Zamfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle has launched a zero-contact testing centre for COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Considered the largest in the country, the booths are designed to maintain safety and protection of the higgest standards possible for the citizens of the state.
On an inspection your of the facilities in Gusau the governor said the development will significantly increase the testing capacity and protect health workers who are on the front line in the fight against the Coronavirus.
A statement signed by Yusuf Idris Gusau, Director General Media, Public Enlightenment and Communication from the Government House Gusau, quoted
“Provision of the new state of the art facilities is in furtherance of this administration’s firm resolve to rid the state of the pandemic”.
“it is an initiative that guarantees the improvement of the testing capacity of the virus in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendations in order to regularly test and isolate COVID – 19 patients in the state and its neighbours”.
Governor Matawalle described the intervention as part of the broader strategy put in place by the Zamfara State Government”s response to the pandemic that unsettled the world through the disruption of social and economic activities, spike in mortality rate and general exacerbation of global health challenges.
“With the sample collection booths, the state government will be cutting costs by achieving more with less as it had become difficult and economically unsustainable to justify using new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to test each patient, especially with the global scarcity of the vital equipment as the booth pays for itself within 5 to 7 days due to cost savings on the purchase of PPE.
In his words,“This equally ensures timely delivery of collected samples because the booth can be deployed in border towns and remote areas,” he said.
He explained that in post-COVID – 19, the sample collection booths could be converted into telemedicine booths, an innovation that is poised to boost the people’s access to healthcare and their overall wellbeing, especially in the hinterlands of the state.
“To date, Zamfara remains one of the states with the best approach to containing COVID-19, having built an ultramodern isolation centre from start to finish within two weeks; procured more PPEs; acquired six (6) PCR machines, disinfectants/decontamination machines, disinfection tunnels, sample collection Booths, etc.”
“This will make it fit for the NCDC to comfortably set-up multiple molecular laboratories, a situation which will make the state have one of the best COVID – 19 recovery statistics in the country.”
Matawalle said following several years of palpable neglect in the health and other sectors in the state, his administration made a concerted effort to address the situation.
(C) Control TV 2020.
