The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday, handed eight utility vehicles to the FCT Administration to support the Strengthening and Utilising Response Groups for Emergencies (SURGE) Flagship Initiative.
At the handover ceremony which took place in Abuja, WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, said that the vehicles were intended to enhance the operational capacity of the FCT Public Health Emergency Response System.
According to him, the FCT is one of the six states selected to pioneer the SURGE implementation in Nigeria and the donation of the vehicles aims to bolster health emergency preparedness and response.
“These vehicles will enhance the FCT’s mobility and rapid deployment capacity for emergency teams, ensuring that critical personnel, supplies, and response efforts reach affected communities swiftly and efficiently,” he said.
Mulombo also said that the handover reflects WHO’s continued commitment to working hand-in-hand with the government of Nigeria to strengthen national and sub-national capacity for health emergency preparedness and response.
“We know too well that Africa continues to experience more than 100 health emergencies annually, ranging from disease outbreaks and natural disasters to conflict-driven crises.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola, cholera, Lassa fever, and recent anthrax and diphtheria outbreaks have tested our systems and exposed gaps that need urgent attention, especially in the areas of coordination, mobility, workforce readiness, and logistics.
“This is why the SURGE flagship project was designed by WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) to ensure that countries are able to mobilise within 24 hours of a confirmed emergency,” he added.
He noted that the initiative aims to develop a multidisciplinary, trained, and rapidly deployable national workforce, backed by a strong operations and logistics system, all led by the government.
The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, said that it was another opportunity to reiterate to Nigerians the essence of emergency preparedness and response.
According to him, health security is a huge task, and the authorities are supposed to prevent these diseases or emergencies from occurring by tracking data to track the occurrence of the diseases.
“We are supposed to prepare and respond to emergencies, and preparing and responding to emergencies involves so many things.
“One of the things we put at NCDC is partnership, and this is one of the things we are experiencing today.”
Idris said that the Federal Government was trying to fully support emergency preparedness and response, but the resources are a bit limited.
He, however, commended the WHO for its support in tackling some of the issues, adding that what the nation lacks in terms of resources was being provided by the global body.
Taking delivery of the vehicles, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary for FCT Health Service and Environment Secretariat, appreciated WHO for the donation, adding that emergency preparedness was not about reacting to emergencies.
According to her, preparedness includes surveillance, teamwork, group work, and the ability to activate certain protocols that have been practiced and trained on over the years.
She, however, said that as the country continues to face emerging and re-emerging health threats, it is imperative that robust surveillance systems are prioritised to protect communities.
“Disease surveillance is the backbone of public health because it helps us to detect outbreaks early, respond swiftly and prevent widespread harm.
“By monitoring trends, we can identify hotspots, track transmission patterns, and inform evidence-based policies. This all together leads to prevention being better than cure.”
Fasawe noted that investing in disease surveillance was investing in the nation’s collective health security and not a responsibility of the government alone.
She stressed the need to invest in preventing outbreaks, reducing morbidity and mortality, and promoting not only Nigerian health stability, but global stability.
Six states, one per geo-political zone were selected to pilot the SURGE initiative in Nigeria.
They are FCT in the north central, Kano in the northwest, Yobe in the northeast, Lagos in the southwest, Abia in the southeast, and Edo in the South-South Zone.