By Chioma Umeha
Meanwhile, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of
Health has directed the Management of the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau in
Zamfara State to immediately activate a case finding mission in a bid to stem
the current outbreak of meningitis in the state.
Adewole gave the directive during his visit to the
hospital on Monday according to a statement signed by Mrs. Boade Akinola,
Director, Media /Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health.
“Set up a rapid response team and let them go and
find cases,” he said.
“This is not the time to wait for referrals before
you treat. You should go out and search for the cases.”
He called on the facility to assist in
strengthening the Primary Health Care system in the state in order to curtail
the current meningitis outbreak and future occurrences.
The Minister recalled a picture (of a girl
receiving treated on the floor in one of the state PHCs) that made the front
page of a recent edition of a National Newspaper describing it as unacceptable.
“What I saw in The News Paper is unacceptable.
They are human beings and not animals and we must treat them with dignity.”
He promised the hospital of the ministry’s support
in ensuring that Zamfara people access care and halt unnecessary death in the
state.
The Health Minister, who was accompanied by the
Permanent Secretary Health, Mrs. Binta Adamu Bello and a team of international
development partners later visited some meningitis patients receiving treatment
in the facility.
