By Hassan Zaggi
The Federal Government has expressed concern over the reemergence of COVID-19 in large scale in some countries including China leading to total lock down of some major towns and cities.
It, however, warned that there may be possible reemergence of the disease in Nigeria if adequate preventive measures are not followed by Nigerians.
Speaking at a bia-monthly media briefing in Abuja, on Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, warned that the disease is not over yet in the country, but that it only slowed down.
While calling for the strict observance of non pharmaceutical measures including wearing of face mast, washing of hands and avoiding crowded places, the Minister said: “I want to conclude by reminding all of us that COVID-19 is not gone. It has only slowed down in Nigeria.
“We are still working closely and as there has been reemergence that has surprised people in other countries is not ruled out here.
“We must, therefore, refrain from non essential crowding and if has to happen, we must apply none pharmaceutical interventions like wearing our face mask, washing our hands, sanitizing and being careful with all our interaction.”
According Ehanire,“the experience of other countries in Europe and currently the experience in China tells us that there can be a flare up of COVID-19 at any time.
“We now know that the massive huge city of Shangai in China is on the lock down because of an explosion again of COVID-19 in that city. Before that it was in Europe, in UK and Germany.
“So, the reemergence of COVID-19 from country to country surprise us.”
On the issue of Reproductive Health and Family Planning, the Minister disclosed that his Ministry and the National Population Commission (NPC), have concluded plans to engage the members of the National Assembly and the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) in order to appeal for improved budgetary allocation for Reproductive Health and Family Planning.
He, however, disclosed that the federal government is targeting to have a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 27 percent by year 2030 and sustainably increase it to 65 per cent by 2050.
He, therefore, called for “multi-sectoral partnership with the NPC and other stakeholders to support the Federal Ministry of Health to actualize this intervention.”
According to him: “The Federal Ministry of Health and National Population Commission agreed to engage the National Assembly for adequate budgetary allocation towards meeting funding obligations to scale up reproductive health and family planning services.
“To engage the Nigeria Governors Forum for their support and also budgetary allocation for reproductive health, family planning services and so on.
“To engage development partners for technical and financial support also for reproductive health.”
He also disclosed that plans have been concluded by the Health Ministry and the NPC “to mobilise traditional, religious, political and community leaders to ensuring the appropriate sensitization and education of community members on the safety of health services including family planning and reproductive health and to also ensure sustained improvement in human and infrastructural resources for long term provision and utilization of right-based reproductive health and family planning services.”
According to Ehanire, the aim of the government is to align the population growth with the rate of economic growth so that there is even development.
He insisted that, “one factor that will support policy goal realization is accelerating the implementation of fertility control intervention, improving family planning and child birth spacing to scale up meaningful control of our population growth rate and also support our economic growth rate.”
He further noted that the priority of his ministry is to improve the health indices of the country, stressing that, this cannot be achieved without the cooperation of the public and the media.
