Health Emergencies At Our Airports:WHO,ICAO To Inspect MMIA

            

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in its global effort to improve states’ preparedness, planning and responses to public health events, will be visiting the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), today. ICAO, through its collaborative arrangement for the prevention and management of public health events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA), has been visiting different regions in the world.

According to Mr Fan Ndubuoke, General Manager,Public Affairs of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the visit is to assess the preparedness of their aviation sectors and offer training sessions including, several assistance visits to states and airports in Africa, taking into account the priorities established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as contained in the International Health Regulations (2005).

At the end of the two day visit, Ndubuoke said the CAPSCA team, the State Public Health, Civil Aviation Authority, including all assistance visit participants, will meet for a debriefing and discussion on the preliminary visit results. The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Capt. Muhtar Usman has also called on all stakeholders to ensure maximum cooperation with the ICAO CAPSCA Assistance visit team during the exercise.

Daily Times reports that, the agencies involved in the assistance visit are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), Federal Ministry of Health/Port Health Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Airline operators (foreign and domestic).

 
Others are Ground Handling Agencies, Security Agencies – Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Police Force, Directorate of State Security Services. Nigerian Immigration Service and Nigeria Customs and Excise etc. The tourism agencies – Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and others. At the airport, the following areas will be visited – Air Traffic Control Area Control Centre (ACC),Air Traffic Control Tower, Designated Aircraft Parking position, Airport and Emergency Operations Centre.