The National Assembly has reiterated its commitments toward
the establishment of at least three reference laboratories in 2018 and implementation of Basic Health Provision Fund provided under the National Health Act 2014.
Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, made this known on Monday in Abuja.
Ohuabunwa made the disclosure during public hearing on the Bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
He said the establishment of reference laboratories would strengthen disease surveillance in the country
and enhance diagnosis of haemorrhagic fevers.
He added that the goals of the Bill were to provide control, prevention, coordination and facilitate detection of diseases for effective management of communicable diseases.
He noted that NCDC was not backed by any enabling Act to spur the organisation’s effective operations “but every now and then, we worry that the Centre has not been proactive, especially when we have
outbreak of communicable diseases or childhood killer diseases.
“This public hearing on new NCDC Bill is an attempt to fill the existing gap, so we can build an Act that will guide the Centre’s activities.”
He said the Act would also enable NCDC to provide sound health security for Nigerians, especially against some opportunistic communicable disease outbreaks.
The chairman said that in spite of the absence of the Act, the NCDC, however, inaugurated
the 2017-2021 strategic plan “to enable it to look into the future in anticipation of impending disease outbreaks.”
Ohuabunwa said the strategic plan was to prepare and equip the Centre to tackle disease outbreaks that appear without warning.
“This bill you will review today will provide the enabling Act needed to link up and drive new NCDC Strategic Plan,’’ he said.
Earlier, Sen. Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate, said the NCDC had been operating administratively for several years with required personnel in place and received fair share of annual budget.
Saraki, who was represented by Deputy Senate Leader, Sen. Bala Na’Allah, said it was important the Centre got legislative backing to give it a firm policy directive for consistency and adherence to international best practices.
He said “the re-emergence of infectious diseases over the past decade has been of major public health concern.
“The growing awareness of the complexity of health regulation at all levels of governance speaks volumes on the need to take disease control seriously.”
Saraki added that the eighth senate considered the health and living conditions of Nigerians a matter of national importance, stressing, however, that the Senate had yet to take position on the bill.
“Your contributions will go a long way in fine-tuning this so that at the end of the day, we will have sound legislation on the Centre,’’ he said
Meanwhile, the bill received overwhelming support by stakeholders who attended the public hearing, as stakeholders recounted the role played by the Centre in responding to outbreak of diseases and the need to re-strengthen the organisation. (NAN)
