The National Assembly has disclosed that the harmonised Public Health Bill, which is awaiting Presidential assent was passed to revoke the 96-year-old Quarantine Act and establish a legal and administrative framework for managing public health emergencies of national and international concern.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, disclosed this while speaking, alongside other stakeholders, at a Media Roundtable organised by Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator in Abuja.
Oloriegbe said the Senate passed the Bill in January 2022, proposing a series of public interest aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s response to public health emergencies.
According to Oloriegbe: “The Bill for an Act to Provide for an Effective National Framework for the Control of Outbreaks of Infectious Diseases and Other Events Endangering Public Health and Requiring Public Health Emergency Measures and for other Related Matters” was initially presented to the Senate in 2020.
“The bill aimed to equip the Nigerian government with the legal tools to respond effectively to health crises”.
“COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health problem but also an economic problem that has impacted the health and economy of the country”.
“The importance of strengthening the country’s health security cannot be overemphasised as the COVID-19 pandemic would not be the last outbreak.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health also highlighted the contributions of the 9th National Assembly in strengthening Nigeria’s health security by increasing visibility and financing allocation for health security in Nigeria.
