FG inaugurates new 300-bed isolation centre in Abuja

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated the ThisDay Dome temporary treatment and isolation centre for the management of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

Tribune Online reports that the isolation centre, which contains 300-bed facility with a 54gene laboratory is a private sector-driven initiative donated by a consortium of partners led by the Sahara Energy Group and the ThisDay Media and Technology Group. Other key players include the CA-COVID, the AFC, CCECC, NNPC and the CBN.

The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Boss Mustapha, who performed the ceremony, noted that COVID-19 has totally overwhelmed even the best of health systems in the world necessitating that all developing nations must wake up to the present realities.

He said: “Today, we are witnessing the realisation of the synergy with the commissioning of this facility, which is designed to accommodate 300 beds and is scalable to 500.

“The speed and commitment demonstrated by the partners that developed this infrastructure is a call to other private sector entities to also get involved in the development of public interest facilities.

“The PTF advocates strongly that lessons to be drawn from COVID-19 should, therefore, revolve around development, future planning, consensus building, collaboration and partnerships. The government can not always do it alone. We must all be involved.”

Mustapha informed that the facility also has an intensive care unit for the treatment of the most severe cases of COVID-19.

According to him, this isolation centre would go a long way in providing care for the growing number of cases especially for levels 1 and 2 categories.

He expressed delight that the facility has, factored in, care for persons living with disabilities who might get infected.

In his remark, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor, Godwin Emefiele, challenged Nigeria scientists to come up with vaccines against COVID-19, announcing that the apex bank would give grants to researchers in this direction.

He said: “In order to encourage greater research and development in Nigeria of drugs and vaccines that would help prevent the spread of the virus, the CBN is developing a framework under which grants and long term facilities will be provided to researchers, science institutions and biotechnology firms to develop the Nigerian vaccine.

“Needless to state that if we are to wait for foreign countries to develop their own vaccines, we will be the last in the queue to receive curative remedies for our teeming population.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria today challenges Nigerian scientists at home and in the diaspora to go back to their laboratories and develop a Nigerian vaccine.

“Once validated by the Health Authorities, the CBN will step in and do the needful for the sake of over 200 million Nigerians now confronted by COVID-19.”

On the effect of the pandemic on the Nigerian economy, Emefiele said it is exposed to triple shocks including a supply shock, a demand shock and a revenue shock.

He added: “Permit me to state that we are currently faced with a public health and economic crisis of unprecedented proportions, driven primarily by the 55 percent drop in crude oil prices between January and May 2020.

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“This unparalleled shock requires that the Federal and state governments along with the organised private sector, work together to address these challenges in order to preserve lives and restore economic activity and reset the economy of our dear country.”

He noted that in a bid to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy, the CBN has implemented several initiatives such as the N5O billion intervention facility for small and medium scale enterprises affected by the disease in addition to the N1 trillion facility for firms operating in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

He further said: “We are also working with financial institutions to enable the continuous flow of credit to viable businesses, while putting in place provisions such as moratoriums and restructuring of existing loans under CBN intervention funds, that have been provided to businesses.

“These measures are intended to cushion the effects of the slowdown in economic activity on businesses while putting them in better stead to help resuscitate economic activity in the country.”

He acknowledged, however, that the nation’s ability to restore the growth of the economy is dependent on how it addresses the public health crisis brought on by COVID-19.

“It is in the realisation of this fact that the CBN recently launched a N100bn healthcare intervention fund. Practitioners in the pharmaceutical and health care sectors will be able to access finance at a single-digit rate through this fund,” the CBN boss declared.

He added that the objective is to improve the capacity of the nation’s health system to address emerging public health challenges.