By Kenneth Onuoha
The Director General, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, commissioned a molecular laboratory at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital (AE-FUTHA) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
The facility was built by the NCDC and equipped with COVID-19 Molecular Laboratory Intervention Fund of the Federal Government.
Ihekweazu, while commissioning the project at the Virology Research, Treatment and Control Centre of the AE-FUTHA, urged the management to ensure the capacity building of the workers for optimum use of the laboratory.
He said the facility was well equipped to manage many common infectious diseases in Nigeria such as COVID-19 and Lassa fever.
“We tried to expand this not only for diagnostic purposes, but for research, capacity building and being an attraction for more projects to come to Abakaliki. We are very excited about the future of diagnosis and research towards providing care for our nation.
“This is part of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 support programme so that we as a country will never find ourselves in this kind of situation again.
“Our role is not only to respond to the current outbreak but to make sure that we’re stronger together as a country to respond future outbreak. That’s what led to the programme that we are carrying out across the country to strengthen our health facilities infrastructure,” he said.
While assuring Nigerians of the safety of Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine, he said, “No medical intervention in the world has saved more lives than vaccines. We are very confident right now of the vaccine that we have introduced.
“I have taken this vaccine myself, every member of the NCDC staff at the front line has taken it, we are confident that the vaccine will be a game changer to respond to this outbreak in Nigeria,” he said.
The Board Chairman of AEFUTHA, Dr Tijani Ramalan, in his remark, said the project was challenging, but expressed happiness it had been successfully completed and put to use.
Ramalan, who said the laboratory would take the hospital to the next level, noted that the project was one of the giant steps towards making the hospital a world medical tourism centre.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Emeka Onwe Ogah, commended the NCDC boss for the numerous assistance and support the hospital has been receiving from the NCDC, especially for building the molecular centre.
Ogah also commended President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for assisting the hospital to equip the molecular laboratory, saying that the centre would tremendously enhance the operations of the hospital.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to convert the Viral Research, Treatment and Control Centre of the hospital to a regional centre, since, according to him, it is the only centre currently serving South-East and South-South regions of the country.
On his part, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike, described the building and commissioning of the AE-FUTHA molecular laboratory as a milestone, and commended the NCDC for making it possible.