Lagos concludes assessment of health security

 

LAGOS – The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Health is conducting an internal assessment of its health security capacities in readiness for the Joint External Evaluation for Health Security Capacities Assessment to be conducted by the NigeriaCentre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The three day exercise which commenced on Tuesday 4th July and will run through Thursday 6th of July, 2023 is a forerunner to the sub-national Emergency preparedness response capacity building (SERCB) project to be implemented by NCDC across States in Nigeria.

Speaking to stakeholders at the exercise which holding at LCCI conference centre, Alausa-Ikeja, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye disclosed that the goal of the SERCB being implemented by NCDC nation wide is to strengthen emergency preparedness and response at the state level with an evaluation of the States’ current international health regulations and health security capacities using an adapted Joint External Evaluation tool named ‘Health Security Assessment tool” for state level.

Dr. Ogboye stated further that the essence of the assessment is to support Lagos to identify gaps in the health security system and priority activities to bridge the gap.

He added that the assessment will help identify the level of the State preparedness for emergencies and identify the policies, tools and standards that exist in the various public health emergency thematic areas with the aim of strengthening the emergency preparedness of the state.

In his words: “The whole point of this exercise is to help strengthen our emergency preparedness and response and build capacities to the things we need to have because standards are really important. So I think it’s important that we all use this as an opportunity to find out what are the things that do exist in terms of policies tools and standards and guidelines of our work”

The Permanent Secretary restated the commitment of the Lagos State Government to medical infrastructural development and implementation of policies geared towards the provision of a sustainable health care delivery and robust public health emergency response capabilities in line with best practices anywhere in the world.

“I am proud to say that Lagos, we have built quite a lot of capacity over the years. We have a BSl-3 lab, which nobody else in Nigeria has, we now have even our own sequencer in Lagos so there is a lot going on, and the government will not relent in putting in place strategies in ensuring that health care delivery in the state are in line with best present anywhere in the world” He said.

He urged the participants drawn from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies to continue to work together as a team, noting that the One Health paradigm involved collaboration, coordination and synergy of all relevant MDAs in public health emergency response.

Also in attendance at the event were the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr. Oluwafemi Oke Osanyintolu, and representatives from, Ministries of Health, Information and Strategy, Agriculture, Environment, Justice, Special Duties, Budget, Physical Planning and Urban Development and lined agencies including Lagos Primary Health Care Board, Health Service Commission, LASEPA, LASEMA, LASCOPA, HEFAMAA, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service  amongst other stakeholders.