Popular veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie’s son, Uche, revealed that he spent more than six million naira on his Covid-19 treatment.
Uche Edochie shared his own experience while reflecting on the high cost of accessing quality healthcare especially those infected with the coronavirus.
The visual artist via his Instagram post on Friday disclosed that he contracted Covid-19 some weeks ago.
Initially, he thought he had malaria but later discovered it was Covid-19.
He revealed that the novel virus damaged several parts of his body including his lungs.
He said:
“When I fell sick weeks ago, I thought I had malaria. So I spent the first couple of weeks treating for malaria. By the time I realised this could be something else, it was too late. By the time I was rushed to the hospital, eighty percent of my lungs were damaged,” he wrote.
“I couldn’t eat or breathe and I was on oxygen for weeks. I couldn’t walk either and had severe chest pains. I kept blacking out. It felt like I was dying and waking up over and over again. I have never seen anything like this.
“The days turned to weeks and my recovery is going well. I am fully cured of COVID-19 now and I am able to walk a little. My lungs will take months to heal completely. So I am still on oxygen and other medications but I am back home.”
Uche further indicated that the high cost of accessing health care in the country is one of major reasons people die from the virus.
He explained that he paid N350,000 daily at the Lagos health facility where he spent 12 days before he was referred to another medical centre.
“Curing COVID-19 costs a fortune too and that is a problem. That is often why people die. The facility where I was treated charges N350,000 a day. I was there for twelve days before being moved to First Cardiology Centre in Ikoyi for my lung and heart rehabilitation,” he lamented.
“Total cost of my treatment so far has exceeded six million naira. I know a guy whose covid treatment cost seventeen million naira.
“Governments must invest in affordable treatment or more and more people will die. Affordable treatment is our last line of defense'”, he suggested.
“We have tried lock downs, masks and vaccines and COVID-19 is still spreading. Even the vaccinated are still catching COVID-19,” he added.
