₦airaland Forum

The government of Akwa Ibom state will be opening a new infectious disease hospital with the first state owned molecular laboratory in Nigeria built to standards approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The facility built in a record time of 41 days by the state government is to expand the state's infectious disease management capabilities in line with guidelines by the NCDC for all states.

It comes with a full complement of a molecular laboratory, clinical laboratory, isolation centre, doctors quarters, canteen, administrative building etc as part of measures to contain and manage the Corona virus epidemic and other infectious diseases like Lassa fever.

The facility has attracted the interest of various stakeholders in the state, the League of Female Publishers (LFP) in Akwa Ibom State recently undertook a tour of the facility to ascertain the level of readiness for the commissioning.

The team was taken on the tour by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Works, Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen who disclosed that he has been working to ensure that the project is delivered within schedule without compromise on the quality as demanded by the Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

According to the Works Commissioner; "We came on April 6, 2020 to carry out demolition of old structures at this site. We started this project on April 7, 2020 by 9am. Today is the 36 days since the project commenced and on Monday, May 18, 2020 His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel will commission this project."

Structural Compliance

He gave insight that the architectural plan of the facility as an infectious disease center was mapped out to give procedural entrance and exit for both medical personnel and patients to ensure that biosecurity standards are complied with when it's open.

The main entrance of the Isolation Centre opens to a reception flanked by Nurse Station and consulting room with conveniences and changing rooms. No Doctor or Nurse is permitted to get in without first changing to their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

•WARDS

There are four big wards in the Isolation Centre which can accommodate 75 beds depending on the size. Each Ward has equal unit of five bathrooms and five toilets with two giant screens for patients' view from any part of the ward.

Communication:

There will be no less than 20 intercom lines for patients in each of the Ward to aid communication within the facility.

Whether for medical order or call for a meal from the canteen, this will be effected through the use of intercom as no patient is permitted to get to the canteen in person.

Biosecurity

However, medical personnel on duty make exit from the four wards properly through a fumigation-cubicle where they will drop their fumigated PPE to be incinerated.

There are two toilets (male and female); two bathroom (male and female); and two Changing rooms (male and female) for exiting medical personnel on duty.

There is a link-way by a gate through to the Doctors Quarters which only Doctors/Nurses on duty have the key out. No one can come in through this gate.

•DOCTORS' QUARTER

The Doctors' Quarter has 20 ensuite rooms. The one storey building has ten ensuite rooms up and down respectively. But primarily, the quarter is to serve the accommodation need of Doctors and Nurses on duty at the Isolation Centre.

According to the Commissioner for Works, if there are excess rooms after accommodating medical personnel of the Isolation Centre, then the resident Doctors and Nurses of the main hospital can then use it.

•AMBULANCE SPOT

There is a specific entrance and parking space for Ambulance which no one or any other vehicle can use. This provision is for effective handling of emergencies and proper management of cases.

•LABORATORY

According to the Commissioner for Works, the Laboratory would have been completed if not for the NCDC specification for a Virology Laboratory which caused an expansion of the initial structure to house the Clinical Laboratory, Administrative Unit and the Virology Laboratory.

The difference between the two laboratories is that there is only one exit in the Virology Laboratory while Clinical Laboratory has no exit. So, once you get into the Virology laboratory after changing up into your proper kits using the Changing Cubicle in the Administrative unit (sandwiching the two laboratories), you can not make use of the main entrance of the administrative unit of the laboratory block; rather you make exit from the exit door in the Virology Laboratory.

As properly mapped out, only medical personnel who worked only in the Clinical Laboratory can exit through the main entrance of the administrative unit of the Laboratory block.

Both Laboratories have toilet, bathroom, washroom, and store.

•MEDICAL DIRECTOR/ADMINISTRATOR'S HOME

This unit within the Isolation Centre houses both the Medical Director's home and the Secretary's home who can act in the absence of the Medical Director. This is a remedy to the situation where patients do not have a Doctor handy as when needed to attend to their medical needs with reason that the Doctor does not reside within reach.

This is at 100% completion by the Commissioner's assessment.

•CANTEEN

This will serve the food need within the facility. There is a set out procedure to handle this need as no patient will be expected to visit this unit outside the laid down procedure where meals ordered can be parcelled to the patients in the Ward.

This is 100% completed.

•WORK SCOPE

Meanwhile, the Commissioner explained that it is not within the scope of the project to tar the linking roads for easy movement within the Isolation Centre but if by permission the Governor give accent to it, then it will be comprehensive and executed to include the main entrance road to the premises.

"The tarring of the road is not part of the Isolation Centre but making the entire environment motorable is," Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen said.

•POWER SOURCE

The source of power to the Isolation Centre will be from a generating plant until when it is linked to the national grid as requested by the Governor. This will be effective with a dedicated transformer.

•QUALITY CONTROL

The Commissioner stressed that quality is the focus through the project levels.

According to him, concrete level 30 which is the highest level of concrete is what is used in the construction of beams and other aspects of the project.

The floor of the Isolation Centre is made with 6 inches blocks.

Hear the Commissioner, "My Director of Civil insisted on 6 inches blocks until two other Civil Engineers ask him, are we doing factory floor? Factory floor is 6inches while normal room is between 2-4 inches. What you find there is 6 inches. We have used cement here properly and I am very convinced that we have kept to the highest standard."

LOCAL INDUSTRY RELEVANCE

It is already in public domain that some resources to manage the pandemic in the State are drawn from Industries established within the State, like the Syringe industry.

The visit revealed that Peacock paint is still very relevant but within the elites class. This was confirmed by the Manager of the paint industry, Mr. Aniefiok Essien.

The manager said this is so due to high quality and price of the paint which makes it affordable to the elites.

Before lockdown, the production capacity was within 60/65 drums monthly.

It is the official paint for Government's projects handled by Ministry of Works under the regime of Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen.

COMMUNITY VIEW

The Village Head elect of Ituk Mbang, Uruan LGA, Chief Emmanuel Edet Bassey said the community values the Isolation Centre project. He pleaded for the wellbeing of residents of the area to be taken into consideration while the project is put to use in the area.

He appealed to the State Government to construct Ituk Mbang-Ishiet-Araria road which has been dilapidated and threatening lives and surrounding buildings in the area for years now.

The new centre by the Akwa Ibom state government will contribute to efforts by the country to scale up biotechnology research for COVID19 and other diseases like cancer, HIV, and TB.A' Ibom to Deliver First State Owned Molecular Lab & Isolation Centre In Nigeria






The government of Akwa Ibom state will be opening a new infectious disease hospital with the first state owned molecular laboratory in Nigeria built to standards approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The facility built in a record time of 41 days by the state government is to expand the state's infectious disease management capabilities in line with guidelines by the NCDC for all states.

It comes with a full complement of a molecular laboratory, clinical laboratory, isolation centre, doctors quarters, canteen, administrative building etc as part of measures to contain and manage the Corona virus epidemic and other infectious diseases like Lassa fever.

The facility has attracted the interest of various stakeholders in the state, the League of Female Publishers (LFP) in Akwa Ibom State recently undertook a tour of the facility to ascertain the level of readiness for the commissioning.

The team was taken on the tour by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Works, Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen who disclosed that he has been working to ensure that the project is delivered within schedule without compromise on the quality as demanded by the Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

According to the Works Commissioner; "We came on April 6, 2020 to carry out demolition of old structures at this site. We started this project on April 7, 2020 by 9am. Today is the 36 days since the project commenced and on Monday, May 18, 2020 His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel will commission this project."

Structural Compliance

He gave insight that the architectural plan of the facility as an infectious disease center was mapped out to give procedural entrance and exit for both medical personnel and patients to ensure that biosecurity standards are complied with when it's open.

The main entrance of the Isolation Centre opens to a reception flanked by Nurse Station and consulting room with conveniences and changing rooms. No Doctor or Nurse is permitted to get in without first changing to their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

•WARDS

There are four big wards in the Isolation Centre which can accommodate 75 beds depending on the size. Each Ward has equal unit of five bathrooms and five toilets with two giant screens for patients' view from any part of the ward.

Communication:

There will be no less than 20 intercom lines for patients in each of the Ward to aid communication within the facility.

Whether for medical order or call for a meal from the canteen, this will be effected through the use of intercom as no patient is permitted to get to the canteen in person.

Biosecurity

However, medical personnel on duty make exit from the four wards properly through a fumigation-cubicle where they will drop their fumigated PPE to be incinerated.

There are two toilets (male and female); two bathroom (male and female); and two Changing rooms (male and female) for exiting medical personnel on duty.

There is a link-way by a gate through to the Doctors Quarters which only Doctors/Nurses on duty have the key out. No one can come in through this gate.

•DOCTORS' QUARTER

The Doctors' Quarter has 20 ensuite rooms. The one storey building has ten ensuite rooms up and down respectively. But primarily, the quarter is to serve the accommodation need of Doctors and Nurses on duty at the Isolation Centre.

According to the Commissioner for Works, if there are excess rooms after accommodating medical personnel of the Isolation Centre, then the resident Doctors and Nurses of the main hospital can then use it.

•AMBULANCE SPOT

There is a specific entrance and parking space for Ambulance which no one or any other vehicle can use. This provision is for effective handling of emergencies and proper management of cases.

•LABORATORY

According to the Commissioner for Works, the Laboratory would have been completed if not for the NCDC specification for a Virology Laboratory which caused an expansion of the initial structure to house the Clinical Laboratory, Administrative Unit and the Virology Laboratory.

The difference between the two laboratories is that there is only one exit in the Virology Laboratory while Clinical Laboratory has no exit. So, once you get into the Virology laboratory after changing up into your proper kits using the Changing Cubicle in the Administrative unit (sandwiching the two laboratories), you can not make use of the main entrance of the administrative unit of the laboratory block; rather you make exit from the exit door in the Virology Laboratory.

As properly mapped out, only medical personnel who worked only in the Clinical Laboratory can exit through the main entrance of the administrative unit of the Laboratory block.

Both Laboratories have toilet, bathroom, washroom, and store.

•MEDICAL DIRECTOR/ADMINISTRATOR'S HOME

This unit within the Isolation Centre houses both the Medical Director's home and the Secretary's home who can act in the absence of the Medical Director. This is a remedy to the situation where patients do not have a Doctor handy as when needed to attend to their medical needs with reason that the Doctor does not reside within reach.

This is at 100% completion by the Commissioner's assessment.

•CANTEEN

This will serve the food need within the facility. There is a set out procedure to handle this need as no patient will be expected to visit this unit outside the laid down procedure where meals ordered can be parcelled to the patients in the Ward.

This is 100% completed.

•WORK SCOPE

Meanwhile, the Commissioner explained that it is not within the scope of the project to tar the linking roads for easy movement within the Isolation Centre but if by permission the Governor give accent to it, then it will be comprehensive and executed to include the main entrance road to the premises.

"The tarring of the road is not part of the Isolation Centre but making the entire environment motorable is," Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen said.

•POWER SOURCE

The source of power to the Isolation Centre will be from a generating plant until when it is linked to the national grid as requested by the Governor. This will be effective with a dedicated transformer.

•QUALITY CONTROL

The Commissioner stressed that quality is the focus through the project levels.

According to him, concrete level 30 which is the highest level of concrete is what is used in the construction of beams and other aspects of the project.

The floor of the Isolation Centre is made with 6 inches blocks.

Hear the Commissioner, "My Director of Civil insisted on 6 inches blocks until two other Civil Engineers ask him, are we doing factory floor? Factory floor is 6inches while normal room is between 2-4 inches. What you find there is 6 inches. We have used cement here properly and I am very convinced that we have kept to the highest standard."

LOCAL INDUSTRY RELEVANCE

It is already in public domain that some resources to manage the pandemic in the State are drawn from Industries established within the State, like the Syringe industry.

The visit revealed that Peacock paint is still very relevant but within the elites class. This was confirmed by the Manager of the paint industry, Mr. Aniefiok Essien.

The manager said this is so due to high quality and price of the paint which makes it affordable to the elites.

Before lockdown, the production capacity was within 60/65 drums monthly.

It is the official paint for Government's projects handled by Ministry of Works under the regime of Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen.

COMMUNITY VIEW

The Village Head elect of Ituk Mbang, Uruan LGA, Chief Emmanuel Edet Bassey said the community values the Isolation Centre project. He pleaded for the wellbeing of residents of the area to be taken into consideration while the project is put to use in the area.

He appealed to the State Government to construct Ituk Mbang-Ishiet-Araria road which has been dilapidated and threatening lives and surrounding buildings in the area for years now.

The new centre by the Akwa Ibom state government will contribute to efforts by the country to scale up biotechnology research for COVID19 and other diseases like cancer, HIV, and TB.

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