The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that the Federal Government is closely monitoring and reviewing the unfolding situations in some high burden States where the corona virus pandemic appears to have advanced, and have dispatched teams of medical experts from the Federal Ministry of Health to such States to provide technical support to their States’ Ministries of Health.
Dr. Ehanire also declared that Mandatory Institutional Quarantine Guidelines have been printed by the FMoH through the NCDC for returnees from Diaspora. With three new molecular laboratories added, one in Benin City and two in Port-Harcourt, the Honourable Minister revealed that the total of molecular laboratories in the country now is twenty-five.
These were revealed by the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Press Briefing where he made it known that as of the Tuesday, 12th of May, 2020, Nigeria has a total of 4641 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 34 States including the FCT. 242 new cases recorded.
Dr. Ehanire updated the nation that the team of medical experts sent to Kano State has been successful in stabilizing the State’s health system, lessening anxiety amongst health workers who are to restart routine service delivery, with no new infections of health workers recorded in recent times, as those who have recovered await certification to resume work.
In a similar development, Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed that experts from the FMoH are presently in Bauchi State on a fact finding mission to work with the State Government to look into the unexplained deaths in Azare, Bauchi State.
The Honourable Minister also disclosed that the team of medical experts sent to Katsina and Jigawa States identified needs in those States to include a molecular laboratory needed in Katsina to reduce backlog of pending test and turnaround time for results. “Other high burden States grappling with the epidemic control issues will be offered similar support”, the Minister stated.
Speaking further, Dr. Ehanire revealed that the FMoH is working with its Agencies, other organs of government and multinational organizations in continuous efforts to control the transmission of the pandemic with tried, tested and innovative measures. The nature of the outbreak is such that the sustainability of any strategy may be challenged as time goes by with evolving realities at home and across the globe; while encouraging the organs of State as well as the Port Health Services not to relent in the good work of maintaining vigilance at our borders.
The Honourable Minister of Health commended the initiative of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) for giving each other mutual support by rallying available human resource for Health Volunteers from States to support other States with high burden and manpower shortages.
Signed.
Blessing Efem (Senior Information Officer)
(blessingefem@yahoo.com)
For: Director of Information.
