As part of efforts to enhance healthcare delivery in Lagos, the United States (U.S.) Agency for International Development (USAID) has inaugurated a 5.2 million dollars medical storage facility in the state.
U.S. Embassy disclosed in a statement on Friday in Abuja that the facility would enable the Ministry of Health to supply quality, life-saving health commodities to millions of Nigerians.
It quoted USAID Health, Population and Nutrition Office Director, Heather Smith-Taylor, as saying that the Lagos Federal Medical Warehouse facility was constructed in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health.
Taylor said that the construction of the facility was also funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an international health financing organisation.
“The new Lagos facility provides critical storage space for public health commodities at the central level, enabling the Ministry to ensure the provision of quality, life-saving health commodities for Nigerians through a central facility.
“With the opening of this warehouse, the Ministry of Health can safely store the medicines required to meet Nigeria’s annual needs for public health commodities in the foreseeable future.
“This increase in the availability of high quality commodities will save lives from the lack of medications and proliferation of counterfeit products,” Taylor said.
According to him, the 3,500 square metre structure was shipped to Nigeria for on-site assembly, and features smooth dust-free floor surfaces, temperature regulating systems, security systems, thermal insulated ceilings and warehouse handling equipment.
The statement also quoted Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, as saying in his remarks at the ceremony that his ministry would be “highly involved in the logistics” of the warehouse.
“We will continue to offer support, monitor leakages and the expiration of commodities to ensure better healthcare for our citizens,” he said.
