The Edo Government has set up 10 screening centres spread across Oredo Local Government area of the state as a pilot phase to actualise government’s target of testing 500, 000 persons.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Patrick Okundia, said this while addressing newsmen in Benin on Thursday.
According to him, “the government of Edo has placed more emphasis on prevention of the coronavirus disease.
“Today we are at the stage where the focus is on screening our citizens. This decision came up because of the possibility that a lot of persons may have contracted this virus, but do not have any symptom.
“This is also evidence from the 14 active cases we have under treatment, they are doing well on medications and their symptoms are going down.
“So, we do not want to miss out some cases because if you have the virus and are asymptomatic, then you run the risk of you transmitting the disease to others.
“So, government has decided that we need to encourage screening. As part of that effort, the target is to screen at least 500, 000 Edo residents cutting across the 18 local government areas of the state.
“But we started with the pilot of Oredo Local Government. Today, we have 10 centres for screening for the purpose of screening, six of them are within the state primary health care and four from the private health care facilities.
“These are the names of primary health care centres that have the responsibility of screening our people – Aruogba Primary Healthcare centre, Oko Primary Health Care Centre, Ugbor Primary HealthCare centre, Oredo Primary Health Care Centre.
“Others are New Benin Primary Health Care Centre, St. Philomena Catholic Hospital, Faith Mediplex Hospital, Belthel Faith Hospital and Safe Heaven Hospital.
“Edo people can visit any of these centres and you will be screened at no cost to you, our good people of the state, feel free to visit any of these centres,” he said.