The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire while commissioning the Infectious Disease and Treatment Centre of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi brought into existence by the NCDC, has charged the Board and Management of the Hospital not to allow the Centre to fall into disuse: “This Centre must not be allowed to fall into disuse”, the Honourable Minister charged.
Dr. Ehanire also charged the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi and other Teaching Hospitals in the country to note three key areas to focus on: That they must prioritize infectious disease control as being critical; they must strengthen their role of health security, by which he explained that building a standard centre where infectious disease treatment can be provided means bringing care closer to the people; and they must learn from COVID-19 so as to respond well to future outbreaks and pandemics. He surmised that “The speed at which research and innovation has happened with COVID-19 has been unprecedented. It has reminded us that we have the capacity to control other infectious diseases that continue to affect us, if we work together in solidarity.”
The Honourable Minister further encouraged the Nasarawa State Government where FMC Keffi is situated along with FMC Keffi itself to “ensure that documentation is a critical part of their response. We must take stock of where we were before the pandemic, where we are now and where we want to be.” By this the Minister was asking the State Government to improve on where they are in the health sector response revealing that the Federal Government of Nigeria led by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari is fully committed to prioritizing and investing in our national health security.
Earlier, the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chike Ihekweazu traced the history of the IDC at FMC, Keffi: “We started this important project at the peak of the COVID- 19 pandemic, as part of our strategy at NCDC to ensure that all states in Nigeria have a standard treatment centre for infectious disease management.”
He continued: “Given the strategic role Keffi plays in serving residents of both the FCT and Nasarawa, it was even more important to establish a treatment centre with very high standards to meet the health security needs of our country. The establishment of this treatment centre has been a strong collaborative effort led by the Honourable Minister of Health, the Permanent Secretary, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, FMC Keffi and NCDC.”
For the Medical Director of FMC, Keffi, Dr. Baba Adamu expressed gratitude to His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule, in not only supporting this project, but also in establishing the Nasawara State Infectious Disease and Research Centre; “Our goal is that these two centers can work closely together and serve as a model to other states in Nigeria.”
Signed: Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Media & P.R., FMOH.
