The Senate has passed the National Centre for Disease Control Prevention Bill. Among others, the Bill seeks to promote coordinate and facilitate the detection and control of communicable diseases in Nigeria.
Presenting the report on the Bill at the plenary session of Thursday, 29 March 2018, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP: Abia), Chairman of the Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Disease stated that the objectives of the Bill is to create a Centre with the responsibilities to:
- Protect Nigerians from the impact of public health diseases;
- Maintain the highest state of alertness in detecting and responding to disease outbreaks, public health disasters, mass morbidity and mortality due to pathogenic, chemical or biological agents;
- Develop and coordinate measures and activities to control outbreaks and reduce the impact of public health disasters;
- Develop and coordinate an information network for reporting and notification of communicable diseases;
- Develop and make accessible guidelines and standards for relevant public health activities at all levels in the country;
- Communicate with the public on the need to protect themselves from public health threats; and,
- Facilitate the implementation of International Health Regulations and coordinate its participation in disease control activities.
Sen. Ohuabunwa mentioned that the Committee had taken into consideration the submissions and input of key stakeholders at the public hearing where it was unanimously agreed that the Bill was of paramount importance and would enable the country provide emergency responses to the outbreak of diseases.
Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa noted that the Bill, if passed into law, would provide stable intervention and aid the government’s medium and long term planning for the detection, monitoring and control of diseases with particular emphasis on infectious diseases.
