The Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) on Friday donated health equipment worth millions of naira to a new isolation centre created in Lokoja by the Kogi State government.
The presentation of the equipment by a representative of the CACOVID, Mr Toyin Idowu, coincided with the inauguration of the isolation centre by the state government.
Idowu said that the donation of the equipment was a joint initiative between the Central Bank of Nigeria and the leadership of private sector companies in the country.
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He said that the gesture was aimed at joining hands with the federal and state governments to rid the country of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, the fight against the novel coronavirus cannot be left for government alone to handle because of its peculiar nature.
“Our resolve to wade into the crisis is to avoid untimely death of innocent Nigerians as a result of the pandemic,” he said.
Idowu said that the measure was also to prepare the state ahead of any eventuality, as it would help in tackling the disease.
“The equipment we have provided, such as Analysers, X-ray machine, oxygen cylinders, beds, mattresses, weight measuring machine, among others, are world-class equipment that will go a long way in reducing the effects and spread of COVID-19 in the country,” he said.
Inaugurating the isolation centre, the state Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja, promised that the government would continue to ensure that the state remains COVID-19 free.
“We will continue to sensitise our people on the need to maintain personal hygiene and adhere to the advice given by health experts and the National Centre for Disease Control,” he said.
Onoja commended CACOVID for partnering with the federal and state governments in the fight against COVID-19.
He promised that the equipment would be carefully handled and utilised for their intended purpose.
In his speech, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Haruna, appreciated CACOVID for the kind gesture, which he described as timely.
He said that the equipment which was meant for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients would also be useful in treating other ailments.
“This gesture is in tandem with the drive of Kogi State Government.
” We have two isolation centres already and the commissioning of this one makes it the third isolation centre we have in the state, even though, we are yet to record any case of COVID-19,” Haruna said.
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