TheCable

Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, has asked Nigerians to donate their properties as isolation centres.

Speaking on Thursday at the media briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19, Ehanire said the properties will be used only temporarily.

He said additional buildings are needed to isolate more patients as cases keep rising.

“As stated yesterday, bed spaces and isolation centres at state level need to match the increase and necessitates an appeal to all citizens, especially property and hotel owners, to recognise the imminent needs and the social responsibility of working with state governments to make facilities available for temporary use in emergency situations,” the minister said.

“It is of concern to us all that everything should not be left to government alone. We must all take collective ownership of the health and wellbeing of our citizens.”

During the event, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that it is currently “struggling” for bed spaces for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Lagos state which has the highest number of persons infected by the virus in Nigeria.

Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of NCDC, said the agency is considering the management of COVID-19 patients in their homes under strict guidelines.

“Ultimately, we might have to change our strategy a little bit, start considering home care in certain circumstances, where first we are able to provide a room where a patient can be managed sufficiently, and secondly we’re able to support the care by enabling healthcare workers come to that,” he said.