The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says it is not aware of the Control of Infectious Disease Bill, but seeks to work with the House of Representative on that.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of NCDC, said this during the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
A Bill for an Act to repeal the Quarantine Act and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases Act has passed a second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, sought to empower NCDC and make it more proactive.
Leading the debate, Gbajabiamila said the NCDC had very little powers to carry out its mandate though it had great professionals.
Gbajabiamila said the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill sought to empower the NCDC and make it more proactive and not just reactive.
Ihekweazu said: “I saw the bill like you all did on social media.
“I think the House of Representatives members are doing their best to come up with solutions: new laws.
“So, I take it positively.
“Of course, the bill requires more consultation.
“I am personally not in favour of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis.
“Let’s get out of crisis and then use the momentum to engage all stakeholders to come up with a bill that will serve us now and for the future.”
On molecular laboratories, Ihekweazu said the NCDC’s goal was to have such a laboratory operating in the 36 states of the federation.
He said the NCDC’s approach was that of a hub-and-spoke that would have a national reference laboratory in Abuja as the hub, organising the supply chain, data, information technology support, connected to all the other laboratories in the country.
Ihekweazu said the agency wanted each molecular laboratory in Nigeria to be able to diagnose any significant infectious disease.
He said it had become clear that there was community transmission in Lagos, Kano and Abuja.
He gave the assurance that the agency was adapting its response to the reality.
“This is why we are taking testing to communities and health facilities in these places,” he said.
He said the NCDC team was responding in Kano to improve on the fight against the pandemic.
“We now have two laboratories functioning, and a third one is in the pipeline,” he said.
He said Nigerians needed to support health workers and not stigmatising the communities where they worked.