Group seeks establishment of Center for Disease Control in Kaduna

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Project known as the LAFIYA Project has harped on the need for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to handle emergencies in Kaduna State.
The State Coordinator for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, LAFIYA project, Chanan Solomon, asserted this during a Town Hall Meeting with Stakeholders to review the draft bill for a policy that will provide for the establishment of the Kaduna State Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) for fast response to disease outbreaks.
According to him, Kaduna State, like many parts of Nigeria, faces high disease burdens, making it necessary to have a Center for Disease Control and Prevention to handle emergencies.
Solomon noted that LAFIYA, in collaboration with Open Government Partnership (OGP), has presented a draft bill for a policy that will provide for the establishment of the Kaduna State Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) for fast response to disease outbreaks.
He disclosed that his organizlsation, with funding support from FCDO, is providing technical support to ensure that the goal is achieved within the desired time frame.
“With the acceptance of the road map by the Governor, we went ahead to support the drafting of the CDC Policy and after that, the work plan.
“So to validate the draft bill, there’s a need for a Town Hall Meeting in collaboration with the Open Government Partnership because, as a system strengthening Organization, our priority is to ensure that we collaborate effectively for effective service delivery.
“What this means is that, with the policy in place, there will be a budget line for disease outbreaks in any part of the State that will provide a fast response to addressing these outbreaks”, he stated.
The Coordinator also expressed gratitude to the OGP, Ministry of Health, and the Planning and Budget Commission for working tirelessly to ensure that actions are taken for the establishment of the KCDC.
He said: “For us at LAFIYA, this is a big milestone even to Kaduna State. Our collaboration with the OGP, Planning and Budget Commission, Ministry of Health, and others have yielded positive results, and we hope to see the Centre running soon.”
In his goodwill message, the Representative of the Ministry of Health, Jeremiah Daiko, noted that the move for the Bill is timely as it will position the State government to respond proactively to public Healthcare emergencies.
He stressed that issues surrounding health should be a public concern, adding that there’s a need for a synergy between Citizens, Government, and CSOs to address such pressing issues.
“The Kaduna State Centre for Disease Control Bill is based on what we have been seeing in terms of public health emergencies we have heard of Corona outbreak, Lassa fever, measles, monkeypox, cholera, and others.
“So we thought that there’s a need for us to have a structure in place to respond to these outbreaks, so that is what necessitates this bill so that once we can have this center, it will help us to have a good structure to easily respond to all these emergencies
“This Bill is very important to us and we are waiting earnestly to ensure that it is passed in no distant time because people are also waiting for it. So, we are going to sit down and look at how we can put all the inputs from the Public into consideration and ensure that we have a perfect bill before we send it to the House of Assembly,” he said.
In her presentation, the Representative of the Kaduna State Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KAD-LGAM), Alheri Waje, said that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic tested Kaduna State’s readiness and resilience in responding to public health emergencies.
She opined that although the state government took proactive steps to mitigate the pandemic’s impact, gaps in the State’s readiness, coordination, regulation, enforcement, funding, and communication were evident.
Waje said: “Fortunately, these experiences and lessons learned have now paved the way for a bill that will enable the State to be proactive rather than reactive.
“As the third most populous state in Nigeria, grappling with a high rate of multidimensional poverty, it is crucial for Kaduna State to establish a Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.”
She explained that the center would play a pivotal role in ensuring the effective application of health protection measures, a necessity given the state’s mortality rates, which surpass the national average, particularly in the vulnerable categories of maternal, neonatal, infant, and under-five populations.
“In view of the above, and response to an invitation from the Open Government Partnership(OGP) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Improving Service Delivery in the Health and Education Sectors for a town-hall meeting on the draft bill of the Kaduna State Disease Control and Prevention (KDCDC), the Kaduna Local Governmen
“Accountability Mechanism(KAD-LGAM) in recognition of the bill’s importance set up a three-man committee to review the bill, provide observations, and make recommendations for consideration.
“The memorandum is divided into two main parts. The first provides an overview of the review, while the second part focuses on the key observations and recommendations that emanated from the review.
“Upon receipt of the bill, the Mechanism set up a three-man ad-hoc committee drawn from representatives of member organizations, and a desk review was conducted.
“The bill is well-crafted, capturing essential provisions that will facilitate the effective operations of the Kaduna State Centre for Disease Control (KDCDC). Also, it will further enhance health protection measures and emergency medical services (EMS) upon its establishment.
“Notably, the bill aligns seamlessly with the National Health Act of 2014, the Public Health Act of 2004, and the Quarantine Act of 2004. Furthermore, it complements the Kaduna State Public Health Law of 2024, which was recently enacted by the State Governor”, she added.
According to her, the Centre, once established and adequately funded and staffed, will be empowered to replicate the effectiveness demonstrated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) during the Ebola outbreak in Africa and the COVID-19 pandemic.
She, however, said that it is essential to include clear provisions that safeguard human rights during public health emergencies, ensuring that the center’s exercise of power is balanced with the protection of individual rights.
She stressed that : “Worthy of note, it is striking that the bill overlooks the escalating risk of various public health emergencies triggered by climate change, encompassing heat-related illnesses, water-borne diseases, respiratory problems, mental health emergencies, and food-borne diseases.
“While it is commendable that the bill has been subjected to stakeholders’ scrutiny and engagement in a town-hall meeting, it is imperative that the bill undergoes further legislative public hearing to ensure rigorous scrutiny and comprehensive feedback. Similarly, it should receive accelerated passage and assent into law.”
Our correspondent reports that present at the Town Hall meeting were representatives from the Ministry of Health, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Planning and Budget Commission, CSOs, and Traditional and Religious Institutions.