Indonesia has introduced a free medical check-up programme for all its 280 million citizens. A statement from the chief of the Presidential Communication Office, Hasan Nasbi, said the healthcare initiative was the first of its kind. The ‘Cek Kesehatan Gratis (CKG) programme’ initiative aims to promote preventive healthcare, eliminating barriers to accessing healthcare services. Mr Nasbi said citizens can access the programme through the Satu Sehat mobile app or by…

In a renewed effort to combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Lagos, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has engaged 60 Magistrates in discussions on addressing the issue effectively. The initiative aims to enhance the role of the judiciary in ensuring justice for survivors and holding perpetrators accountable. This was made know via a post shared on the government Facebook page on Sunday. Speaking at the…

Nigerian authorities have intercepted a 24-year-old Thai lady, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into the country. The consignments weighing 46.60 kilograms were concealed in her boxes. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Wimonnat on 20 February at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos during an inward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized massive quantities of fake, substandard, and banned drugs worth billions of naira in a major enforcement operation at the Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market. The agency made this known on Saturday through a post on their X page. During the raid, officials discovered unregistered narcotics, including banned tramadol, cleverly hidden inside plumbing material shops. This discovery was based…

About twelve persons have reportedly lost their lives in the Niger State road accident that occurred on Saturday morning. The tragic accident that claimed the lives of four women and eight men occurred along the Lapai-Agaie road of the state. According to the Daily Trust report, out of the four women who lost their lives, three were said to be siblings. The accident was a result of a frontal collision…

A report from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has disclosed that residents living in deprived areas in the United Kingdom (UK) recorded nearly 60% higher cancer death rates when compared to affluent regions. In the recent study titled Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation, annually, over 28,400 deaths were attributed to deprivation in the UK. The report noted that late diagnoses and preventable risk factors such as smoking are linked…

To prevent the spread of monkeypox (Mpox) and other infectious diseases in the state, the Rivers State Ministry of Health has launched the Pox screening application (Mpox app) and inaugurated an infectious institute. The Mpox application is a state-of-the-art digital tool. The Institute of Infectious Disease Research and Development (IIDRD) was commissioned on Friday through the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). The event also saw the unveiling of the institute’s…

The Chairman of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Bauchi State Chapter, Abdulahi Ibrahim, has expressed concern over the withdrawal of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from HIV/AIDS interventions. According to the Voice of Nigeria publication, Ibrahim noted their withdrawal poses a great risk within the state and asserted that the shortage of treatment centres, lack of clinical support, and essential services can…

Rising temperature witnessed across the country has led the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to issue a warning to citizens to take precautionary measures against the heat surge effect. This was made known due to the increase in several states observing extreme heat conditions. The agency revealed this in a post shared on X on Thursday, alarming that on Wednesday, with temperatures heating 38 and 40 degrees Celsius while Yelwa recorded…

Health officials in the Gaza Strip are launching an emergency polio vaccination campaign from February 22 to 26, 2025, to protect children from the virus. The campaign will provide the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to over 591,000 children under the age of 10, following the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples. This information was shared today on World Health Organisation (WHO) website. The presence of poliovirus…

Over 345,000 pupils across public primary and secondary schools in Osun State are expected to undergo free eye care screening. The screening exercise will be conducted at the Imole School Eye Health Programme and will commence on 25 February. On Tuesday, Dr. Rasaq Akindele, the Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Agency, noted that beneficiaries will undergo comprehensive eye screening and examinations. Among the services to render during the…

Health experts warn that eating food exposed to flies can lead to serious health problems, including infections and diseases. Flies often land on dirty surfaces before touching food, spreading harmful germs that can make people sick. Flies move between garbage, sewage, and other filthy areas, picking up bacteria and viruses along the way. When they land on food, they transfer these germs, increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses. According to…