-19 case in Nigeria. There is none in Abuja here that I know of.
But I think Lagos is looking at some accredited hospitals and there is one large hospital in Lagos that has called me that it wants to become a Coronavirus treatment centre.
