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COVID-19: Nigeria Has Capacity To Combat Public Health Crisis–U.S
The United States Centre for Disease Control (US-CDC) says the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has shown that Nigeria has the capacity to combat public health crisis.
Dr Mary Boyd, U.S. CDC Nigeria Country Director, disclosed this during an interview with the News News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Tuesday in Abuja.
“Globally, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely unprecedented.
“This is despite various epidemiological models predicting poor outcomes for African countries due to weak health systems.
“The models also sited population density, prevailing conflicts, humanitarian crises and the contending burden of other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC’s) response and strategy in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other diseases of public health importance such as Lassa fever, Ebola, Yellow Fever and others , has demonstrated the country’s capacity to combat public health crisis.
“This development has been exemplary for the region,” she stated
According to Boyd, 20 years ago, the USCDC was established in Nigeria with a mission to support the National Health Response toward improving the health and well-being of Nigerians.
“We are delighted to be celebrating five years since NCDC’s establishment as a result of our commitment to that mission,” she said.
She noted that the USCDC in Nigeria had been part of the NCDC’s transformational journey, since conception.
“In 2006, the USCDC began providing support to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) on the Avian Influenza Project and in 2008, the NFELTP program with AFENET.
“As you may all know, the Avian Influenza Project, the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP) and the Epidemiology Division of the FMoH, were amalgamated in 2011, to establish the core of NCDC as the National Public Health Institute,” she noted.
Boyd noted that another landmark by the NCDC was the Ebola Virus disease outbreak, adding that the USCDC established a cooperative agreement with NCDC in 2015, to support its establishment as a regional leader in public health space.
“The theme the NCDC chose for this celebration; Reflecting on Five Years of Building an Institution, is ideal during a transition, so as to plan for many more years of success ahead.
“Looking back, the USCDC is proud of several accomplishments through our collaboration.
“To name a few are the enactment of NCDC bill, digitalisation of the country’s surveillance system through the establishment of SORMAS.
“Others are, standardisation of emergency preparedness and response systems at the various sub-national public health emergency operations centers through the IMS structure.
“The advancement in molecular laboratory diagnostic capacity for many diseases among others, as well as providing confidence in the people of Nigeria through providing timely data on COVID-19,” she stated.
According to her, while celebratig the NCDC and its remarkable accomplishment, it is equally important to acknowledge the FMOH and other agencies like National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The USCDC Nigeria Country Director added that their overwhelming collaboration and role in controlling diseases of public health concern could not be understated.
Boyd however, said that the USCDC was keen to advance and sustain the collaborative partnership with the Federal Government, to strengthen strategies to that would prevent, detect and respond to disease threats and promote health security.
NAN reports that the NCDC was celebrating its transformation journey in implementing the five- year strategic plan for national health security, in line with its mandate to lead the preparedness, detection, and response to public health emergencies.
Since August 15, 2016, the agency had witnessed transformational growth from a young parastatal under the FMOH, to a science-based institution, leading the public health response to the largest pandemic in history.
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Workers in the nation’s telecommunication-s industry, under the aegis of the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association, PTECSSAN, will today begin an indefinite nationwide strike over sack, and poor working conditions, among others.
Among the employees going on strike include field maintenance engineers, transmission engineers, customer service engineers, fibre engineers, and other critical staff.
There are fears that the strike could disrupt telecommunications services nationwide if not resolved quickly.
The Tide’s source gathered that PTECSSAN, has pending issues with no fewer than 39 telecoms servicing companies including the sack of three of its members by Specific Tools & Technology Limited.
The 39 companies provide critical support services to the telecommunications operators in the country.
The Tide’s source was informed that the union had earlier given a seven-day strike notice to the affected companies to address its demands or risk indefinite strike.
Among PTECSSAN’s demands include immediate recognition of the fundamental right of the employees to freely associate with the union, immediate recognition of the union as negotiating body for the employees on workers welfare and immediate remittance of membership dues into the union’s account as earlier provided.
The demands equally are immediate recognition of the years of service of these workers, immediate commencement of appropriate pensions deduction and remittance of same as required by the Pension Act, immediate approval of the National Health Insurance Scheme that covers the employees, their spouses and four of their dependents, immediate enrolment of Union members in the Group Life Insurance as stipulated in the Pension Reform Act 2004, Section 9(3).
The union is also demanding immediate implementation of leave and leave allowance in accordance with the international best practices, immediate negotiation on review of salaries of the workers to meet the economic reality in the country today, and immediate provision Operational Vehicles or in the alternative immediate negotiation on review of the Self Drive/Self Rental to meet the economic reality in the country today.
Also in the union’s demands are immediate stoppage of 24-hour job and introduction of work hours in line with the international best practices, immediate stoppage of work overload (combining passive tasks to theirs) on the workers, and immediate adherence to occupational health and safety for the workers in line with international best practices.
Announcing the commencement of strike, General Secretary of PTECSSAN Abdullahi Okonu said “We have made every effort to engage with employers, but our legitimate demands have been disregarded.
“This strike is a last resort to protect our members’ rights and well-being. We urge the public to understand our position and support our struggle for fair treatment.”
While pleading with Nigerians to bear with the Union throughout the period of the strike, PTECSSAN “assures that it will engage with employers and the government to resolve the issues, but the strike will continue until their demands are met.”