Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the COVID-19 pandemic and Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Tuesday, said the PTF has developed a multi-sectoral approach in combating the pandemic.
Mustapha stated this when members of the PTF appeared before the House of Representatives. He added that the PTF is equally encouraging indigenous researchers to develop appropriate solutions suitable for the country.
Besides, the SGF noted that arrangements are underway to evacuate Nigerians stranded in different parts of the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, there also been high-level engagement “with the organized private sector for better coordination of their core competencies and expertise and mobilization of the states and Local Government Areas in the fight against the pandemic”
Mustapha said there equally been “increased the number of laboratories from 5 to 21 with a final objective of establishing one lab per state; increased testing capacity with over 80% conducted in Lagos, Kano and the FCT; The laboratories in Lagos and the FCT were expanded to have the capacity to test a minimum of 1500 samples daily; Increased Bed Capacity to a total of 3,787 as at 4th May 2020. ”
Regardless, the SGF noted that there is a need for the legislature to develop a legislative framework to tackle current challenges posed by COVID-19 and prepare Nigeria for any future pandemic.
Specifically, he stated that it is imperative for the parliament to develop legislative frameworks that are geared towards the reform and transformation of the country’s health care system.
On the situation in Kano State, Mustapha stated that the state is fast becoming the epicentre of the pandemic in northern Nigeria.
Nevertheless, he noted that “the PTF has been working closely with the Kano State Government and key stakeholders to identify the issues and seek immediate solutions. We have deployed a technical team of 41 staff from NCDC supported by 17 staff from WHO to provide technical assistance to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC). A team of clinicians and public health experts under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Health is also in Kano to provide training on case management and strengthen the capacity of the State to handle emergencies.
“A key weakness of the Kano COVID-19 response is the lack of adequate manpower for surveillance and contact tracing. The PTF has mobilised resources from across the health sector including multilateral, bilateral, MDAs and the private sector to push through an accelerated expansion of the rapid response teams (RRTs) from 21 to 50. “
We have evolved multi-sectoral approach to fight COVID-19 -Mustapha
