Lagos state governor through his commissioner for health has announced that Lagos residents who are unable to get themselves tested in government’s own facilities would henceforth pay N50,400 in a private laboratory to conduct COVID-19 test.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi made this known while launching the Lagos State Private-Public Consortium on the management of COVID-19 to increase the capacity of the state government in the management of the pandemic.

He said though the tests were being conducted in government-owned laboratories are free, the approved private laboratories will conduct COVID-19 tests in the state at a cost of between N40,000 and N50,400.

With this development, most residents, particularly those with suspected symptoms are apprehensive that they might not get adequate attention from the public hospitals or other facilities, where they usually undergo the screening free of charge on the excuse that the testing kits are inadequate.

The state Commissioner for Health, Professor Abayomi said the inclusion of the private consortium in the testing was part of the moves to expand the state government’s COVID-19 response capacity.