Nigeria’s Ministry of Health has confirmed receiving medical equipment and consumables, personal protective equipment (PPE) with over one million medical masks for health workers, and ventilators, amongst other items valued at over $1,300,000.
These items were donated by a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria. The firms donated the materials in a show of solidarity and cooperation with the Nigerian government as the world works together to contain this disease which has disrupted the lives of many.
According to the federal government, the donated items will support the ongoing efforts of hard-working and resourceful health workers across the country, including doctors and nurses, who have been at the forefront of fighting the coronavirus disease.
It said the PPE will also serve to protect these frontline workers and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the line of duty, assuring that all available resources would be deployed to support adequate engagement of Nigerian medical experts towards curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Also, government said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will ensure the quality of all the medical supplies that were brought into the country.
The federal government commended the Chinese community in Nigeria, recognising that collaboration, knowledge sharing, and expert insight are critical in the fight against coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Chinese medical personnel, who accompanied the materials to Nigeria, have been placed in isolation for 14 days.
In a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Health, it was stated that these persons will also be tested for coronavirus, reassuring that “the guests are not here to treat patients but to conduct capacity building based on their experience.”
Last week, a delegation of 15 Chinese medical experts, comprising doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians arrived the country. Their mission, according to the Nigerian government, is to help strengthen testing and management of COVID-19 cases, especially those needing critical care in Nigeria.
They will strengthen response in Nigeria based on lessons from the response in China. The Chinese medical team will provide first-hand experience and insights on how they were able to bring the spread of the disease under control.
