The National Council on Health has banned the transport of corpses
and critically ill persons on both local and international routes
with immediate effect. It said only dead bodies with waivers granted by the
Federal Ministry of Health would be transported within and into Nigeria . Such
corpses must be conveyed only in ambulances. To show its seriousness
on the movement of corpses, the council advised state governments to enact
legislation for its effective compliance. The NCH which is the highest policy
making body in the health sector reached the decision after a meeting in Abuja
on Tuesday. Members of the council are the Minister of Health, the Minister of
State for Health; state Health commissioners ; the Secretary of Health and
Human Services in the Federal Capital Territory, and the Permanent Secretary,
Federal Ministry of Health. As the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu,
briefed journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the World Health
Organisation said it had approved the use of trial drugs such as the ZMapp
serum by persons infected with the Ebola Virus Disease. Chukwu explained that
the council deliberated extensively on strategies to contain the spread of the
EVD beyond those who had primary contact with the late Liberian, Patrick
Sawyer, who brought the virus to Nigeria.
Culled Punch Newspaper
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