With cancer remaining a leading cause of non-communicable disease-related deaths in Nigeria and globally, three cancer centres are set to be commissioned for public access in the next couple of days. This move aims to improve Nigeria’s specialized healthcare system, with 500 clinicians to be trained, 2,000 cancer patients expected to be treated, and 350,000 people to receive diagnostic services yearly. According to a Nairametrics publication on Sunday, this announcement…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted no fewer than six million opioid pills—including Tamol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol—and 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup at the Port Harcourt and Apapa ports. The street value of the seizures is estimated at ₦6.52 billion. At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, NDLEA operatives, in a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies, uncovered six million opioid pills and 162,000…

The Nigerian Senate has approved the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes the creation of a Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna. The bill, initiated by Senator Sunday Katung of Kaduna South Senatorial District, is intended to enhance access to specialized healthcare in a region that has long faced challenges in medical service delivery. In a statement issued after the bill’s passage, Senator Katung…

Over three years after the Lancet Commission on Diagnostics revealed a global crisis in diagnostic access, millions in Nigeria still lack basic tools needed to detect and treat diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes, and cancer. In 2021, the Commission found that 47% of people globally—and 81% in low- and lower-middle-income countries—could not access essential diagnostic services. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed just how deadly this gap can be. Countries like India and…

The Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu, has urged all state governments to invest more in cancer prevention, control, and treatment to ease the burden on patients. Speaking during a visit by the Kebbi State Cancer Control Programme delegation, led by Health Commissioner Comrade Yunusa Musa Ismail and representing the Governor’s Wife, Dr. Nafisa Nasiru Idris, Prof. Malami reaffirmed NICRAT’s readiness…

The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its dedication to modernising healthcare delivery through technology, as it reviewed the progress of its electronic medical records (EMR) rollout at a high-level workshop held in Ikeja. The state government yesterday convened key stakeholders to assess Phase II of its Primary Health Care (PHC) Digitisation Project at a two-day Progress Review Workshop. The initiative, which has already seen EMRs deployed in 100 PHC facilities,…

In a determination to save millions of lives, a health organisation in the United Kingdom (UK) has raised concern over the risk of running out of blood in its bank within a few days, as many hospitals’ blood reserves run low, signalling a critical level. In response, the body responsible for donations, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), is left with no option but may activate a red alert, signalling urgency…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have agreed to deepen their cooperation in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking. This was the key highlight of a meeting held on 23 May, at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja between NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), and the new US DEA Country Attaché to Nigeria, Ms. Daphne Morrison. Femi Babafemi,…

In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, a silent war is being waged—not just against cancer, but also against the soaring costs and systemic challenges that threaten the lives of those battling the disease. In 2020, Nigeria recorded 124,815 new cancer cases, with 51,398 in males and 73,417 in females. By 2022, the country recorded an average of 127,000 new cases and 79,000 cancer-related deaths. Breast cancer represents 27% of all…

Over 10,000 residents of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area (LGA) have been educated on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) following the awareness campaign conducted by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) and the Ford Foundation. Both partners conducted this engagement through a door-to-door sensitization campaign to aid in halting the high rate of domestic and gender violence recorded, urging residents to report promptly. The campaign exercise cut across…

There is a strong link between the common herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, study shared. The research suggests that antiviral medication might slightly reduce the chances of developing the condition in those infected. Scientists from Gilead Sciences and the University of Washington in Seattle analysed health records of nearly 690,000 people aged over 50, comparing those with and without Alzheimer’s between 2006…

World Health Organisation (WHO) Member States have approved a 20 per cent increase in assessed contributions and endorsed the organisation’s 4.2 billion dollar budget for 2026 to 2027. In a statement, the WHO said that the 20 per cent increase comes as governments face financial constraints and economic headwinds and demonstrates Member States’ fundamental support for global health solidarity and the WHO’s critical role. WHO Director-General,  Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, and…