Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has established an Ebola Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee to coordinate the state’s readiness and response to any potential threat of the disease.
The committee, which is chaired by Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, comprises representatives of government ministries, security agencies, health institutions, professional bodies and development partners.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by Dr. Patrick Ebojele, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor.
According to the statement, the committee will coordinate preparedness and response activities aimed at strengthening the state’s capacity to address any Ebola threat.
Its membership includes representatives of the Ministries of Health, Environment, Livestock, Local Government, Finance, and Information and Communication. Other members are the Edo State House of Assembly Committee on Health, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Department of Port Health, and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Security agencies represented on the committee include the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Health institutions on the committee include the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State University Teaching Hospital (EDSUTH), Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Uselu, Edo Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital, Benin, and Stella Obasanjo Hospital.
Professional bodies represented are the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Edo State chapter.
The committee will also include representatives of traditional institutions, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Chief Imam, and market women.
Development partners and agencies listed as members include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Nigeria Red Cross Society, DataFi, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The committee will operate through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), which has specialised pillars for coordinating preparedness and response activities. The pillars cover coordination, epidemiology, surveillance, infection prevention and control, risk communication, logistics, laboratory services, case management, and safe and dignified burial.
A PHEOC manager will oversee the centre’s operations and coordinate activities across the various response pillars.
The statement added that a stakeholders’ meeting on Ebola emergency preparedness and response would be scheduled soon to strengthen collaboration among committee members.