The Republic of Korea donates 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 Sample collection to Federal Government of Nigeria.

Receiving the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora expressed appreciations to the Government of Korea for the donation.

While saying that, the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection to fast-track the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He said the gesture has shown that Republic of Korea is a true friend of Nigeria “because a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

The Minister of State said that these Smart Walk-through Booths are expected to provide medical staff with effective protection during sample collection, support mass screening for COVID-19 in a timely and efficient manner and reduce the usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) during test sample collection.

Mamora told the gathering that the Booths will be put into effective use at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, the Central Public Health Laboratory, and the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research in Lagos. He charged the beneficiaries to ensure decency in the use and also cultivate maintenance culture for the Booths.

His Excellency, Maj. Gen. Lee In-tae (rtd), the Ambassador of The Republic of Korea, who was represented by Mr. Woochan Chang, the KOICA Country Director extended his deepest condolences to the families and victims of COVID-19 pandemic, and also commended all the frontline health workers and professionals for their resilience in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ambassador stated that the donation of the 3 Smart Walk-through Booths for COVID-19 sample collection marks another milestone in the bilateral relations between his Country and Nigeria which has been established since 1980, adding that as a key bilateral partner, Republic of Korea have continually engaged in the advancement of existing excellent cooperation projects for Nigeria in maternal and child health, education, amongst others, and recently the COVID-19 response. “I believe the donation of the Smart Walk-through Booths has further consolidated the bilateral relations which marks the 40th Anniversary this year’’, he said.

He, however, explained some key features of the Booths which include High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter, High Efficiency Bi-directional Fan Module, Air Conditioning and Heat System to make the environment conducive for Medical Staff to collect sample, Intercom System and LED Control Panel.

The Ambassador requested the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure efficiency and good maintenance of these Booths at the deployed locations in the country.

For effective control of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on health and economic sides, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo has called for collaboration between his organization and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

He also called for continued vigilance from the populace until a vaccine is developed, saying, “COVID-19 is here to stay with us for some time until we find an effective vaccine.

He, however, commended the FCTA for its role in the eradication of polio in Nigeria which he said has paved the way for the entire African continent being certified as polio free.

While pledging the support of the WHO to the FCTA in its efforts at ensuring that as many residents as possible are enrolled in the FCT Health Insurance Scheme.

Mulombo made this known when he led a delegation of officials of the Organization on a courtesy visit to the FCTA, yesterday in Abuja

Acknowledging the effectiveness of the actions of the FCTA in the fight against the virus, he said “when I arrived on the 19th of June, I was surprised by the organization I saw at the airport, the way I was received, the way I went through all the processes and where I stayed in quarantine for 14 days, it was so perfect. It was really something that was properly done. So, I wish to congratulate you on that one”.

He also called for continued vigilance from the populace until a vaccine is developed. He said “COVID-19 is here to stay with us for some time until we find an effective vaccine. But until then, Hon. Minister, you need to remain vigilant. The only tool here is non-pharmaceutical intervention. I’m happy to see that we are wearing face masks. It’s very important that we continue to adhere to those principles of social distancing because the other tools are being experimented. So, we need to make sure that what we are seeing, the downward decline in cases actually translates the truth of what is going on in the communities.

He said , “we have your agenda as our preoccupation. Your priorities are our priorities. We want to continue to support the FCT until such a time that everybody benefits from universal health coverage”. He also called on the FCT to continue to pave the way so that its policies can be replicated in other states of the country.

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, while welcoming Dr Mulombo as the new Country Director, said that the FCTA has always enjoyed a very close working relationship with the World Health Organisation and wished Dr Mulombo a successful tenure in Nigeria.

He said that whatever successes the FCTA had achieved in the sector was also due to the collaborative efforts with the WHO and remarked that the priority of the FCTA in the health sector was the development of the Primary health care system.

He, therefore, called on the WHO to assist in the areas of capacity building in ensuring that primary healthcare centers are self-sustaining with improved funding and better legislation.

Other officials present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, The Ag Secretary for Health Dr Mohammed Kawu, the FCT WHO Office Coordinator, DR Fureatu Zakari and other officials of the FCTA and the WHO.