COVID-19: Minister inspects new isolation centre in Abuja

Nigerian Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Musa Bello on Tuesday inspected the facilities and equipment at a newly constructed isolation centre for COVID-19 patients in Abuja.

The centre is the second of its kind in the capital. He also visits the city’s Karu General Hospital, where improvement works are being carried out.

“We have 150 beds already installed together with their bed sheets and pillows and also side cabinets,” Bello said.

Nigeria has asked for $6.9 billion from multilateral lenders including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to tackle the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, its finance minister said Monday.

Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer is battling to halt the spread of the virus and staunch the economic pain caused by a slump in crude prices.

“We have a contribution of $3.4 billion in the IMF and we are entitled to draw up to the whole of that,” finance minister Zainab Ahmed.

“I am very confident that with this kind of partnership and support from the wider community, especially the private sector, our members of the medical community will be able to fight this pandemic to the end,” Bello added.

The government has said it is planning to establish a $1.3 billion fund to bolster the country’s weak healthcare system.

But that comes at a time when officials are being forced to cut the national budget for this year after the collapse in oil prices gutted state revenues.

Pictures of the 4-storey training facility in Abuja getting converted to a 300-bed isolation and treatment centre in IDU. Medical supplies are arriving for the office building to be ready as a centre against #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/1Mv0bopE8R

— ᴏᴍᴀsᴏʀᴏ ᴀʟɪ ᴏᴠɪᴇ™☤ (@OvieAli) April 7, 2020

Africa’s most populous nation has so far recorded over 232 confirmed infections and 5 deaths from the novel coronavirus.