FG warns against unauthorised treatment
.Wants patients to follow healthcare providers’ recommendations
.Says 21 labs now operational for COVID-19 testing nationwide
The Federal Government, on Thursday, warned against unauthorised treatment of the coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, gave the warning at the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) briefing on the pandemic in Abuja.
He said: “All healthcare professionals and associated personnel should diligently follow safety, prevention and control protocols, both inside and outside healthcare facilities.
“They are also not to indulge in unauthorised treatment of COVID-19 cases’’.
The minister explained that the appeal was necessary to reduce the incidences of health workers getting infected with the disease.
He said that the ministry was committed to increasing its capacity for testing for COVID-19 cases.
“Twenty-one laboratories nationwide are now operational for COVID-19 testing as we work to drive up demands,’’ he explained.
Meanwhile, the minister said that a team from the ministry had been deployed to Kano State to enhance the training and capacity building of the health personnel.
Ehanire said that the team would also help rebuild the manpower of the federal health facilities in the state.
According to him, medical laboratories in Kano State have been directed to work in shifts to reduce the turnaround time for testing and enable the faster return of results.
The minister directed that all Nigerians returning from abroad should undergo mandatory supervised quarantine in selected hotels for 14 days, before they would be allowed to go home.
He explained that they would also be tested and positive cases would be sent to isolation centres.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has advised those in isolation centres to follow the recommendations of their healthcare providers.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the PTF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, gave the advice on Thursday in Abuja at the PTF daily briefing.
Mustapha said that COVID-19 patients must follow instructions of the healthcare providers during their stay, as treatment would be largely dependent on their evaluation.
According him, the PTF has become aware of a number of challenges associated with the management of isolation centres.
He said that the challenges had manifested in the form of protests over welfare, abscondment from centres and complaints based on the assumption by persons under observation, that drugs must be administered.
“The first two are unhealthy developments capable of undermining the containment measures and putting the lives of care managers and frontline workers at risk,” Mustapha said.
He urged state governments to continue to pay attention to the welfare of people in isolation, adding that relevant agencies should provide adequate security around such facilities to prevent escape.
Mustapha disclosed that the first batch of 256 Nigerian evacuees arrived from the United Arab Emirates into the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday.
He said that all the evacuees had been taken into 14-day isolation at designated facilities in the state.
“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control will conduct appropriate tests to determine their status within the period of isolation.
“The PTF is finalising arrangement for similar evacuation from other parts of the world; you will be adequately briefed on developments.
“I want to express the appreciation of PTF on COVID-19 to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos for support in identifying and securing the facility for the mandatory 14-day isolation of returnees,” he said.
He said that for some time now, there had been claims of inventions and cures related to COVID-19.
”The PTF, as part of its mandate, remains supportive of and receptive to outcomes of research.
“The PTF, however, finds it imperative to re-iterate its position on the need for such discoveries to undergo scientific validation processes.
“The PTF is aware that the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department of the Federal Ministry of Health has been evaluating such claims.
”It has forwarded some that have met the preliminary requirements to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control to carry out necessary procedures for listing,” he said.
Mustapha urged professional bodies, trade associations, communities and religious bodies and other relevant stakeholders to create awareness on COVID-19 and also project into the post COVID-19 era.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Nigerian Institute of Architects has taken up the challenge and, in addition, conveyed the commitment of its members to offer free consultancy services (design, remodeling, supervision etc).
”The services is for COVID-19-related infrastructure such as isolation centres, test laboratories and upgrading of health facilities,” he said.
The SGF urged all state governments to save costs by taking advantage of the offer.
He said that the PTF appreciated the offer and look forward to receiving offers from other professional bodies.
He called on Nigerians to continue to collaborate with governments in the implementation of available guidelines.
On flights, he said that the four-week extension of ban took effect from Thursday night.
“We shall continue to give exemptions for flights and circumstances that are considered essential,” he said.
In his remarks, the PTF National Coordinator, Dr. Sani Aliyu, also said that flights remained prohibited except essential and emergency ones.
Aliyu said that the mandatory overnight curfew from 8pm.to 6am was still in place, except for essential workers such as health workers, journalists, drivers moving essential items.
He called on Nigerians to follow all government guidelines on COVID-19 prevention.
Also speaking, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that 95 per cent of Nigerians, who tested positive to the virus, did not bother about their physical results.
Iheakweazu said that to make the system work quicker, the agency agreed to give a verbal result to people, who tested negative.
He added that the security of personnel at isolation centres across the country were the responsibility of the Police, in partnership with state governments.
“People in isolation centres have not committed a crime; they are not prisoners,’’ he said.
The DG advised that to get over the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians must be physically and mentally fit.
He said the NCDC had published new guidelines for businesses and employers, which he said, could be found on its website.
“Businesses must discourage sharing of work tools.
“Staggering work hours is better than closing down businesses,’’ he said.
He, however, said that the government was targeting health benefits by allowing certain aspects of the economy to restart.
