BENIN — Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has set up a committee on Ebola emergency preparedness and response, to be chaired by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa.
The move comes days after Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja.
Key Highlights
- Governor Monday Okpebholo establishes an Ebola emergency preparedness and response committee in Edo State.
- Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa will chair the committee.
- Members include state ministries, security agencies, health institutions, professional bodies and development partners.
- The committee will operate through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC).
- A stakeholders’ meeting on Ebola preparedness and response is expected to be scheduled soon.
The committee will coordinate Edo State’s preparedness and response to any potential Ebola threat, bringing together government agencies, healthcare institutions, security organisations and development partners.
Who Is on Edo’s Ebola Committee
Its membership includes representatives from the state ministries responsible for Health, Environment, Livestock, Local Government, Finance, and Information and Communication, as well as 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).
Healthcare 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, and Stella Obasanjo Hospital.
Professional bodies are also represented, 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.
Other members include a traditional ruler, a representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Chief Imam and a market women’s leader.
Development partners and agencies participating in the committee include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Nigeria Red Cross Society, DataFi, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Read also:
- Delta Silent on Public Ebola Preparedness as Neighbouring States Activate Response Plans
- BREAKING: Ebola Case Confirmed in Abuja as Health Authorities Begin Contact Tracing
- Ebola In Nigeria: Things You Should Know About Symptoms, Spread, Prevention
Committee to Operate Through Emergency Centre
The committee will work 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 bring the committee members together to coordinate their activities.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening Edo State’s readiness to respond to a potential Ebola threat through coordinated planning, disease surveillance, public health communication and emergency response arrangements.
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