An NGO, Centre for Integrated Health Programmes (CIHP), has donated
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to hospitals across the 21 local government areas of Kogi as measures
against COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Akpa Patrick, the State Programme Director of CIHP, handed over
the PPEs to Dr Usman Zakari, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Kogi Hospitals Management Board (KHMB) in Lokoja.
According to him, CIHP is a U.S.-funded NGO, through the Centre for Disease Control Atlanta, which has been supporting
the provision of comprehensive high-quality, family focused HIV/AIDS services to patients, including adults and children.
Patrick said “we are currently in about four states in Nigeria, including Kogi.
“We have been on ground since 2007, supporting the state to cater for the treatment, care and support people living with
HIV/AIDS.”
He noted that the NGO had earlier donated PPEs such as overall wears, spraying machines to hospitals and isolation centres
in April, saying “this was the second tranche of the donation.
“We did the first donation in April and we are donating the second tranche today in our bid to prevent infections among
healthcare workers, especially those at the frontline in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is no more history, it has become a new normal with us and across the world.”
The CIHP programme director noted that aside supporting the primary, secondary and tertiary public healthcare facilities,
the NGO had also been supporting private and faith-based hospitals in Kogi.
He added that “we are hoping that as soon as these PPEs are exhausted, we will supply more to hospitals.”
The KHMB chief medical director commended the NGO for the gesture, saying ”everywhere in the world, healthcare
workers are those in the frontline in the fight against the deadly virus.”
He said CIHP had been supporting hospitals in Kogi with logistics, medical equipment and everything around HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and sometimes malaria.
‘He added that CIHP brought many PPEs to hospitals in Kogi for frontline health workers; they have donated before, and they are donating again.
“The management of KHMB is receiving the equipment on behalf of the state government for onward distribution to hospitals across
the 21 local government areas.”
Items donated included hand gloves, N-95 respirators, surgical face masks, hand sanitisers, and sodium hypochloride used as disinfectants.