HIGHLIGHTS OF RESPONSE BY HONOURABLE MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR. OSAGIE EHANIRE TO QUESTIONS FROM JOURNALISTS DURING THE PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 PRESS BRIEFING HELD ON MONDAY, 13TH JULY, 2020

On workers who have not been paid:
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire advised that the workers concerned should forward their complaints in writing, directly to the Honourable Minister saying that there is a Department of the Federal Ministry of Health that handles such issues, which is the Department of Hospital Services. He also encouraged any frontline health workers who experience such problems to write directly to his Office and that of the Director Hospital Services for easy and better handling. He also said that information available to him indicates that the supposed allowances ought to have been running.

On the Integration of mental health services with COVID-19 in rural areas:
The Honourable Minister said “Yes in rural areas, the first is to provide the services and sites.  Rural areas are already carrying out COVID-19 test.  We are working now to increase test sites and also to encourage all health facilities to give attention to anybody who comes for treatment.  We are working to ensure that health facilities are able to collect samples and also to make sure that everybody understands that before you treat COVID-19, you must be accredited; It is not something to be treated at Primary Health level and it’s also not something to be treated at Secondary Health Care.”  

He further explained that Patients who are tested positive are sent right away by referral to the Treatment Centre. The Primary Health Care and even the Secondary Health Care can only help to identify cases and send them for testing and also manage those that have been tested and have been fully tested and certified and manage the after effect.

Indication for testing for COVID-19:
The indication for testing, the Honourable Minister said the first thing is to make it available.  “We are beginning to make testing available and the kits for testing are also there.  It is true that there are some people who refused to be tested.  But I think it’s also more….Of people who wants to be tested that don’t know where or how and what the protocol is or the conditions are.  But there was a time we were extremely careful of testing because there were very few reagents but now that we are bit more generously supplied, and expecting even more and also the transmission phase, we are in community transmission phase has changed the protocol which NCDC will elaborate on.

Compiled by Nwokike Brendan.
Signed.
Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Information, Media & Public Relations.