FEC approves N215b for 10 blood banks, N62bn for tuberculosis kits

…Upgrade of Gombe snakebite treatment center 

The Federal Executive Council (FEC)  has approved the sum of N215b for 10 blood banks that will run in Compressed Natural Gas CNG.

Mohammed Pate, Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare disclosed this on Monday at the second meeting of the Federal Executive Council FEC, presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

Pate said  the snake bite treatment center in Kaltungo Gombe State has been approved to  “the National Snake Bite Research and Medical Center in Kaltungo Gombe State.”

The Minister stressed that Snake bite remains a significant yet neglected public health challenge, particularly in rural communities.

According to him, the incidents of snake bites remain a major challenge in savannah, as well as  across the sub region, and is especially hard on vulnerable populations, farmers, herders, hunters, women, and children, whose livelihoods and daily activities expose them to encounters such snakes.

”  We do have a large burden, as statistics show that over 43,000 snake bites occur in Nigeria annually”.

He explained that the first memo approved by FEC was the upgrade of the snake bite treatment center in Kaltungo Gombe State into the National Snake Bite Research and Medical Center in Kaltungo Gombe State.

” It now has an  expanded mandate for clinical services, research and training to respond to the needs and give adequate attention to victims of snake bites.

The Minister also disclosed that FEC approval became necessary because snakebites have resulted in death, disability, and psychological trauma with severe socioeconomic circumstances.

According to him, “This new center will be an important institution that will address the challenge, particularly in the Northeast, the Northwest, and the North Central geopolitical zones of Nigeria, where the issue is most dire.

“The new center will provide comprehensive, specialized care for snakebite and related issues, undertake research on snakebite epidemiology, prevention, diagnose and treatment, ensure sustainable access and supply of quality anti-snake venom and have full clinical and medical department for improving patient care and specialist services, among other things.

“It will also partner with international institutions. This is a major step that brings an institution that will be the first of its kind in this country, but also in our sub region.”

Pate also said the second item was the approval by the Federal Executive Council for the procurement of 10 units of compressed natural gas powered blood donation medical clinic vans for the National Blood Service Agency zonal activities, to facilitate the procuring, collection, and distribution of blood in each of the geopolitical zones.

He said Nigeria requires about 1.8 million units of blood donations annually, adding that presently we only get about 25 – 30 percent of that

“This blood donation vehicles can be deployed to mobilize donors, so that we enhance the collection of blood that is critical for pregnant women who may require cesarean section for trauma victims, for surgery victim, or for patients undergoing surgery, but also for those being treated for cancers who require repeated transfusions or other elements of blood.

“It’s part of the effort to build the infrastructure comprehensively for emergency medical services dealing with maternal health, and this 10 blood donation vehicles will be procured at the cost of ₦6.9 billion naira.”

The Council also granted approval for the procurement of tuberculosis commodities by the Ministry of health, at the sum of ₦62 billion naira, adding that, “Nigeria is among the countries that run among the highest burden of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a socially determined disease, is a disease of those who are poor and vulnerable, malnutrition, poor housing, and we have one of the largest borders.

“Nigeria is among the top countries that is able to detect those cases. Until now, most of the treatment for tuberculosis depended on external actors.

“Now Nigerian government is stepping in to procure those commodities and put us on a path to manufacture them locally. ” he said.