Danladi Usman,Kano
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 announced on Friday that the good relationship between the visiting federal task team and Kano State task force on COVID-19, the situation in Kano has largely been stabilised.
The PTF revealed this even as it made is clear that Nigeria is not using foreign doctors in any of its hospitals or isolation centres to treat COVID-19 patients.
Speaking on Friday at the daily media briefing of the PTF, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the Kano situation had been stabilised while a strategy document of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency is being developed for Kano and other similar high-density cities including Lagos.
The minister said: “The situation in Kano has largely stabilised, thanks to the good relationship between the visiting federal task team and Kano State task force on COVID-19, one manifestation of this being the number of new cases recorded daily from the fact that all labs in Kano are now functioning and clearing the sample backlog, with over 350 tests done daily. The state government has been doing well in opening up more treatment and isolation centres.
“A strategy document of National Primary Healthcare development Agency is being developed and repurposed for application to Kano, but also to similar high-density, high burden metropolis like Lagos to respond more specifically to the challenges of COVID-19 tracing, tracking, testing, isolation and treatment in congested communities. If implemented, it could go a long way in addressing many challenges looming before us.”
On the use of foreign doctors, he explained that there was nowhere in any of the health facilities that foreign doctors are treating Nigerian patients.