Doctors Want FG To Beef Up Security At Borders To Curtail Ebola Spread

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Monday, September 1st, 2014

By Niyi Adeyi

The Federal Government has been called upon to beef up security in the Nigerian borders and ports so as to avoid further spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country.

The call was made Sunday in a communiqué issued at the end of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National Executive Council meeting in Awka, the Anambra state capital.

The communique which was signed by the association’s National President, Dr. kayode Obembe, commended both the Federal and Lagos state governments on their response to the outbreak of the deadly virus in the country.

Still, Obembe observed that the essential structures and framework for controlling the spread of the disease at the large scale were yet to be put in place.

However, the association promised total commitment towards the good health of Nigerians, pledging its support to the governments and her agencies in managing the spread of Ebola to other parts of the country, adding that as a way of proving its resolve to stamp out the virus in Nigeria.

NMA also informed that it has constituted a national Ebola Response Committee, headed by Prof Michael Asuzu and at the state levels.

While commending the Dangote group’s release of the N1.9bn intervention fund and the N152 956 250 for the establishment of National Ebola Operations Centre in Lagos, respectively, the group described as regrettable the unfolding controversy trailing the establishment of the office of the Surgeon-General of the Federation.

The communiqué affirmed that if the office was created, it would have a nationwide structure in place, to promote the enforcement of public health related issues and lead the force against emergencies, including EVD.

NMA which berated casualization of the medical profession stressed, as practiced in Lagos state stressed: “The importation of Ebola to Nigeria clearly demonstrates that we are very prone and more at risk really in the Ebola virus as an opening to several diplomatic and international travels,” insisting that this justified the reasons why all the country’s entries and exiting points must be under close watch, to avoid Ebola spread.

It advocated that government should take more steps to create additional working Ebola committees at all levels of the government, noting despite the alarming level of the virus in the country, some states were yet to “establish reliable isolation facilities and the relative unavailability of Personal Protective Equipment”.