The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said the centre was not aware of the Control of Infectious Disease Bill.
Ihekweazu, stated this during the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Thursday.
A Bill for an Act to repeal the Quarantine Act, and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases Act, has passed a second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, seeks to empower NCDC and make it more proactive rather than just reactive.
However, Ihekweazu noted that now was not the time to draft such a bill while the nation was in the middle of a crisis.
“I saw the bill like you all did on social media. I think the House of Representative members are doing their best to come up with solutions – new laws; so, I take it positively.
“Of course, the bill requires more consultation. I am personally not in favour of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis.
“Let’s get out of crisis and then use the momentum to engage all stakeholders to come up with a bill that will serve us now and for the future,” he advised.
On molecular laboratories, the NCDC boss stated that the centre aimed at having such a laboratory operating in every state of the federation.
READ ALSO: Gov Umahi Signs COVID-19 Bill Into Law
He said that the NCDC’s approach was that of a hub-and-spoke that would have a national reference laboratory in Abuja as the hub – organising the supply chain, data, information technology support – connected to all the other laboratories in the country.
Ihekweazu said that the agency wanted each molecular laboratory in Nigeria to be able to diagnose any significant infectious disease.
He explained that NCDC’s response strategy presently was adaptive to local contexts in each state and each community of the country.
According to him, it has become clear that there was community transmission in Lagos, Kano and Abuja and assured that the agency was adapting its response to the reality.
“This is why we are taking testing to communities and health facilities in these places,” he said.
He also said that the NCDC team was responding in Kano to improve on the fight against the pandemic adding “We now have two laboratories functioning, and a third one is in the pipeline.”
Ihekweazu pleaded with Nigerians to support health workers and not stigmatising the communities where they worked.
