Posted on: Tue 05-07-2022

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed that the Agency had received approval to construct a three-storey COVID treatment centre in at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, with funds accessed from the World Bank. He said the project was part of its partnership with the hospital in the areas of health emergency response.

Disclosing this while on a formal visit to LUTH also pledged that NCDC’s official relationship with LUTH was very important as one of the largest and foremost Federal Government tertiary health institutions in Lagos.

Adetifa who pledged NCDC’s commitment to constructing the long-awaited centre said they are waiting for the final approval from World Bank on the terms and references including the designs.

On why the construction has not commenced he said: “We are at the moment on the terms of reference for one of the requirements that are required to begin to process and submit to the world bank which includes the construction of safety health management class and obviously that is different, the space is different and a beat more diligence is required for construction drawing, designs and bill of quantities. All of these have been put together but we are just waiting for the World Bank also to approve all of that and we move on to the next level.”

He said they are using the World Bank fund under their care, assuring LUTH management that though the project is delayed it would be actualised.

Continuing he said NCDC rely on a partnership with institutions like LUTH to help detect emergencies and look after COVID-19 patients.

Adetifa who also spoke on other issues said as of 19th June 2022, the country has recorded 41 confirmed cases of Monkeypox out of a total of 162 suspected cases for the year with one death from a 40- year male organ transplant immune-suppressive patient. Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof Chris Bode disclosed that the hospital had treated over 1,000 COVID patients with multiple co-morbidities and delivered 14 pregnant COVID patients.

Bode stated that the proposed 40-bed LUTH isolation centre was still on the drawing board while other institutions have commenced the project.

He appealed for speedy completion of the project under the Director-General’s leadership.

He said that while many institutions had closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, LUTH stepped up its efforts and did its best in contributing to the national efforts to contain the disease.

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