By Idu Jude
As a commitment made by a group of Nigerians to render help to victims of COVID-19 and other diseases, the body under the aegis of victim support fund VSF under the leadership of Rtd General TY Danjuma, again has come under the rescue of the Federal Ministry of Health, with a donation of Elevator for the under-construction of the permanent secretariat of the Ministry.
The Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, while receiving the group donation, said that since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the ministry has been impressed by the outpouring of support to the government from all sectors.
He said that “it is evident that the disease will remain with us longer than earlier thought and as primarily a health problem, the center of the pandemic response is in this building, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) headquarters”
“It is important to mention that Victim Support Fund (VSF) has been supporting government efforts at different levels, in various aspects even before COVID-19. Particularly during the response to the protracted humanitarian crisis in the northeast, VSF supported the FMoH in developing State-Specific Operational Plans in order to provide targeted health responses to crisis-affected communities in the northeast”
Ehanire, further stated that at the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, VSF made commitments to support the health sector in various ways including
Support to the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR) and the secretariat
“This is a group of experts advising the Honourable Minister of Health on evidence-based responses and interventions. The VSF supported this group with sitting allowances for a period of 6 months as well as provided office equipment to support MEACoC secretariat activities.
Support to the secretariat in the development of the Health Sector COVID-19 Pandemic Response Action Plan;
And also, with a new elevator which we are commissioning today. The provision of this lift has come at a very critical time and the Ministry will make good use of it”
“I must say that the experience of both staff and visitors is navigating this building and attending meetings, especially on the 6th floor, has been hindered by the limited service of the elevator. It is also sometimes even a safety risk when the only working elevator breaks down with passengers. This new elevator would alleviate a lot of inconveniences experienced by the staff of this Ministry and for this, I say thank you”
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On the part of the Federal Ministry of Health, The Minister implores everyone to adopt a maintenance culture and take responsibility for our environment and equipment.
“This elevator belongs to us all and the onus for maintenance should not be left to the Department of General Services alone, we must do our part in keeping it clean and adhering to capacity warnings.
This elevator states maximum capacity is 13 persons with a total weight limit of 1000kg but based on social distancing it is important to limit the capacity to 6 people.
On behalf of the staff and management of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government of Nigeria, I want to sincerely thank the Chairman of Victim Support Fund, General TY Danjuma and the entire team of VSF for your continuous support as we commission this elevator as part of the COVID-19 support rendered to the FMoH by VSF”.
