Chinese firm helps provide 300-bed COVID-19 facility in Nigerian capital

A Chinese construction firm in Nigeria on Tuesday participated in the donation of a 300-bed treatment facility to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the West African country.

The facility, a purely private sector-led initiative to fight the spread of the COVID-19 in Nigeria, was donated by a consortium of like-minded partners, including the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

The CCECC said its contribution to the treatment center demonstrates a critical supplement to Nigeria's medical resources during the fight against COVID-19.

The Chinese firm also provided two ventilators, one oxygenator, as well as 10,000 face masks.

"Upon receiving the request from the government of Nigeria on March 29, the CCECC immediately mobilized a design team comprising of experienced designers, engineers and workers, and commenced the site work without any conditions," said Michael Jiang, the managing director of the Chinese firm, at the donation ceremony in the central part of Abuja.

The newly launched all-inclusive treatment center is expected to add to the nearly 1,000-bed capacity that Nigeria's capital now has to treat and isolate the novel coronavirus patients.

The facility has the capacity to test, trace, and treat COVID-19 cases in Abuja, including a mobile laboratory with reagents for 200 to 1,000 daily molecular testing. It also has an intensive care unit for the treatment of the most severe novel coronavirus cases in the capital of the most populous African nation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a reawakening to both government and the private sector to collaborate in the injection of a much-needed investment into Nigeria's healthcare system, said Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria rose to 4,641, including a total of 150 deaths on Monday, according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.

"The COVID-19 has totally overwhelmed even the best of health systems in the world and that serves all developing nations a powerful notice to watch out. Today, we are witnessing the realization of the synergy with the commissioning of this facility," Mustapha added.