Report anyone who demands payment for COVID-19 test – Health Minister, Ehanire

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has asked Nigerians to report any Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) worker or Ministry of Health personnel that demands payment before COVID-19 test is carried out in the country.

There have been reports circulating since last week that the Federal government charges as much as N50,000 for Covid-19 testing and the Health Minister has now rubbished those reports.

Speaking on Monday July 6, during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said COVID-19 testing remains free.

“I wish to remind everyone that government-run testing for COVID-19 is free. Please report anyone who demands payment for necessary action,” he said.

According to Ehanire, Nigeria has recorded a total of 28,711 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, 11,665 discharged patients and 645 deaths out of 152,952 tests conducted as of July 6.

Ehanire also revealed that June alone recorded half the total number of deaths recorded so far.

“It means that just under half of the total fatalities so far recorded occurred in that single month of June. While we more than doubled the tests done and the number of cases detected.

“The reduction in case fatality rate is down to about 2.2 per cent as opposed to about 5 per cent we have seen on global average,” he added.