Neighbouring states of Katsina, Kaduna and Kano can sent their covid-19 samples for test as new sample collection booth was is launched in Zamfara State.
Addressing Journalists in Gusau, the State Commissioner for Health Yahaya Muhammad Kanoma explained that, the sample collection booth is the first of it’s kind owned by the states in Nigeria.
He said the administration of Bello Matawalle has decided to set up the sample center in order to ease the difficulties encountered whenever blood samples are sent to Abuja and Sokoto for test.
In a related development, the Director General media and Communication to Governor Matawalle Malam Yusuf Idris Gusau said, the provision of the new state of the art facilities is in furtherance of Matawalle’s administration’s firm resolve to rid the state of the global scourge with an initiative that is guaranteed to improve 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.
He described the intervention as part of the broader strategy put in place by the Zamfara State Government, in expeditious response to the pandemic that unsettles our world through the disruption of our social and economic activities, spike in mortality rate and general exacerbation of global health challenges.
He explained that in post COVID – 19, the sample collection booths can 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.
He said, 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/decontaminations machines, disinfection tunnels, sample collection Booths etc making it fit for the NCDC to comfortably set-up multiple molecular laboratories a situation which accords the state to boast of having one of the best COVID – 19 recovery statistics in the country.
He further stated that following several years of palpable neglect in the health and other sectors in the state, his administration made concerted effort to address the situation including the provision and upgrading of the health institutions; procurement of ambulances in all the 17 General Hospitals in the state; construction of 147 comprehensive healthcare facilities across all the 147 Wards; procurement of 147 tricycles to all the 147 comprehensive healthcare centers; revival of state drug revolving programmes amongst others.
