FG considers N620m Health Intervention to manage Coronavirus

The Senate on Thursday expressed dismay over the non-screening of passengers on arrival on private jets of the local flight wing at the airports fearing 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 within 24hrs and conduct screening of VIPs on chartered flights stressing coronavirus was both a national and global health emergency.

It also charged the Ministry of Health and the Director of Port Services, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh to ensure that ambulances are provided for the Port Harcourt and Kano international airports for evacuation when needed as emergency gives no prior notice.

It subsequently charged the ministry to furnish the Senate with the details of her budget to show how it has complied with provisions of all equipment to be ready to contain the virus.

This is as the federal government is considering N620 million special intervention funds by the ministry of health to monitor, detect if possible and contain the dreaded coronavirus.

Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire revealed this while interfacing with the Senate committee on health on the level of national preparedness to manage coronavirus break out in the country.

He 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 who appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, in the company of Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, director port health services and the Director-General National Centre for Disease Control said already, the sum of N71 million was released to the port health services for her operations.