Akwa Ibom State Government has broken another commendable record by securing approval for the testing of COVID-19 cases in the state by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.
The approval followed the Validation visit to the Akwa Ibom State world class Isolation Centre with inbuilt Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory situated at the Disease Control Unit of the General Hospital Ituk Mbang.
Disclosing this yesterday in Uyo, the NCDC Team Leader, Mr Bamidele Oluwafemi commended the State Government for single-handedly building the Isolation centre with the inbuilt Laboratory with Category 3 PCR Machine without the support of the Federal Government.
Mr. Oluwafemi described the isolation centre with Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory as one of the best in the country, noting that within the period of their stay in the state, the team had inspected the facility and trained personnel at the Isolation Centre on how to carry out COVID-19 test and interpret results.
Emphasizing that everything at the centre was up to the expected standard of NCDC, the team leader said the state owned Polymerase Claim Reaction (PCR) Laboratory at the Ituk Mbang 300-bed capacity International Isolation Centre has been fully activated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Mr. Oluwafemi who was speaking while leading his teammates on a courtesy call on the Chairman of the State COVID-19 Management Committee and Secretary to State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, lauded the State Government for building the Isolation centre towards containing not only the spread of COVID-19, but other viral diseases in the state.
Responding, the Chairman of COVID-19 Management Committee and Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC team for activating and approving the PCR lab as well as adjudging the lab and isolation centre as one of the best in the country.
“On behalf of His Excellency, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, I express our heartfelt gratitude to the team from the NCDC for visiting our state to painstakingly inspect and evaluate the kind of facility we have in the premises of General Hospital, Ituk Mbang.” the SSG stated.
The Chairman of COVID-19 Management Committee further expressed gratitude to Governor Udom Emmanuel for the huge investment in the health sector of the state as exemplified in the upgrading of health care facilities across the state, describing Governor Emmanuel as a passionate and visionary leader.
The State Scribe informed the NCDC officials that the Udom Emmanuel-led Administration has procured various medical equipment for the state long before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic which made it a lot easier for the equipping of the Isolation centre.
Also speaking, the State Incident Manager and Commissioner for Health,Dr Dominic Ukpong, noted that with the approval of the PCR lab in the State, the challenges faced by the State in taking COVID-19 samples to other states for testing will now become history.
The courtesy call was attended by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Charles Udoh, Chairman, Hospitals Management Board, Dr David Udoumoh, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Ekerete Udoh, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Medicals, Dr. Ignatius Akpabio and the Acting Permanent Secretary in the SSG’S Office, Dr Mfon Etimuweh, among others.
