ABUJA – The Executive Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon. Kasim Mohammed, has intensified efforts to protect residents against diphtheria while advancing the council’s infrastructure development programme.
Mohammed, during a visit to the Infectious Disease Centre at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, directed the council’s Health Department to immediately commence sensitisation campaigns and public awareness programmes across communities following reported cases of diphtheria.
According to a statement signed by Chairman’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Isah Hassan, Kasim also ordered the deployment of necessary measures to prevent further spread of the disease and directed that a vehicle be provided for emergency response, while funds should be released to support containment efforts.
Speaking during the visit, the Chief Medical Director of UATH, Prof. Tahir, allayed fears among residents, saying there was no need for panic as diphtheria was not peculiar to the FCT.
He, however, stressed the importance of vigilance and appropriate public health measures, assuring the chairman that the hospital had the capacity to manage cases of the disease.
The CMD commended Mohammed for his prompt intervention and requested the establishment of a mop-up ward to decongest the hospital’s existing halls and improve patient management.
Responding, Mohammed reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of residents, promising continued support for health authorities in the fight against the disease.
Meanwhile, the council is also set to commission several completed projects in the coming days as part of the administration’s drive to improve infrastructure across Gwagwalada.
Among the projects is the Milano/Yimi Road, which was initiated by an earlier administration but abandoned before the present administration took it up and completed it.
According to the statement,the council said the completion of the road and other projects marks a new phase in its approach to infrastructure delivery, particularly against the backdrop of abandoned projects recorded under previous administrations.
The statement added that the development is expected to provide residents with improved infrastructure while demonstrating the Kasim Mohammed administration’s emphasis on completing projects with direct impact on the people.