The Federal Government has received the fifteen Chinese Doctors alongside some medical equipment and supplies brought by the medical team which arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Doctors Kick Against Chinese Intervention
The sponsor of the trip China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, said they brought about 16-tons of test kits, ventilators, disinfection machine, disposable medical masks, N95 masks, medications, rubber gloves, protective gowns, goggles, face shields, infra-red thermometers and others.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who was at the airport to receive the team and their supplies, said the team will be quarantined for two weeks.
They knew that before they came and have undergone tests before they left their country.
Nevertheless, they will be in quarantine for 14 days. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has gone to see where they will be quarantined.
He added:
The equipment (they brought) will assist a lot to fill some existing gaps. We now have 50 more ventilators.
Speaking on the development, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, said the equipment and medical supplies are valued at about $1.5million, adding that the inclusion of the cost of the flight would put the total cost at about $2million.
Reports revealed that 12 of the 15-man team are doctors while the rest are specialists in infectious diseases, respiratory illnesses, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology.
The CCECC Nigeria Managing Director, Michael Jiang, said in a statement:
The primary purpose of the working team is to escort the medical supply and provide guidance for their usage and distribution.
They will also provide CCECC employees with critical and necessary healthcare assistance where necessary. They are also coming with adequate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and medical items for the employees.
In addition, under the directive of the Chinese Embassy and in response to the Nigeria Government’s request, the working team may also share with Nigerian medical teams effective methods on how to contain the COVID-19 and provide advice on the use of relevant medical equipment.
The team is not coming to treat COVID-19 patients in Nigeria.
In keeping with its corporate value, ‘Stride with Nigeria’, CCECC is participating in the construction of two COVID-19 response facilities in the FCT for free as part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).
The facilities are a 196-bed at ‘ThisDay Dome Treatment Centre,’ in collaboration with Sahara Group and Arise News; and the 150-bed ‘Idu Depot Treatment Centre’.
In the meantime, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, and the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, NARD, re-iterated that the Chinese experts must not directly treat any Nigerian patient.
They described any attempt by the Chinese medical team to manage any Nigerian patient as unethical and illegal.
