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COVID-19: UPTH Set To Tackle Pandemic In N’Delta, CMD Assures
The management of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) says the hospital is ready to tackle any atom of suspected Coronavirus in Rivers State and across the Niger Delta region.
This is as the hospital insisted that there was no case of the pandemic in the state even as the hospital has not recorded any patient with such virus.
“There is no single confirmed case of Coronavirus in Rivers State, even in UPTH complex”, the Chief Medical Director, Prof Henry Arinze Ugboma, said.
Briefing newsmen at the hospital complex over the weekend, the CMD, said COVID-19 had hit over 125 countries and had been declared as a pandemic to the lives of humans across the globe.
Represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Prof Princewill Stanley, Ugboma said only two confirmed cases of the virus were recorded in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos and Ogun states.
He noted that UPTH was competent and capable to tackle the scourge, if reported, even as he said the hospital has enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the hospital.
The hospital, CMD said, was in strong collaboration with the Rivers State Government to tackle the menace, if any outbreak, as it had competent team of experts to tackle the virus.
“In Rivers State, we have taken a very strong leadership role by carrying out training. UPTH has benefited a lot, and there has been heightened state of readiness on the pandemic”, the CMD said.
“We have heightened our readiness to tackle the pandemic in the state, we have the competence and capacity to tackle the scourge,” he said.
Ugboma, who debunked claims that a suspected patient with the virus reported to the hospital for treatment, said, such information, was false, as UPTH did not attend to any of such case as speculated.
He admonished Nigerians to practice safe hygiene and maintain regular hand washing to reduce the possible contraction of the virus through person-to-person.
The CMD said the hospital had created 23 hand washing points in the clinics and wards for staff and patients to curb cross infection.
“We are practicing safe hygienic conduct in UPTH, we are also making hygienic hand washing compulsory as we have created over 23 hand washing points in the hospital”, Ugboma said.
He added, “We have posters containing steps on how to minimise the scourge, we also have some PPE in our hospital to tackle the virus”.
He advised Nigerians to keep a distance from persons coughing or sneezing to avoid any possible contraction of the virus.
However, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced a suspected case of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Enugu State.
This was disclosed via its official Twitter handle: @ncdcgov, yesterday.
The centre stated that the suspected person had been isolated and sample collected for further verification.
It added that the result of the medical test would be out by today.
The statement on the Twitter handle reads: “Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is aware of the patient in Enugu, suspected to have #COVID19.
“This is one of several alerts received daily at the National #COVID19 Emergency Operations Centre.
“The patient is in isolation, sample collected and results expected tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government has also confirmed the suspected case, but assured residents that the state’s Ministry of Health was on top of the situation.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, told newsmen that the ministry’s officials were able to detect the case due to its high surveillance of health security.
Aroh said the ministry had earlier issued a statement on the suspected case after reporting the situation to the NCDC.
The commissioner appealed to residents to remain calm as the suspect was being closely monitored.
Chinedu Wosu
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.