Author: Helen Okechukwu

To fight against malaria, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Swiss Pharma Nigeria (Swipha), supported Nigeria with $2.3 million to receive 4.8 million doses of malaria treatment tablets. Swipha, in collaboration with the U.S. Government’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and USAID, is set to revolutionize access to affordable, life-saving medicines in Nigeria and across West Africa. This strategic partnership addresses long-standing obstacles in the local production of high-quality pharmaceuticals, a critical need in a region where fewer than 10% of medicines meet global standards. Swipha recently achieved a major milestone with the World Health Organization’s…

Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor of Kaduna State, has announced that the state has surpassed the 90% target set by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). Speaking on Friday during a retreat with newly elected local government chairpersons, Balarabe revealed that Kaduna State achieved a remarkable 98% scorecard, reflecting the commitment of Governor Uba Sani’s administration to improving primary healthcare services. The Cable report disclosed that in 2015, Kaduna State ranked 15th among the 36 states with a 55% performance says the deputy governor. The deputy governor urged the local government leaders to build on this progress and address…

As the fight against polio virus continues, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Edo State Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Agency, and Edo State Ministry of Communication and Orientation has called for the sensitization of the people of Edo State. The call aims to intensify awareness of polio vaccine immunization among children within the state to advert children’s death due to the rise in Africa. On a New Telegraph report shared today, it was noted that a one-day review of non-Polio Supplemental Immunization Activities (NPSIA) was observed. Appealing to key stakeholders, Mrs. Enogie Elfrida Omogun, the…

The Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Professor Adetokunbo Fabamwo, has called for legal and systemic reforms to address Nigeria’s maternal health crisis. Speaking at the 6th Abimbola Aina Omololu-Mulele Annual Lecture in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Professor Fabamwo emphasized the urgent need to reform the country’s restrictive abortion laws. The lecture held at the historic Old Great Hall of the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, titled “The Tortuous Road to Maternal Mortality Reduction in Nigeria: Avoidable Stranglehold on Liberal Abortion Laws, ” was shared via their X handle today. The event was chaired by Emeritus Professor…

Marking World Diabetes Day, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, in partnership with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Health Matters Incorporated, and the Nigeria Governors Forum, has provided free healthcare services to Lagosians. During the free medical checkup at the Secretariat complex, participants, including public servants, trooped into the building to get free diabetes screenings to identify potential risks early. The aim and objective of the programme titled “Diabetes and Well-Being” was to create awareness and access free diabetes screening, while the need for a healthy lifestyle was emphasized. The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun…

Nurses leaders in Kenya, on Friday, pledged support for the rollout of Social Health Authority (SHA) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This was disclosed after a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa. Recall that on September 18, 2024, Dr. Barasa announced the official launching of SHA to begin on October 1st, 2024 for sole aim of replacing the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), targeting to provide affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare services to all Kenyans. She added that it will aid in advancing UHC, which aims to grant quality healthcare services to all people, when…

The Deputy Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in charge of Disease Surveillance, Dr. Dennis Laryea, has confirmed a new case of Mpox in the Greater Accra Region, increasing the number to three. On August 2024, in the Western Region, 25 contacts were identified to have contracted Mpox, making it the first to be recorded. On October 31, 2024, the mother of the patient was confirmed positive. Known as monkeypox, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. According to a…

As measles cases witnessed an upsurge globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have raised concerns that children below age five suffer the most, leaving them prone to the risk of contracting the viral disease. The health organization said the viral diseases have been on the increase due to inadequate immunization coverage globally, driving the surge with about 10.3 million cases contracting measles in 2023 and a 20% increase from 2022. As a preventive disease, they advised that two doses of measles vaccine should be administered to children, noting that more…

Following a previous 21-day warning strike, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has issued a fresh seven-day ultimatum for the government to meet their demands. MDCAN, an association representing professionals with the highest qualifications in the fields of medicine and dentistry, announced that the strike will commence on November 18 and end on November 24 if their requests are not addressed. In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held virtually on Monday, the association stated its intent to withdraw its members from all Nigerian universities and hospitals, citing the government’s failure to address…

The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Jide Idris, has issued a public health warning to residents, urging them to prevent further outbreaks of Lassa Fever and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) in Nigeria by maintaining a clean environment. DG Idris made this statement in Abuja while addressing the press, encouraging residents to seal any rodent entry points to prevent them from gaining access to homes. Lassa fever is a severe and highly contagious viral disease characterized by hemorrhagic symptoms, primarily caused by the Lassa virus. The primary carrier of this viral disease is the multimammate rat, commonly…