Take care of your health, Mamora appeals to Nigerians

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora has appealed to Nigerians to take responsibility for their health just as he said they should get vaccinated against coronavirus.

Speaking at a lecture titled: “The Battle Against Coronavirus in Nigeria: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects,” organised by the University of Ibadan Physiology Students’ Association (UIPSA), the minister said that at the beginning of the pandemic, various epidemiological models predicted a doomsday scenario for Nigeria and other African countries which have weak health systems, compared to countries in other regions. He stated that till date, Nigeria and other African countries have reported far fewer cases and deaths compared to other regions of the world saying, “We must remember that we are not out of the woods, hence, it is not yet Uhuru!”

He added that “We were not as prepared as we would have loved to be at the beginning of the pandemic which is one of the key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic but the resources we had were based on previous investments in health security by NCDC. The first set of laboratories that began to test for COVID-19 in Nigeria had been established years earlier to test for Lassa fever. The states where we had Public Health Emergency Operations Centres had received support from NCDC between 2017 and 2019 to establish these laboratories. You will agree with me that we must do better in investing in health security and the Federal Government of Nigeria has begun to work on this, such as through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, a provision in the National Health Act of 2014, where NCDC will be provided with 2.5% of the 5% of the funds earmarked for health emergencies.

“When we are better prepared, we will be able to do things differently and do them better – we are learning from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is not over yet and we must continue to learn lessons. Today is a great opportunity to reflect on the role that you, young persons, will play in building and sustaining Nigeria’s health care system. I would like to emphasise at this point that a significant part of our COVID-19 response in Nigeria has been driven by young people. They are at NCDC, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), across our state EOCs and even in the treatment centres and the laboratories spread across the country.

“As young people, you have the energy, the innovation that we need to sustain our response – use your networks and skills to share the right information, support your family members and friends in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine to protect us all. The vaccines are safe. I urge you to think of innovative ways that you can contribute to the pandemic response activities.”

In her remarks, UIPSA president, Success Olugbuyiro thanked the guest lecturer for participation, just as she added that the topic was picked because Nigerians are still living with coronavirus.

Also present at the lecture were former Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole, Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Professor Jesse Otegbayo represented by the chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), Dr Abiodun Adeoye, among others.

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