FG Bans Inter-State Movement Of Patients …To Revoke Licences of Patent Medicine Vendors, Pharmacists Who Treat COVID-19 Patients …As Community Transmission Of Virus Worries Govs

The Federal Government has banned the inter-state movement of coronavirus patients in the country.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said this yesterday in Abuja, at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on COVID-19.
Ehanire said that, “all persons diagnosed with the virus will henceforth be treated in the state where their diagnosis was made to avoid further spread of infection”.
He stated that Patent Medicine Vendors and Pharmacists should refrain from attempting to treat COVID-19 patients; otherwise their operating licences would be revoked.
He noted that the Federal Ministry of Health has deployed the Chief Consultant Epidemiologist, Public Health Department of Kano State, and 16 staff of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to Kano State to carry out investigations on the recent number of deaths in the state as well identify the peculiarities.
The minister stated that private hospitals desiring to manage COVID-19 patients should apply to their state Ministries of Health for a permit, meet the Infection Prevention and Control standards and get accredited by the state accreditation team in line with FMOH guidelines.
Ehanire stressed that those with existing medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, TB, HIV, cancer; should take special care and also obey the instructions on taking special care.
“Government is interested in remedies that are being proposed. The Ministry of Health has a department for ‘Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine’, so anything that is thought to have efficacy should be brought forward.
“Now we are in the community transmission phase and we have passed that era when people think that COVID-19 was something for big men and women who came from abroad.
“Now that it is in the grassroots, the role of the Primary Healthcare now comes to play and it is very important for them to do the surveillance to raise the index of suspicion,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have expressed worry over the increasing spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) via community transmission, and called for decentralized response.
The Chairman of the forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, in the communique released at the end of their teleconference, yesterday, noted that over 25 states have recorded cases of the virus so far.
The communique read: “The NGF chairman briefed the Forum on the rapidly evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and coordination of efforts with the Federal Government, multilateral and bilateral partners, and the private sector through the Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID).
“Following an update from the NGF secretariat on the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, members expressed serious concern over the rising spread of the virus among health workers and resolved to work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure that health workers are adequately provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and are constantly trained on the use of protective gears.
“In order to strengthen coordinated implementation of necessary public health recommendations across the states, governors resolved to set up COVID-19 committees at the regional level, headed by their state commissioners of health. Regional committees will continue to interface with the State Task Force Committees on COVID-19 already established in each state.
“The forum also received briefing from the Governors of Lagos, Bauchi, Oyo and Ogun states who shared their experiences and lessons from the fight against COVID-19.
“Governors unanimously agreed to the implementation of an inter-state lockdown in the country over the next two weeks to mitigate the spread of the virus from state to state. Only essential services will be permitted.
“Lastly, the forum congratulated the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, who after nearly four weeks of testing positive and observing very strict medical regime, has now received two consecutive negative test results for the Coronavirus.”
The forum held a minute’s silence in honour of all Nigerians who have lost their lives from Coronavirus, especially health workers who were in the front lines of the epidemic.
They also conveyed their condolence to President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Borno State on the passing of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari on April 17, 2020 in the line of duty to the country.