Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has constituted an Ebola Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee to coordinate the state’s readiness and response to any potential Ebola threat. The committee will be chaired by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa.
The committee comprises representatives of the state ministries of Health, Environment, Livestock, Local Government, Finance, and Information and Communication; the Edo State House of Assembly Committee on Health; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health; the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA); the Department of Port Health; and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Security agencies represented on the committee include the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Health institutions represented include the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State University Teaching Hospital (EDSUTH), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Uselu, Edo Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital, Benin City, and Stella Obasanjo Hospital.
Professional bodies, including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Edo State chapter of the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, are also represented.
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Other stakeholders include a traditional ruler, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Chief Imam, and a market women’s leader. Development partners and relevant agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Nigeria Red Cross Society, DataFi, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, are also members.
The committee will operate through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), which has designated operational pillars covering coordination, epidemiology, surveillance, infection prevention and control, risk communication, logistics, laboratory services, case management, and safe and dignified burial. A PHEOC Manager will oversee the centre’s operations.
A stakeholders’ meeting on Ebola emergency preparedness and response is expected to be scheduled soon to outline the committee’s activities and strengthen coordination among the participating institutions and agencies.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
