Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu

Twenty-four hours after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Nigeria had successfully contained the Ebola Virus Disease, the Senate yesterday passed a bill seeking to establish a public health system to guarantee quarantine, isolation and emergency health procedures.

The bill has among its objectives, development of a comprehensive plan to provide for a coordinated and appropriate response in the event of public health emergency; enhancing the early detection of a health emergency and allowing the immediate investigation of such emergency by gaining access to individual ‘s health information under specified circumstances.

The bill also seeks to “grant federal and state officials the authority to use an appropriate property as necessary for the case, treatment, vaccination and housing of patients and to destroy contaminated facilities or materials.”

It also seeks to grant state and local officials the authority to provide care, treatment and vaccination to persons who have been exposed to the contagious disease and as well provides for separation of individuals from the population at large to obstruct disease transmission.

In his remark, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, said now that EVD had been contained, it was necessary to put a law in place for future use, adding that the bill would enable concerned authorities to address challenges thrown up by the disease.

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