The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, through its agency the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), has flagged off a mobile testing vehicle for COVID-19.
The vehicle said to use nanotechnology as part of its functions will also be used as a moblie hospital to treat other ailments, including assisting pregnant women especially in rural areas of the country.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who stated this, said the mobile hospital is a game changer that provides adequate medical care on wheels.
He said that his intention wss to ensure that NASRDA, in collaboration with other agencies in the ministry, reproduce smaller models to used in all parts of the country.
DOnu spoke in Abuja while commissioning the telemedicine project at the headquarters of NASRDA.
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He said: “This is a game changer, this is essentially taking the hospital to the home with the facility we have here, so far, Lagos has been doing very well in terms of managing those who have tested positive, so many have recovered and right now we are seeing signs of community transmission before this time it was those who travelled from outside the country.
“Although we are not praying for it but should this community transmission continue, we want to make sure that the standard of medical attention that you can get in the rural areas will be the same as you can get even in Lagos.
“With this facility, we will be providing telemedicine we can deliver the same type of medical service. We have directed NASRDA to make sure that working with the Federal Ministry of Health, we can reach every part of the country.
“Right inside we have facility for Ear and Throat (E and T) to probe your ear, nose, mouth and throat to find out if their is inflammation so this will be very helpful in addition to taking your temperature to determine those that have this horrid disease and this is something that is very important to the Nation and the Ministry of Science and Technology will continue to work day and night until our nation is able to fight and defeat this COVID-19 disease.
“Depending on resources we should be able to deploy this to all parts of the country but you won’t be seeing a bus as big as this, because of nano technology, we are going to be using smaller buses and I have given directives to NASRDA to work with our other agencies so that their will be reversed engineering to redesign the project and produce it ourselves and in the process it will be cheaper.”