Number of ventilators in states
In Kano State, the deputy governor, Dr. Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, who is the chairman of the Task Force Committee on COVID-19, said there are 27 ventilators at the newly converted isolation centre at the Kwanar Dawaki Pfizer Hospital.
Gawuna said this was in addition to a number of ventilators at different hospitals, which could be used when the need arises, noting that only about 20 per cent of patients need ventilators.
The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), which was listed as one of the possible isolation centres by the Kano Task Force on COVID-19, has eight ventilators in its Intensive Care Unit.
However, the Director, Infections Control of the hospital, Professor Isah Abubakar, said the number would be grossly inadequate in case of an outbreak as some of the beds were already occupied by other patients with respiratory challenges.
He equally requested that the AKTH laboratory be upgraded to one of the centres for testing and diagnosis of the COVID-19 in the North. In Ogun, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said there are 24 functional respiratory ventilators in the state.
Coker told Daily Trust that the ventilators belong to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu and Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan.
Similarly, the Edo State government said it has 25 ventilators spread across the three isolation centres located in Benin in Edo South, Irrua in Edo Central and Auchi in Edo North Senatorial districts.
This was made known by the deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu who is the chairman, Edo State COVID-19 Taskforce Team.
In Delta, the State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the government had dedicated 19 ventilators for the treatment of coronavirus, should the pandemic break out.
Fielding questions from journalists at an interactive session on COVID-19 update, he said the government made the provision despite the fact that there was no confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state at the moment.
“Ventilators become necessary when the attack becomes acute. Prevention is better and far cheaper. What is important at this moment is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and personal hygiene, which we are making concerted efforts to sensitize our people,” he said.
Adamawa State has a total of five ventilators with two at the Federal Medical Centre, one at Adamawa-German Hospital, Yola and two at the COVID 19 Isolation Centre.
This is according to the Director of Public Health, Adamawa State Ministry of Health, Dr. Bwalki Dilli.
In Kwara, the state government said it has eight new ventilators in its 60-bed capacity isolation centre at Sobi Specialists Hospital, Ilorin.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye also said the state government had placed an order for eight more ventilators. He said before the coming of the present administration, Kwara state government had no isolation centre with a single ventilator.
“If any ventilator existed in Kwara, it was at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, a federal institution,” he said.
Bayelsa State said it currently has five ventilators at the moment to combat the ravaging coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The Director of Public Health in the state ministry of health, Dr. Yerinbuluemi Stowe, who disclosed this said the state government may acquire more ventilators in due course.
Out of the five ventilators, he said three were stationed at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Yenagoa, while two were at the state isolation centre located inside the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital in Okolobiri.
In Katsina, our correspondent reports that there are only five ventilators available at the two designated isolation centres established for any eventualities from the COVID- 19 outbreak.
Three of them are located at the Federal Medical centre (FMC) Katsina, while two are at the state government-owned General Amadi Rimi Specialist hospital.
In Borno State, it was gathered that there are 15 functional ventilators and three mobile ventilators while in neighbouring Yobe State, the isolation centre at Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu has three ventilators, two oxygen concentrators and one physio-control defibrillator.
The Benue State Commissioner of Health and Secretary, State Action Committee on Coronavirus, Dr. Sunday Ongbabo, said there were six ventilators in the state.
According to the commissioner, four of the ventilators were located at the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi, while the remaining two are at the isolation centre in Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
Bauchi State is said to have four ventilators in one hospital among the designated isolated centres for the patients of coronavirus.
A source at the ministry of health who crave anonymity told Daily Trust that there were four ventilators at the Abubakar Tafawa University Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH).
But a reliable source in the hospital said, “ATBU-TH has only one ventilator but it was taken to the isolated centre where some people have been quarantined.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Aliyu Mohammed Maigoro, declined to comment saying, “I will not answer any questions on the phone. If you want clarification on the COVID-19 issues, let us meet at the media briefing.”
The Infectious Disease Control Centre (IDCC) in Kakuri, Kaduna State and the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in the state have two functioning ventilators each, our correspondent gathered.
Daily Trust reports that the Kaduna State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Amina MohammedBaloni, had earlier said that the IDCC has been equipped with specialised equipment like ventilators, oxygen concentrators and monitors in preparedness for case management of COVID-19.
She did not respond to an inquiry on the total number of ventilators in the state but the Kaduna State Epidemiologist, Jeremiah Daikwo, told Daily
Trust on the phone that there are two ventilators at the Kaduna IDCC, saying he cannot verify the number of ventilators in the entire state. Our correspondent contacted the Chief Medical Director of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Prof. Abdulkadir Musa Tabari, who also said the hospital has two functioning ventilators.
Ebonyi State has four ventilators, according to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike.
In Gombe, the state Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Kefas Zawaya, said the three isolation centres set up by the state government do not have functional ventilators.
“I can boldly tell you that Gombe State does not have up to three ventilators that are functioning to treat COVID-19 cases.
“Although we have functional ventilators at ICU of the FTH, Gombe but it cannot be released to the state government for the treatment of the coronavirus because they need them to take care of their patients,” he said.
The Plateau State government said there were eight ventilators available in the state for coronavirus patients in the event the need arise. The Commissioner of Information and Communication, Mr. Dan Manjang, told Daily Trust that the state government had plans to buy additional five ventilators that would be sent to the three senatorial districts of the state.