COVID-19 Pandemic: Board Closes N1.2 Bn Eti-Osa Isolation Centre

Treats 310 patients in 3 months By Olasunkanmi Akoni Despite the increasing numbers in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lagos, the epi-centre, the management board of Young President Organisation, YPO, has concluded plans to close. Eti-Osa Isolation Centre in Landmark Village area of the state on July 31, 2020, in line with agreed terms with Lagos State Government.

Thus, the state government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic may suffer setbacks in the treatment of patients in the state, particularly, in the high-risk area of Eti-Osa Local Government which has recorded the highest cases in Lagos.

Apart from Eti-Osa, Landmark Isolation centre other major active Isolation centres in the state include Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, Yaba, Gbagada General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, Agidingbi, and Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos Island, First Cardiology, Critical care, centre.

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Recall, the state Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, at an earlier press briefing disclosed that the state can only boast of eight isolation centres with 547-bed spaces.

He listed the various isolation centres currently in the state and their bed capacities as Gbagada General Hospital –118, LUTH, 60, IDH, 115, Onikan – 100, Landmark Center-70, Lekki Center– 45, Agidingbi– 34 and First Cardiology – 5.

Expressing concern over the rising number of cases in the state revealed that the total number of confirmed cases in the state might increase to 120,000 between July and August.

According to him, the virus is expected to reach its peak in the state at that time.

Also, while speaking at a health webinar organized by Medic West Africa, Abayomi explained that the reason Lagos State brought the private sector into the COVID-19 containment, as well as the introduction of home-based care, was because the number of cases will soon exceed the capacity of the Lagos State isolation centre.

He said, though Lagos State had been expanding isolation facilities by opening new wards, the increase in testing capacity and more number of positive cases had shown that the isolation centres would not be able to cope with the number of patients.

“The number of positive cases through our improved testing is going to exceed the number we can isolate in our isolation centres. “

We are also discharging, but through our modelling, we know we are going to exceed our isolation capacity sooner than later.

“So, we are bringing in the private sector and trying to define a strategy of home-based care. We are also training workers at primary care level,” Abayomi said. July 31 closure of Eti-Osa centre Meanwhile, in a statement made available to Vanguard on Monday, the YPO Board said the organisation will be donating all the world-class medical equipment estimated to worth N1.2 billion to the state government upon closure for treatment t of patients.

YPO is a global leadership community with over 29,000 business executives in over 130 countries who are driven by the belief that the world needs better leaders.

YPO is a community of peer leaders committed to lifelong learning and idea exchange. The YPO Lagos Chapter has a total of 102 members and 78 spouses, partner.

Therefore, In an effort to help the community YPO, Lagos chapter approached the Lagos State Government and on March 31st, 2020 embarked on setting up a free public COVID-19 treatment and isolation center in Eti Osa.

Three weeks later on April 22, 2020, the Eti Osa Isolation center at Landmark Village was handed over to the state government for it to be integrated into the statewide response for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Eti OSa Isolation Center’s sole purpose was to improve the capacity of the state to fight COVID-19 and thus save lives during the critical early stage of the pandemic.

The 86-bed emergency treatment and isolation center, catered for moderately to severely sick patients, with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), High dependency Unit (HDU), and a general ward.

The center is equipped with 6 ventilators, monitors, respirators, mobile X-rays, ultrasound and oxygen piping as well as all other auxiliary medical and non-medical facilities.

According to the management board, “As the Center is closing down on July 31st, 2020, YPO will donate world-class medical equipment to Lagos State in order to contribute to the development of the health care system in the state now and for many years to come. “

The facility is staffed with 97 clinical staff such as medical directors, doctors, intensivists, nurses, radiologists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, laboratory operators, biomedical engineers, and 45 operational staff such as housekeepers, hygienists and support staff.

“Each of the 142 staff has undergone constant and regular training since the beginning of the center’s operations in order to improve quality and build a word-class health care ecosystem at the Eti Osa Isolation Center. “

YPO is very proud to have contributed to the continuous capacity building of the health care workers and extremely grateful to the team of doctors, nurses, and facilities personnel that worked tirelessly every day and night, to make sure lives were saved.

The Eti Osa Isolation Center has treated over 310 patients, from every nationality and every walk of life. Every one of them was treated like a VIP patient and the excellent service and wonderful care was appreciated by everyone at the centre.

The organization also commended “members, spouses, and our corporate and individual donors who collectively donated about N1.2 billion to make this center a reality.”

YPO continued, “We are very thankful to the Lagos State Government for this unique collaboration which contributed to the narrative of saving lives in Lagos State.

YPO believes that the Eti Osa Isolation center has changed the landscape of healthcare and the role of the private sector in healthcare in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole and hope there will be a similar collaboration with the state in the future.”

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