The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has donated an Infectious Diseases Care Centre (IDCC) to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, for the management of cases in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The 40-bed IDCC is designated for the management of viral haemorrhagic fevers and other infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The centre is equipped with a molecular laboratory for diagnoses.
At the handover ceremony of the IDCC at the weekend in Abuja, the Director-General (DG) of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the project commenced in 2019 following the 2018/2019 Lassa fever outbreak and the urgent need for a disease treatment centre to manage highly infectious diseases in the FCT.
Dr. Ihekweazu said, “Given the strategic position the FCT holds as Nigeria’s capital city, it was even more important to establish a treatment centre with very high standards to meet the health security needs of our country.
“The decision to locate this treatment centre at UATH was taken in collaboration with the management of other tertiary hospitals in the FCT and the FCT Health Services, highlighting the multi-sectoral collaboration that enabled this project.
“This was a strong collaborative effort led by the Honourable Minister of Health, the permanent secretary, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, UATH and NCDC.”
He further, “We have seen from the COVID-19 pandemic that big outbreaks can happen anytime. Therefore, we must continue to invest in building a strong healthcare system even in the absence of a pandemic. NCDC remains committed to supporting all states and the FCT to build their capacities to prepare for and respond to infectious diseases outbreak in Nigeria.”
He added that NCDC had supported the FCT Administration (FCTA) to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 through training of healthcare workers on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), provision of medical supplies, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), deployment of rapid response teams, among others.
As Nigeria’s Public Health Institute, NCDC has the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to infectious diseases outbreaks and public health emergencies. This involves supporting states and building their capacities to respond to outbreaks.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UATH, Prof. Bisala Ekele, promised to ensure optimal utilisation of the centre for the management of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
