Nigeria is committed to achieving a strong and resilient health system capable of responding to any health emergency. The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, stated this today, 21/08/2015, when he received thirty (30) motorcycles donated by the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Director, Dr. Rui Gama Vaz, at the office of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja. The Permanent Secretary noted that support from partners and UN agencies would help significantly to move the health sector forward.
While thanking the WHO for its gesture, the Permanent Secretary affirmed that the world health body has been offering valuable support to the Ministry. He also went down memory lane recalling the role that WHO played last year during the period of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, describing it as, “Highly commendable.”
The WHO Country Director, who was represented by the National Professional Officer Health Emergencies, Dr. Ifeanyi Okudo, said the donation is to complement the efforts of the Ministry in the area of health surveillance and emergency response.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary led Directors of the Ministry on a facility inspection of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The National Coordinator, NCDC, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, assured the Permanent Secretary that the NCDC Reference Laboratory and Administrative Offices would be ready for commissioning before the end of September 2015.
The Permanent Secretary was impressed with the level of work on the projects. He said that when completed, they will be, “Enduring legacies that would compare with state-of-the-art facilities in advanced countries.”
When in operation, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control will also serve as the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control.
Olajide Oshundun
Assistant Director (Press)
