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Nigeria Health Watch

Top Ten News Items on Health out of Nigeria

ThisDay, 12 August 2016
FG: New polio cases have set Nigeria backwards

The federal government on Thursday said the establishment of two new cases of Wild Polio Virus 1 in Borno State has set Nigeria backward in the fight against the complete elimination of polio virus in the country. The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, said though the development has set the nation back, the federal government would do everything possible to be on top of the situation. Authorities reported Wednesday that Nigeria recorded two new cases of Wild Polio Virus Type 1 at Gwoza, a border town and Jere in Borno State, on Tuesday, two years after Nigeria celebrated the interruption of the virus. Speaking to journalists yesterday on the sideline of the Family Planning Consultative Stakeholders’ meeting at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja, the minister said the federal government and stakeholders were drawing out emergency plan and are dispatching a team to Borno State to start immunisation.

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ThisDay, 10 August 2016
FG has disbursed N16bn to states for primary health care delivery, says Minister

The federal government has disbursed about N16billion to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for qualitative primary health care delivery so as to safeguard the health care needs of the people. The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, made this disclosure yesterday in Ibadan while on a working day visit to the University College Hospital to ascertain the level of health care delivery in the premier university. Explaining the breakdown of the sum, he said just last week, the government released a sum of N420 million to each of the 36 states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory to revitalise the Primary Healthcare Centres across the country.

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Premium Times, 09 August 2016
Nigeria to end malaria mortality by 2020 – Minister

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said on Tuesday in Abuja that Nigeria would end malaria mortality by 2020. The minister stated this at a town hall meeting and policy dialogue for good governance jointly organised by the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) and Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. “We have set some timeframe for ourselves. We are committed to reducing maternal mortality before the life span of this administration. “We want to end malaria mortality by the end of 2020,’’ he said. Mr. Adewole said the government was at the verge of putting a new health policy for the country. He recalled that attempts had been made twice, in 1988 and 2004, respectively, to develop health policy for the nation. “This year, government is designing a new health policy deliberately captured to promote the health of Nigerians to accelerate socio-economic development. “We want to make a statement that when we improve the health of the people, we can engender socio-economic development.’’

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National Trail Online, 09 August 2016
EFCC reopens probe of GAVI report on NPHCDA

Last year’s damning report by Global Alliance on Vaccines, GAVI, a donor agency over massive fraud going on at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, which indicted top Government officials, may have been suppressed, but there are strong indications that the NPHCDA is not yet out of the woods, as the Economic and Financial crimes Commission, EFCC, may have reopened investigations of the matter. Our correspondent reports that, shortly after the report was made public by GAVI in 2014, spirited attempts were made to suppress the issue in the media, against the insistence by the donor agency, that officials of the NPHCDA, an agency of the Federal Ministry of Health, which supervises it may have compromised its activities through massive corruption leading to the delay in the eradication of polio disease in Nigeria.  

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Premium Times, 10 August 2016
Yobe to get new federal school of nursing, midwifery
 
In an effort to solve the manpower needs in the health sector especially in the North- Eastern part of Nigeria, the Federal Government has approved the establishment of School of Nursing and Midwifery in Nguru Local government of Yobe State. ​The ​Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre Nguru, Abubakar Musa​, said this while briefing the Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire​,​ who was on assessment tour of the hospital. “The Federal Medical Centre, Nguru​,​ in its efforts to fulfil one of its given mandates of health manpower training, got the approval of its then Board of Management, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to establish a School of Midwifery. This is in order to address the growing shortage and imbalance in the availability of skilled manpower that is prevalent in the North–East and most especially in Yobe State which is viewed as among the worst in the country” Musa said.
 
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The Nation, 11 August 2016
Ambode commissions first state-owned helipad in LASUTH

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday commissioned the first state-owned Helipad for medical emergencies in Nigeria at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, adding that the upgrading of the 247-bed and five Theatre Suits for pregnant women, popularly called Ayinke House, would be ready for use by 2017. Governor Ambode, who also inspected medical facilities at the LASUTH complex, said as part of efforts to transform the health sector in the State for optimal performance, the Bola Tinubu Health and Diagnostic Centre will soon become operational, while approval had been granted for the rehabilitation, upgrade and bulk purchase of medical equipment required in 20 Secondary and 21 Primary health facilities across the State. “This Helipad being commissioned today is a lifesaving asset and critical complement to the efficient functioning of this Unit and other emergency services being rendered by the State. The Helipad will also aid the movement of patients from remote areas where healthcare facilities to provide the level of emergency medicine required are not readily available.
PM News, 10 August 2016
Health workers protest non payment of 7-month salary

Hundreds of primary healthcare workers attached to health centres across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State have staged a peaceful protest to the Government House, Port Harcourt, over alleged non payment of their seven months salary. The protesting workers made up of cleaners, gardeners and security officials were employed by a contracting firm engaged by the Rivers State government. The leader of the protesting workers, Samuel James, appealed to the Rivers State government to prevail on the company to pay them The protesters said life has become difficult due to the alleged non payment of their seven-month salary. No government official addressed the protesters at the Government House gate while all efforts to reach the contracting firm proved abortive. However, when contacted the special adviser to the Rivers State governor on primary healthcare, Dr. George Opudah, said the Rivers State government has nothing to do with the protesters hired by a contracting firm.

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All Africa, 07 August 2016
Why we are not working - Uuth Resident Doctors

Resident doctors in University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) say the they are still on strike because the management of the hospital has yet to comply with agreement to pay doctors' entitlements. The National Association of Resident Doctors, UUTH chapter, alleged that the hospital management did not comply with directives of the Federal Ministry of Health and National Salaries and Wages Commission to pay them their full salaries. The president of the association's chapter Dr Christian Adeneye, told newsmen in Uyo on Sunday that the association was not happy with the management on the development. The association also accused the hospital management of inconsistent remittance of their pension contributions and counterpart funding by the Federal Government to Pension Fund administrators.

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Vanguard, 11 August 2016
Doctors’ strike paralyses activities at Aro Neuropsychiatric hospital 

Activities at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta were, yesterday, paralysed as members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) embarked on an indefinite strike over alleged non-implementation of the skipping of Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) for medical doctors. Efforts to get the reaction of the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Akinwande Akinhanmi, proved abortive, yesterday, as he did not respond to the text messages and calls made to his mobile phone. The doctors, in a statement jointly signed by the ARD President, Dr Walter Nzeakah , Dr Sewanu Awhangansi (General Secretary) and Dr Mojisola Adeniji (Public Relations Officer) , said they were only getting a fraction of their salaries with the non-implementation. 

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Nigeria Health Watch, 09 August 2016
Announcing “Future of Health II – Health meets Tech”

The Nigerian healthcare system is currently struggling on many fronts, from inadequate infrastructure, shortage of personnel, persistent strikes, inadequate training, and lack of efficient public private partnerships. At the same time, innovations in technology have driven the growth in other sectors such as banking and telecommunications, and many organisations are beginning to see nascent opportunities in the health space. Right now, the Nigerian health sector seems to be stuck in the “analog” age. From data management and patient care to medical procedures and specialist training, Nigeria is lagging behind the cutting edge technological momentum of the 21st century. Innovations in mHealth and ehealth are being implemented in small doses around the country but they lack visibility and scale. Where other countries are investing in drone delivered vaccines, cloud data management and tele-medicine, the Nigerian health system is largely still stuck in the age of a manually transported office file.

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