Defence ministry
Defence ministry creates health emergency unit. The Ministry of Defence has formed the Defence Outbreak Response Unit to deal with health emergencies.
According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ibrahim Kana, the unit will serve as the Nigerian Military Task Force, collaborating with the African Partners Outbreak Alliance to combat epidemics on the African continent.
The Director of Press, Victoria-Agba Attah, on Monday, said Kana stated this during the opening ceremony of the Site Commanders/Team Leaders meeting in Abuja.
He also promised the Federal Government planned to provide improved healthcare to troops and their families.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme and the US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa/Nigeria are developing HIV prevention, care, and treatment strategies, including providing support services to military personnel, their families, and civilians living within and around barracks.
“The program is making significant commitments to the prevention, detection, and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases,” it said. To achieve a greater and more timely impact, broad local and international cooperation must be formed, as well as current coordinating mechanisms strengthened.
“In this light, the Ministry of Defence has approved the setting up of Defence Outbreak Response Unit to act as the Nigerian Military Task Force that will liaise with the African Partners Outbreak Alliance to tackle epidemic within the African continent”.
The Permanent Secretary remarked that the contributions of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United States Government to the program’s aims have resulted in significant progress, making the collaboration a model worthy of imitation.
Brig. Gen. N Okeji (retd.), Director-General, Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme, explained that the program was established 18 years ago with the primary goal of reducing the scourge of HIV/AIDS among troops, their families, and civilians living in communities adjacent to military barracks.
He added that it had grown from the initial four military health facilities to the current 34 programme sites, with additional responsibilities to handle emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.