COVID-19: FCTA to create 600 isolation, treatment bed space soon — Minister

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will in a few days make available a total of 600-bed spaces for isolation and treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, made this known while addressing a news conference organised by the FCT Abuja Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, on Thursday in Abuja.

Bello assured the public of the preparedness of the FCT Administration to provide adequate facilities for the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic in the nation’s capital.

He also disclosed that the FCT Administration had received financial donations amounting to about N1billon from various organisations including the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Bank of Industry, Danata Construction Company, Gilmore Construction Company among others.

He also said the Zenith Bank has promised to set up Isolation Centre in Abuja, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) was connecting the Idu Isolation Centre to the National Grid and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has provided facilities at the Centre.

” While MTN and Mikano both donated 350 KV generators installed at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital as well the Karu General Hospital facilities.”

Earlier, the Acting Secretary, FCT Health Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu, disclosed the administration was paying N50,000 daily hazard allowance to all Medical Doctors providing various services in the fight against COVID-19 in Abuja.

Kawu, however, said that Nurses and Laboratory technicians involved in the process are paid N30,000 daily while Drivers and Cleaners are paid N20, 000 daily.

On her part, the Director, FCT Public Health, Josephine Okechukwu announced that the health authority would begin pilot testing for COVID-19 on Friday.

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu disclosed that no fewer than 600,000 households across six Are Councils in the FCT would be given palliative in the territory.

She explained that at least 100,000 poorest of the poor in each of the area council would benefits from the palliatives.

Aliyu said that adequate security arrangements for the safety of the personnel that would coordinate the distribution of the palliatives had been made with the FCT Police Command.

She said that during the distribution of the palliatives across the six area councils, there would be total shutdown of movement in the areas.

Aliyu noted that the security would not molest anybody but insisted that nobody would be allow to go out during the period.

” The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command and the Director of DSS are making adequate arrangement to deployed their personnel to ensure safety of the staff that are going to handle the distribution.”