Nigeria to prevent Coronavirus outbreak with N620m – Minister

The Federal Government said that it will spend  N620m special intervention fund to monitor, detect and contain the deadly Coronavirus.

Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on health.

He briefed the Senate panel on the level of his ministry’s preparedness to manage the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.

He said the fund would come directly from the service-wide vote.

His appearance was sequel to a resolution of the red chamber based on a motion by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, on the need to summon the minister over the issue.

Enahire said the ministry, on Thursday, submitted a memo proposing for the release of the sum of N620m to take proactive measures to contain the virus.

He said Nigeria was prepared to ensure its health security which could disrupt economic stability if left unchecked.

The Minister was in the Senate in company with the Director, Port Health Services, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, and the Director-General National Centre for Disease Control.
Enahire said already,  N71m was released to the port health services for its operations.

Ehanire said the ministry had a multi-stakeholder meeting to deploy port health services there to screen all passengers.

He said the national intervention on containing the Lassa fever outbreak enjoyed the timely release of N313m intervention fund from the Federal Government to manage the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Senate expressed concerns over the non-screening of the  Chattered flight passengers wing of the local flight arrivals at the airports.

The senators expressed fears that it may be a loose end to import the Coronavirus.

Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said the absence of health services at the private terminal could make for easy movement of infected bodies into the country.

The Senate, therefore, ordered the Minister to deploy health officials to the private tarmac and conduct screening of VIPs on chartered flight stressing Coronavirus was both a national and global health emergency.