A non-governmental organization, Victims Support Fund (VSF) on Tuesday donated medical equipment worth millions of naira to the FCT COVID-19 Taskforce in order to fight the pandemic.
Handing over the supplies, the Executive Director, Victims Support Fund, Prof. Sunday Ochoche who was accompanied by some members of his Committee, in his address explained that VSF was committed to ameliorating the plight of the vulnerables in IDP camps.
He said the medical supplies was a second part of the intervention by the VSF, having earlier supplied food items and other form of palliatives to States across the Federation.
He said: “I am here with my boss, and some members of the Committee, Mr. Kashim who is representing the Chairman of Victims Support Fund.
“You will recall that on 14th April this year, at the Malaysia Garden, one of the IDP camps, in Abuja, Victims Support Fund (VSF) formally flagged off COVID-19 emergency intervention in support of the vulnerables at IDP camps across the country and we distributed significant quantities of foods and other palliatives across the country.
“To FCT residents, we moved to Yobe, Borno, Adamawa to Taraba, Edo to Delta to Ebonyi, to Enugu and we have reached over 30,000 households and over a total close 200,000 persons.
“This is a continuation of the whole of that process; this is a second part of our intervention in FCT where we gave out food items before; now we are bringing medical items, post primary and secondary support for COVID-19 vulnerables as well as personal protection equipment. So they are medical team working hard to provide support for victims of COVID-19.
Adding, the head of the VSF COVID-19 Taskforce, maintained that they have been travelling round the country to distribute food items, non food items and drugs, noting that it took collaborative effort to fight the virus.
“All of us here have been monitoring the rate of infections in FCT and it’s very important that we put our hands on deck to ensure that the rate of infection is drastically reduced and mitigated.
According to him, VSF believes in partnership with government and private agencies in fighting the pandemic, hence there was need to donate medical equipment in the interest of humanity.
“It’s our sincere hope that this donation will go along way in helping the residents of FCT and its environs.
“On behalf of the Chairman of Victims Support Fund, Retired Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, I hereby make symbolic presentation of medical items the FCT.
Receiving the donation, Dr. Mathew Achigbemi, Director Special Duties and Chief Consultant, Public health institutions, FCT Health Secretariat assured the VSF team that the items would be judiciously utilised.
He noted: “As you all know that basically we are in the process of fighting coronavirus and the FCT response is very comprehensive.
“We have five centres and in these centres all the health workers need personal protective equipment in order to care for others.”
