Covid-19: Oyo govt inaugurates accreditation team for isolation, treatment centres

…to establish four additional isolation centres
The Oyo State government has inaugurated a six-man accreditation team for Covid-19 isolation and treatment centres.
The team, which is headed by the Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the isolation centres are of high standard.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, who inaugurated the team on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde, mandated it to ensure that the centres meet expected standard.
This was as the government has also set machineries in motion towards the establishment of four new zonal isolation and treatment centres at Saki, Ogbomoso, Awe and Igboora as part of its efforts in fighting the pandemic.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that Dr. Bello assured the team of government’s full support in the course of discharging its duties.
The Health Commissioner, who hinted that private facilities would be accommodated in the initiative as long as such facilities meet up with the criteria for accreditation of centres, which would be rolled out soon by the accreditation committee, tasked the team to critically study pages 14 and 18 of the accreditation book in order to come up with a standard check list within the shortest time.
He said: “I will request that the document be accessed by the team, if they double up over the weekend, they can come up most likely with a standard checklist by next week Monday.”
Members of the team were: Dr. Iorhen Ephraim Akanse, Consultant Infection Disease Physician, LUTH , Lagos State; Dr. Mathias Orji, Consultant Anaesthesia, UCH , Ibadan and Biodun Ogunniyi from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC ), who was represented by Dr. Adunola Oyegoke.
Other members of the team from the Oyo State Ministry of Health included Dr. Ajiboye Taiwo, Director Nursing Services and Dr. Lawal Oyewole, Director Public Health, with Mr. Hakeem Salam, Director, Administrations and Supplies at the Ministry is to serve as secretary to the committee.
In his response, Prof. Otegbayo said that the idea behind the setting up of the team was to ensure strict adherence to infection prevention and control, maintaining biosafety and biosecurity and to harmonise activities across isolation and treatment centres in the state.
He stated that it was imperative to have certified medical personnel with required knowledge at various designated centres for the virus in order to get desired results, adding that the state’s accreditation team is expected to clearly map out criteria for approval of the centres.
He stated that the team will also develop a checklist for the accreditation of centres.
Prof. Otegbayo emphasised the need for members of the accreditation team to understand one another and deploy appropriate approach in carrying out the task before them.