As part of measures to tackle any emergenc as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has Yesterday, carried out an inspection of the National Centre for Women Development Centre designated as one of the isolation centres for the treatment of asymptomatic patients of COVID-19 in the territory.
The centre according to the minister has the capacity to accommodate over 160 bed spaces with catering services aimed at ensuring an efficient, effective and impactful response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister also revealed that the FCT Administration has carried out decontamination of the entire premises of any infection disease, stressing that not just to guard against the COVID-19 ; but also insects and rodents.
She said:
“We are here at the Maryam Babagida auditorium of the National Centre for Women Development to fumigate the environment completely, the entire building and the offices within to make sure that it is decontaminated of any infectious disease not only the COVID-19 ; but also insects and rodents especially now that the Women Centre has been designated as one of the isolation centres earmarked by the Federal Capital Territory.
“As we speak to you, we have some isolated cases in the centre. This centre has a very large hall of about 100 beds capacity and we have about 60 suites. This gives you a total of 160 bed spaces. This tells you how much we can accommodate in case we have increase in the number of patients to be isolated.
“We are not praying that there should be an expansion of this case, but should there be, we have a place to accommodate them and we are ready. The management of the centre is not only housing suspected cases, but they are caring for them in terms of catering services for all the asymptomatic patients,” She added
On her part, the Director General of the centre, Barrister Mary Ekpere-Eta, assured the delegation that the management are prepared to receive any emergency case of the COVID-19 patient, stressing that besides the 160 bed spaces, the available classrooms could also be converted to isolation centre to accommodate more patients.
According to her, “We are very prepared. Several committees ranging from the main SGF committee and his team visited us to access our preparedness and they have seen that we have the capacity to cope.
“Apart from the 160 bed spaces that the honourable minister has told you earlier, we have other places line classrooms that could be converted for isolation cases that could take up to 300 beds. And again, in the area of catering we have two big industrial kitchens where we use as training to cater for other isolation centres that do not have such facility. We produced hand sanitazers for other centers. We are very prepared and ready to serve our fatherland. All the isolated cases are happy with us”.
In a related development, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, also received 1,000 cartons of palliative items front Honeywell Nigeria Limited to support the administration’s efforts in reaching out to the vulnerable who are adversely affected by the sit-at-home presidential order.
Each of the 1,000 cartons contain assorted items which include 1kg×2 of Semolina, 100g×2 of Noodles, 120g×2 of Noodles, 500g×2 of Spaghetti, 500×2 of Macaroni, 1kg×2 of Wheat meal and 70kg×3 of Noodles.
While thanking the firm for the donation, the minister promised that all the palliative items would be distributed to the vulnerable in rural communities.
