THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has donated 26 ventilators and 3, 560 fingertip oxygen pulse oximeters to Nigeria.
The WHO’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi, presented the items to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, today in Abuja.
He said the Federal Government had performed relatively well in the management of the pandemic in the country Covid-19 and maintaining a national case fatality rate of 1.3 percent.
The WHO official said since Nigeria recorded its first case of Covid-19 on February 27, 2020, the country had passed through the stages of having sporadic cases, clusters of cases and community transmission.
Kazadi said: “It is against this backdrop that we wish to demonstrate our continued support of the ministry’s efforts in further strengthening the country’s capacity in case management.
“This is in addition to our ongoing support across all pillars of the country’s COVID-19 response at federal and state levels.
“To this end, we wish to donate 26 ventilators and 3,560 fingertip oxygen pulse oximeters for the management of patients in isolation and treatment facilities, as well as home-based patients.
“As of the beginning of August 2021, about 15 months into the outbreak, Nigeria reached 175, 264 confirmed cases, the majority (over 94 per cent) had been successfully treated and discharged. Unfortunately, 2, 163 died.”
Ehanire thanked the WHO and other United Nations agencies that had contributed to training of staff spearheading the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
