The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, says the healthcare system in the country is not perfect.
Speaking during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise, he stated that the present situation was not one Nigeria cannot handle.
“We do have a health system that can cope but that is not to say it is perfect. We still need to do a lot of health system strengthening,” the minister said on Saturday.
READ ALSO: 11 More People Die As Lassa Fever Death Toll Hits 132
Mamora believes a bulk of what should be done is at the grassroots where the people can be better enlightened and educated on how to take care of themselves.
He stated, “The healthcare delivery is a pyramid and at the base of that pyramid is the primary health because that is where you can easily give information to the people.
“The bulk of our people still live in the rural area and that’s one of the areas where the primary health is supposed to serve.”
The minister spoke about the efforts of the Federal Government towards tackling the spread of coronavirus and Lassa fever.
He stressed the need to pay more attention to the outbreak of Lassa which has killed scores of people in the country.
132 Killed
Mamora said, “Ebola, coronavirus (COVID-19); these are imported [disease], not something with us. But Lassa is with us, and it’s mainly an environmental issue which we need to deal with.
“The hype, the hysteria, the fear attached to COVID-19 essentially has to do with the ease of transmission. That why it is going viral all over the world … and it is no respecter of anyone.”
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its latest situation report said 11 more people have died from the outbreak of Lassa fever since the beginning of the year.
The deaths were recorded in the ninth week which covered between 24 February and March 1, bringing the number of people killed to 132 in 2020.
The NCDC noted that a total of 85 new cases were confirmed in the week from Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Taraba, and Kebbi States.
It said in total, 27 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 118 Local Government Areas since the beginning of the year.
