29032020 - El Rufai tests positive as experts insist on Total lockdown

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PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 29, 2020 CORONA LESSONS FROM CHINA: How strong leadership helped China to contain virus —Moaming, Consul General By Vera Anyaghafu & Precious Chukwudi The Consul General, Consulate General of The Peoples’ Republic of China in Nigeria, Mr. Chu Moaming, says the Chinese government is strongly committed to eradicating COVID -19. The CG, who seems satisfied with the progress made so far, discloses that China h<strong>as</strong> fought the virus and the <strong>positive</strong> trend in the prevention and control is gathering steam. He also updates on China-Nigeria diplomatic ties, friendly visa relationship and other issues of interest. Excerpts: IGURES just rele<strong>as</strong>ed indicated that the Fspread of Coronavirusis coming down. How is the Chinese government tackling the spread and are there me<strong>as</strong>ures to eradicate it? Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus dise<strong>as</strong>e or Covid-19, China h<strong>as</strong> fought a people’s war on it, and the <strong>positive</strong> trend in the prevention and control is gathering steam. Though the virus h<strong>as</strong> infected more than 80,000 people, new c<strong>as</strong>es are declining, with the number of recovered patients rapidly incre<strong>as</strong>ing. The number of Chinese who recovered from the dise<strong>as</strong>e and discharged from hospitals continues to rise, indicating that the overall situation of epidemic prevention and control continues to improve and the effect of medical treatment is obvious. How h<strong>as</strong> China done it? What are the experience and lessons? Here is my observation. One, strong leadership! Chinese President Xi Jinping personally commands the people’s war against the epidemic. He h<strong>as</strong> been paying constant attention to the epidemic prevention and control work and made oral or written instructions every day. On January 7, he issued requirements on the epidemic prevention and control work when he chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. On January 20, he demanded that party committees and governments at all levels put people’s lives and health <strong>as</strong> the top priority and make resolute efforts to curb the spread of the virus. On January 25, the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year, he chaired another meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, focusing on the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting decided to form a central leading group on the epidemic, dispatch a central guiding team, and demand a cabinet inter-agency t<strong>as</strong>k force to play its full role in coordination. Afterward, President Xi, again, held three meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and one meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to study epidemic control and resumption of work and production. On February 10, President Xi inspected COVID- 19 prevention and control work in Beijing and heard reports from the frontline in the hardesthit province of Hubei and its capital city Wuhan through video links. President Xi also made requirements on epidemic prevention and control from various <strong>as</strong>pects when he chaired meetings of a number of central commissions on overall law-b<strong>as</strong>ed governance, cyberspace affairs, overall deepening reform and foreign affairs. The latest w<strong>as</strong> a meeting on February 23 to coordinate epidemic control and economic and social development. President Xi made specific requirements for both fronts. On March 2, President Xi visited the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University in Beijing, learning about the progress on the vaccine, anti-body, medicine and f<strong>as</strong>t testing kit research and application. He expressed regards to <strong>experts</strong> and researchers and chaired a symposium to listen to the views and advice from officials of relevant departments and researchers. On March 10, President Xi w<strong>as</strong> in Wuhan, the epicenter to greet and thank the medical staff and the local people. Two, China h<strong>as</strong> demonstrated timely strategy and political courage. Our leaders have taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control me<strong>as</strong>ures. Lines of defense were set up. Personnel and resources were mobilized across the country. — On curbing spreading, early detection, early reporting, early quarantine and early treatment are stressed. — On treating patients, pooling together patients, <strong>experts</strong>, resources, <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong> centralized treatment are underscored. — On January 22, the CPC Central Committee made a decisive move that required huge political courage: it ordered Hubei to impose full and strict control over the outbound population flow. A day after, all urban public transportation, including city buses, ferries and metro lines were suspended and outbound channels at the airport and rail stations closed in Wuhan, home to more than 10 million people. It is an unprecedented move in modern Chinese history, but an effective one. China took serious me<strong>as</strong>ures at the epicenter, China h<strong>as</strong> demonstrated timely strategy and political courage at the source, which not only protected Chinese people, but also prevented the spreading of the virus to other countries. Three, China h<strong>as</strong> taken effective me<strong>as</strong>ures. Along with that move, a series of other me<strong>as</strong>ures were also introduced to mobilize the whole country to contain the epidemic. — More than 330 medical teams consisting of some 41,600 medical personnel, both civilian and military, have been dispatched to Hubei province from across the country. — Specialized hospitals were swiftly built and started operation in Wuhan, in addition to various makeshift hospitals converted from gymn<strong>as</strong>iums, convention and exhibition centers to treat COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms. — Ensuring the provision of medical supplies in Hubei province w<strong>as</strong> prioritized and 19 provinces paired with other cities in Hubei to provide one-on-one support. — In light of the serious problems that occurred in the early-stage prevention and control work in Hubei and Wuhan, the CPC Central Committee promptly put forward rectification requirements and adjusted the leadership of the CPC Hubei provincial committee and Wuhan municipal committee. — The Spring Festival holiday w<strong>as</strong> extended to delay possible travel peaks. Arrangements were made to postpone the start of the new school semester, promote the flexible resumption of businesses and reduce the pressure on transportation. — Me<strong>as</strong>ures were taken to support manufacturers of medical protective suits, m<strong>as</strong>ks and other epidemic prevention and control materials that are in urgent need, help them quickly resume production and expand capacity. — Unified national distribution w<strong>as</strong> put in place for essential materials, and the production and supply of daily necessities, coal, electricity, oil and g<strong>as</strong> were secured. — Order in medical institutions and the market w<strong>as</strong> maintained, in addition to crackdown on epidemic-related crimes, and strengthened psychological counseling and intervention for the public. — Public communication w<strong>as</strong> procedureb<strong>as</strong>ed and strengthened. Four, international cooperation: — China h<strong>as</strong> always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely f<strong>as</strong>hion <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong> actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so <strong>as</strong> to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. — China is not fighting alone. The international community h<strong>as</strong> given us valuable moral and material support. This joint fight is strengthening the friendship between the Chinese people and peoples across the world. — Leaders of more than 160 countries and international organizations have sent letters or messages to express their firm support. Political leaders around the world have spoken in public to cheer for Wuhan and for China. — President Muhammadu Buhari extended his good wishes to President Xi Jinping and citizens of the People’s Republic of China, saying it w<strong>as</strong> important to let them know that Nigeria and her citizens were also standing by them during this coronavirus outbreak. The President hailed China’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus and the country’s collaboration with international agencies and other countries on the matter <strong>as</strong> exemplary. He prayed that God will comfort the Chinese and others who had already lost family members and loved ones to the dise<strong>as</strong>e. — In the toughest times of the fight, people around the world are standing firmly by our side. The Chinese are a grateful nation. We will remember and hold dear every act of support. China is considered Nigeria’s most important and closest trading and export partner, and sampled opinions show that over 70 per cent Nigerians view China’s influence in the country, <strong>positive</strong>ly. What is your take on this? The friendship between nations lies in the mutual affinity of the people, and the mutual affinity of the people lies in the mutual connection of hearts. According to a report done by the American Pew Research Center in December 2019, 70% of Nigerians view China favorably. This explicitly demonstrates the <strong>positive</strong> outcome of the bi-lateral relationship between our two countries and the two peoples. Recently, when the Chinese people are fighting the coronavirus, we’re happy to see the Nigerian people are giving full support. President Buhari sent a message of strong support to President Xi Jinping, saying that Nigeria and her citizens are standing by China during this coronavirus outbreak. At this difficult time, Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State also expressed that Lagos State is ready for business and welcomes Chinese investors to come. Here’s a picture taken by a Chinese photographer. It’s a Nigerian student in China’s Chongqing city, helping the community fight the coronavirus <strong>as</strong> a volunteer. The Chinese are a grateful nation. We will remember and hold dear every act of support. China-Nigeria diplomatic trade agreements have <strong>positive</strong> impacts on the volume of trade and the number of Chinese nationals in Nigeria. From your point of view, would you say same about Nigeria and her nationals in China? China will open its door only wider to the world, including Nigeria and welcome more and more Nigerians investing in China. China will continue to open up its market. China h<strong>as</strong> a population of 1.4 billion. Its middle-income population is the biggest in the world. The huge Chinese market points to a potential that is simply unlimited. China will better leverage the fundamental role of domestic consumption in economic development and foster a more robust domestic market to boost growth at home and create more room for global growth. China will give greater importance to import. We will continue to lower tariffs and institutional transaction costs, develop demonstration zones to promote import trade by creative means, and import more highquality goods and services from around the world. We will take steps to promote balanced development of both imports and exports, of trade in goods and services, of two-way trade and investment, and of trade and industry. This way, we will ensure a free yet orderly flow of both international and domestic factors of production, improve the efficient allocation of resources, and deepen integration of markets. •Interview first aired on Vanguard Live Read more on www.vanguardngr.com
SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 29, 2020, PAGE 15 And since becoming governor, Taraba under Ishaku h<strong>as</strong> consistently performed the biannual maternal and child health week, which is a change in status quo. This high impact intervention for women and infants offered free of charge h<strong>as</strong> dr<strong>as</strong>tically reduced maternal and child morbidity. H<strong>as</strong>san said: “From inception of Ishaku’s administration, the state Primary Health Care Development Agency h<strong>as</strong> thrived and h<strong>as</strong> gone a long way to ensure that the vulnerable and the less privileged get Services at a minimal cost and at other times free of charge. “I can recall vividly during the first tenure of his Excellency, he gave the agency and the state commissioner for health a marching order to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian government through UNICEF <strong>as</strong> our first major project to provide health care services to hard-to-reach settlements. “Through b<strong>as</strong>eline survey, we came up with about 650 hard to reach resettlements across the 16 local government are<strong>as</strong> that were fully covered. “These are the are<strong>as</strong> where you will cross rivers and climb mountains to access, and where health facilities are far-fetched.” Development Partners Ishaku: I watched <strong>as</strong> someone died of preventable ailment in hospital • How gov changed narrative By Femi Bolaji, Jalingo It is general knowledge that health is wealth, and for Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, a healthy citizenry is a productive one. Since he became governor in 2015, one area that ranks high in his priority list is the health sector. This is evident in the state’s dedicated budget line for the Ministry of Health right from 2015 when he <strong>as</strong>sumed office. This huge investment, borne out of the p<strong>as</strong>sion to touch lives of those most vulnerable, especially women and children, h<strong>as</strong>, today, reached an enviable height. Ishaku, fondly called ‘Rescue Captain’, h<strong>as</strong> made a huge leap when compared to his peers and h<strong>as</strong> written his name in gold. As a trailblazer, he h<strong>as</strong> decentralized this critical to the admiration of all. One way he did this w<strong>as</strong> to strengthen primary health care (PHC) delivery which mostly benefits rural communities. How It Started Upon <strong>as</strong>suming office in 2015, one autonomous agency under the Ministry of Health that had a facelift is the Primary Health Care Development Agency. At the time, the agency w<strong>as</strong> less than a year old following its establishment in 2014. Ishaku then made it the centrepiece of his administration in terms of health intervention, targeting the vulnerable. What prompted this w<strong>as</strong> a story he often told in public fora of how he experienced firsthand real life scenario sometime ago in Wukari during campaign, where someone died of a preventable ailment at a medical facility. He then vowed to do whatever it will take to ensure that such preventable illness did not kill anyone. This brain work of his administration, which started in his first term, h<strong>as</strong> today become the fulcrum of various health interventions in Taraba. ‘The Rescue Agenda’, the blueprint of his administration, spells out how moribond health centres would be revived and replicated across the state. As ‘Rescue Captain’, Ishaku h<strong>as</strong> gone beyond not only rescuing the Primary Health Care Agency but h<strong>as</strong> also made the agency an efficient and self sustaining one, whose yearly budget runs into billions. As of the time of this <strong>as</strong>sessment, the agency’s 2020 budget line is about N2 billion. During a visit to some hard to reach communities in Sardauna local government area in 2018 to commission some health facilities, Ishaku restated his commitment to ensuring a healthy populace. He said, “Health is one of the priorities of my government because a healthy society leads to improved well-being <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong> good life and productivity. “It is in the light of this that my government h<strong>as</strong> undertaken the renovation and equipping hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the state.” According to the pioneer Executive Secretary of the agency, Aminu H<strong>as</strong>san, the agency h<strong>as</strong> been repositioned under Ishaku’s administration to provide integrated PHC services. The revolution in the state’s health sector, he said, h<strong>as</strong> also reduced pressure on secondary As of the time of this <strong>as</strong>sessment, the agency’s 2020 budget line is about N2 billion health facilities. These secondary health facilities include Wukari General Hospital and Takum General Hospital in the southern zone, Gembu General Hospital and Warwar General Hospital in the central zone, <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong> Bambur General Hospital and the State Specialist Hospital in the northern zone. Today, most primary health facilities in Taraba offers maternal and child care, family planning services, routine immunization, treatment of minor illnesses like malaria, de-worming, HIV testing and even child delivery. This w<strong>as</strong> however made possible through the recruitment of qualified health workers, provision of medical equipments in the various primary health facilities and the provision of drugs in line with global best practices. Taraba under Ishaku’s administration bo<strong>as</strong>ts of 90 standard PHC facilities and cut across the16 local government are<strong>as</strong> of the state, while efforts are ongoing to establish 78 more to cover the 168 electoral wards in the state before the expiration of his second term in 2023. The current Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and National Immunization Coverage Survey, MICS/ NICS, indicates that Taraba h<strong>as</strong> 70% coverage, which is a major improvement from 16% where it w<strong>as</strong> in 2016. One area where Ishaku’s drive to reposition PHC in the state h<strong>as</strong> never failed is on prompt rele<strong>as</strong>e of counterpart funds. The state government’s timely rele<strong>as</strong>e of those funds h<strong>as</strong> solidified the relationship with development partners and h<strong>as</strong> made Taraba government a trusted partner in various health projects. Some of these projects include the Hard-To- Reach and Save One Million Lives. The latest of such w<strong>as</strong> the rele<strong>as</strong>e of $200,000 for the domestication of the Nigeria State Health Investment Project, NSHIP. This high impact health project, supported by the World Bank prior to its domestication in Taraba, w<strong>as</strong> piloted in Ondo, N<strong>as</strong>arawa and Adamawa. It h<strong>as</strong>, however, brought a new le<strong>as</strong>e of life to quality health care delivery in the state, <strong>as</strong> most of its interventions are executed through PHC facilities and have direct bearing on the lives of those living in rural are<strong>as</strong>. “Governor Ishaku facilitated NSHIP with a matching grant of $200,000 to facilitate that would strengthen PHC delivery in the state”, H<strong>as</strong>san said. “The introduction of this enviable project boosted the capacity of PHCs in the state in terms of manpower, output and quality health care to rural dwellers. “Because of its effectiveness, it is enjoying community partnership which further strengthened its acceptance by those it w<strong>as</strong> intended for. “We piloted this project with PHCs in ArdoKola local government, but it h<strong>as</strong> now been scaled up to PHCs in 8 LGAs. “This initiative also benefitted secondary health facilities like General Hospitals which work in synergy with PHCs during referrals in terms of capacity building and regular funding. Human Resources “The governor got accreditation for the college of nursing and midwifery during his first tenure for the institution to train future health workers not only for the state but the nation. “The school before its accreditation did not admit students for ten years but with the governor’s intervention, the status quo changed and h<strong>as</strong> started graduating students. “Added to this, the governor recently gave approval for waivers to the primary health care agencies for community health officers, lab technicians, nurses among others who are at the verge of retirement to work additional three years to fill the vacuum that their retirement would have created, to allow the state train younger ones that would take over from them after the three year waiver lapses. “Also over 160 nurses were injected into secondary health facilities in the state including retired nurses who were reabsorbed for a period of three years to bridge the man power gap before young nurses complete their trainings. “He also recently accepted our proposal to recruit 500 skilled human resources for health which we are currently fine-tuning to ensure that the right thing will be done when interviews commence for applicants. “What we are happy about is the political will of the governor and his interest in ensuring that those at the lowest ebb have access to quality health care services. “We are even happier that we at the Primary Health Care Development Agency were chosen to help achieve this lofty achievement within a short time”.
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29032020 - El Rufai tests positive as experts insist on Total lockdown

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