*DG NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris
Individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, are to receive an emergency payment of N100,000 per person, weekly.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, announced this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday.
“We introduced the payment after some contacts raised concerns about feeding, accommodation and how to take care of their families while under monitoring. The support is to ease their financial burden and encourage them to cooperate with health officials,” Idris stated.
According to the NCDC Director General, the payment was not included in the initial response plan but became necessary because of the concerns raised by those affected.
Idris also called on state governments to prepare financially and logistically for public health emergencies.
The NCDC Chief added that the responsibility for containing outbreaks should not rest on the FCT alone.
