The Guardian, 2 September 2015 Who is protecting the Nigerian public from fake doctors and nurses?
The exposure of Martin Ugwu Okpe, who reportedly impersonated his friend, Dr. George Davidson Daniel, to work as a medical officer in the Federal Ministry of Health for nine years brings to the fore the porous system that would allow an impersonator ply his trade within the nerve centre of the national health care system.
Daily Trust, 4 September 2015 Buhari: Health workers' incessant strikes disturbing
President Muhammadu Buhari says he is particularly disturbed by the seemingly endless strikes in the country's health sector. The president regretted that the situation had contributed to the fall in the standard of health services available in the country. Buhari was speaking at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday while meeting with top officials of the Ministry of Labour. He said his administration was committed to boosting national productivity by, among other things, taking all necessary measures to end incessant strikes by workers in vital sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Leadership Newspaper, 4 September 2015 International Bodies partner Aisha Buhari on Maternal, Child Health
The bid by the wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari to salvage mothers and their children from health and nutritional hazards in the country has taken an an international dimension. The United Nations (UN) under Secretary General (USG) and Executive Director of UNFPA, Prof. Babatunde Osotomehin and a team of Development Partners are exploring opportunities through Mrs Buhari’s office to develop a support programme to complement the present administration’s efforts at improving health, nutrition and population outcomes in Nigeria.
Punch Newspaper, 4 September 2015 Nigeria: Buhari restates commitment to Polio-free Nigeria by 2017
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday restated his commitment to ensuring that the World Health Organisation finally certifies Nigeria as a polio-free country by 2017. He has therefore called on all Nigerians to join hands with the Federal Government to achieve the objective. A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as speaking at separate meetings with governors of polio-vulnerable states and members of the High-Level Advocacy Group at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Vaccine News Daily, 4 September 2015 Health workers waste costly malaria drugs in Nigeria
Research shows that health providers who are trained to use malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) continue to prescribe costly malaria medicines to people who do not have the illness. Despite their training, the health workers continue to make these pricey mistakes, and rates of using the rapid diagnostic tests are under 50 percent.
CNBC Africa, 4 September 2015 Innovation in Nigeria to combat Healthcare issues
The Health Innovation Challenge's key theme this year was to create an active Nigerian health innovation market place, aimed at improving healthcare delivery through innovation, at the end of the challenge they had narrowed down to about 15 innovative ideas. According to the Commonwealth Health statistics, health is an issue in Nigeria to the point where in the country’s public spending on health was two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011, equivalent to 80 dollars per capital.
Pulse, 4 September 2015 190,000 children die of diarrhoea yearly - Medical practitioner
Dr Jude Oko, a member of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abuja chapter, has said that no fewer than 190,000 children die of diarrhoea in Nigeria every year. Oko, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, described the situation as regrettable, and emphasised the need for regular hand washing, which he said, was crucial in preventing the disease.
Punch Newspaper, 4 September 2015 Nigeria loses N250bn yearly to medical tourism
The Nigerian Medical Association has said that Nigeria has been losing about N250bn annually to foreign medical tourism. The NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, who read the association’s communiqué at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said such an alarming loss was inimical to the growth of the health sector and national development.
Premium Times, 4 September 2015 Akpabio dumps own “world class” hospital, seeks treatment abroad after car crash
The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has travelled out of Nigeria for medical treatment abroad after sustaining injuries in a car crash Monday. The lawmaker left for the United Kingdom aboard a private jet Tuesday, government sources said. Mr. Akpabio, who is the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, was initially treated at the national hospital, Abuja. His car had collided with a United States embassy vehicle after beating the traffic.
Nigeria Health Watch, 4 September 2015 Three reasons Strikes will continue in Nigeria’s Health Sector
Right now, public tertiary hospitals in Nigeria are struggling to get back to life after another series of strikes. The University College Hospital, Ibadan, was crippled for 108 days by a strike called by the Association of Resident Doctors. At LAUTECH Oshogbo, a strike closed the hospital for 5 months, and in the Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, doctors walked away from their duty posts leaving their patients to their own means.
EpiAFRIC is a health sector focused consulting group working to improve
population health through expert research and data analytics, project
design and evaluation, health communication, advocacy and training. Our
non-profit arm is Nigeria Health Watch.
