The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says the Federal Government is worried about the increase in the prices of face masks and sanitisers in the country.
Ehanire stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he spoke about the current administration’s response in containing the further spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the country.
“The government is concerned about prices going up. But you see, we operate a market economy. Those who are traders and suppliers are doing a brisk business by trying to increase importation and those who manufacture are also doing a brisk business scaling up the manufacturing of all these products.
“So it is not surprising that the prices go up at the moment. The government makes sure that those agencies and organisations that need to have these materials have them,” he said.
Speaking further, the minister explained that the prices of the kits “will drop when traders import more of these products,” stressing that the Federal Government might not be able to regulate the prices of the commodities.
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Dr Ehanire, when asked about the identity of the 44-year-old Italian patient diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country, said it is against the medical ethics to engage in such.
He, however, revealed the government’s readiness to stop the further spread of the disease to other parts of the country.
On the issue of the travel advisory, the Health Minister warned Nigerians against travelling to countries that have reported cases of the virus.
His warning follows that of the US government asking its citizens not to visit Iran, South Korea, and Italy as part of the measures to control the disease.
