The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has disclosed that the state has just exited the fifth COVID-19 wave, pointing out that severe complications arising from the disease are now a thing of the past.
Abayomi made this disclosure while speaking during the launch of a Lithotripsy Machine donated to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Lagos yesterday.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had on July 8, in a widely circulated public health advisory, warned of the onset of fifth COVID-19 wave arising from increasing daily infections.
According to the commissioner, it is true that COVID-19 infection is still very much around, many residents have however, learnt to develop immunity against the disease from natural infection or vaccination.
‘Now that we’ve weaned ourselves out of the fifth COVID-19 wave, it’s still rumbling around, but most residents have enough immunity either from natural infection or vaccination.
‘We are not seeing the severe complications of COVID-19 infection any more,’ Abayomi said.
He said that the Lithotripsy Machine, donated by Mr Idowu Obasa, would assist many patients who would have otherwise gone through painful and dangerous medical procedures.
Read Also: Covid-19 Has Claimed One Million Lives In 2022 – WHO
He said that the donation made LASUTH the first recipient of Lithotripsy Machine in public health facilities in Nigeria.
According to him, Lithotripsy is a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure that uses shock waves or lasers to break down stones in the kidneys, bladder or ureters.
He explained that kidney stones occur when minerals and other substances in the urine crystallise in one’s kidneys, forming solid masses or stones that are too large to pass through the urinary tract.
He commended the donor, noting that the machine would further assist LASUTH in raising the standard of healthcare in the state and also the country.
Commenting, Obasa said he was inspired to purchase the machine when he heard about the equipment gap.
The lawmaker noted that adequate equipment was critical to quality healthcare service delivery and commended the state government for maintaining excellence in the health sector.
Also, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, disclosed that the Lithotripsy Machine cost between N40 million and N50 million.
Fabamwo commended Obasa for the generous donation, saying that the machine that the hospital usually rented for procedure, got spoilt and that created gaps.
He pledged to ensure proper and judicious use of the machine to promote citizen’s health.