As part of efforts to curtail the spread of coronavirus, Akwa Ibom government has inaugurated a new emergency centre in Uyo, the state capital.
The state-of-the-art facility constructed by the State Government and upgraded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is coming barely a few weeks after an isolation centre was commissioned by Governor Emmanuel at Ituk Mbang, Uruan Local Government.
Emmanuel Ekuwem, Secretary to the state government who performed the inauguration stated that “The COVID-19 pandemic which is ravaging the world has been an eye-opener for us to review our health policies and provide matching infrastructure”.
The 22-room facility houses the EOC situation room and communications center, also comprises a conference hall, Four (4) call rooms, and other amenities.
“The vision of the State Government is that the EOC will be a hub, not just for COVID-19 response but for all other medical emergencies and security challenges as it will have coordinating facilities,” Ekuwem said.
Dominic Ukpong, Commissioner for Health appreciated the continued support of the USG through Jhpiego, a Non-Governmental Organisation, and other partners. He stated that the establishment of the EOC – communications center inclusive – will facilitate 24-hour functionality and enable the State to have a faster response time as it concerns COVID-19 and several other diseases of public health interest.
The setting up of the Communication Call Center, and COVID-19 situation rooms within the EOC was carried out with funding from the USAID through the Reaching Impact, saturation, and Epidemic Controlled by Jhpiego in collaboration with Data Fi working closely with the Akwa Ibom State Government.
The emergency Operation Center will enable centralized, real-time monitoring and predictive modeling for enhanced coordination of activities as well as informed decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies. It will also serve citizenry by facilitating the seamless coordination and integration of the State government actions to both curb and contain the spread of the virus
