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Tag: Health Sector

  • HPV Vaccine: Nigeria attains 78% coverage in 14 states, FCT

    HPV Vaccine: Nigeria attains 78% coverage in 14 states, FCT

    Nigeria has attained 78 per cent of the 80 per cent national target for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination set for the pilot states where the vaccine was rolled out.

    Dr Joseph Urang, the Immunisation Officer, Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board, disclosed this in Port Harcourt during a two-day media dialogue on “Care for Small and Sick New-Borns, Oxygen Availability and the Introduction of HPV Vaccine in Nigeria.”

    According to him, the data is as at Nov. 16, some weeks after the first phase of the vaccine roll out on Oct. 24.

    The immunisation officer said that the data was for 14 states, namely — Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Enugu, Jigawa, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the vaccines were rolled out.

    The Federal Government secured over six million doses of the HPV vaccine to protect girls aged nine to 14 years against cervical cancer and related diseases.

    Urang said Taraba had the highest vaccination rate of 98 per cent, while Lagos had the lowest rate at 31 per cent.

    He described HPV as double-stranded DNA viruses that could cause benign diseases, precancerous lesions and invasive malignancy.

    He said “there are over 170 types of viruses, with 12 currently classified as carcinogenic. HPV infects the basal keratinocytes of genital mucosa, oral mucosa and the skin, predominantly spread through sexual contact.”

    He added that long-lasting infection with certain types of HPV was the main cause of cervical cancer.

    He explained that “in Nigeria, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, accounting for approximately 16 per cent of all female cancers.”

    Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), he said “cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and over 31 million deaths annually.

    “Nigeria has a population of 56.2 million women aged 15 years and older at risk of developing cervical cancer.

    “Current estimates indicate that every year 12,075 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 7,968 die from the disease.

    “Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women in Nigeria and the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.”

    Urang also said that about 3.5 per cent of women in the general population were estimated to harbour cervical HPV-16/18 infection at a given time, while 66.9 per cent of invasive cervical cancers were attributed to HPVs 16 or 18.

    He, therefore, urged parents and guardians to allow their daughters take the HPV vaccine, saying “the vaccine is free, safe and potent against the virus.

    “The perfect time to take the vaccine is between nine and 14 years of age, as it is most potent.”

    He emphasised that there were no known adverse effects following immunisation.

  • Reps urge FG to declare state of emergency in health sector

    Reps urge FG to declare state of emergency in health sector

    The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the health sector and allocate significant votes to it in the 2024 budget estimates.

    This followed a motion by Rep. Fayinka Oluwatoyin (APC-Lagos) during plenary in Abuja.

    The motion was titled, “Need for the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA) to collaborate with relevant health agencies in states and Local Governments to ensure the functionality of Primary Healthcare Centres.”

    Oluwatoyin, member representing Mushin Federal Constituency II of Lagos State, noted that Nigeria, being the largest population in Africa, is faced with alarmingly high rates of dilapidated health facilities.

    He said it was estimated that Nigeria has about 39,983 hospitals and clinics as of 2020, with the primary healthcare centres accounting for about 34,000 which is 86 per cent.

    He, however, said that only 20 per cent of these primary healthcare centres are functional, particularly in rural areas lacking adequate facilities and staffing.

    He said the lack of medical equipment, drugs, qualified personnel, electrical systems, beds, and road networks had increased the death toll in healthcare centers.

    This, according to him, necessitated revitalisation with a budget of US$80 million for additional bed spaces.

    He said the Federal and State Health Ministries’ inaccurate representation of primary healthcare centres hindered proper budgeting and access to quality healthcare in rural areas.

    This, according to him, often leads to premature deaths.

    The House, in its resolution, urged the Federal Ministry of Health to encourage States to resuscitate the comatose primary healthcare programmes at the grassroots level.

    It urged the ministry to also provide qualitative and affordable medicare for
    the masses.

    The House further urged the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with State ministries, LGAs and other stakeholders to establish a task force to eradicate sharp medical malpractice.

    This, he said, should particularly be in the rural areas and furnish the Committee on Healthcare Services with the summary reports in evaluating the standard of the primary Healthcare Centres from 2016-2022.

  • 2023 Election: Tinubu will revamp Nigeria’s Health sector – PCC

    2023 Election: Tinubu will revamp Nigeria’s Health sector – PCC

    The Medical Department of Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has expressed confidence in the capacity of the APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu to revamp Nigeria’s Health sector, if elected.

    Dr Ikechukwu Odikpo, Director, Medical of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Odikpo, who acknowledged the gaps in the Nigerian health sector, stated his belief in the readiness of Tinubu to close the gaps by improving on the robust health policies of the present APC-led administration.

    He explained that Tinubu’s strategy to improve the welfare and take home of medical practitioners with enabling environment to thrive professionally, would end the brain drain and medical tourism.

    “If the welfare of a doctor is adequately taken care of and working environment enabled, which is one of the plans of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, certainly, the job will be exciting and it will reduce brain drain.

    “Secondly, Tinubu as he did in Lagos, will ensure prompt and quality healthcare service delivery, medical tourism would reduce,” he said.

    The director, who described Tinubu as a visionary leader, said he would interface with health stakeholders in the country on Feb. 10.

    According to him, the scheduled town hall meetings are aimed at having conversations with doctors and health workers on ways of repositioning the country’s health sector.

    Dr Joseph Kigbu, Secretary of the Campaign Council, also told NAN about the ability of Tinubu to improve on the health policies and successes of the Present APC-led administration.

    Kigbu said that Tinubu had promised to expand the services of Primary Health Centres by locating one in every electoral ward in the country.

    He said that Tinubu was determined to replicate his successes in Lagos which made it the only state in Nigeria with lowest rate of maternal mortality.

    The Secretary who bemoaned the high rate of Nigeria’s maternal mortality, said that Tinubu would engender policies capable of preserving lives of mothers and children during child birth.

    Kigbu restated the capacity of the APC Presidential candidate to drive the process of improved National Health Insurance which would tackle the Out-Of- Pocket Syndrome and guarantee health equality.

    Newsmen reports that the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), in collaboration with Healthcare Transformation Coalition (HTC), recently organized a symposium on transformation of Nigeria’s health sector.

  • 2023: Delta guber aspirant, Idike lists strategies to transform health sector if voted gov

    2023: Delta guber aspirant, Idike lists strategies to transform health sector if voted gov

    Delta State guber aspirant, Lucky Ohworode Idike has listed 5 strategies through which he intends to tackle the challenges in the Health Care Sector in Delta State.

    Idike one of the frontline aspirants under the PDP platform spoke on two of these strategies in a Telecast made available to this medium.

    In his words: ” Our first strategy is to grow the economy so that Deltans can earn better, can live better, have better health care and have better immunity to diseases. People wen chop well, dem bodi go strong. Dem go fit fight malaria and other small small diseases, better pass person wen never chop well .”.

    He further stated that: ” The second is to focus on Health Care Personnel, the Doctors and other persons who work in the hospitals. Nigeria has produced some of the most brilliant Doctors in the world, but our working conditions are not optimal, which is why many Nigerian Doctors relocate abroad.

    “One of the things we will do in Delta State is to improve the working conditions, renumerations and training opportunities for Doctors in Delta State.

    “To increase the number of our Doctors; retain the ones we already have and motivate them to deliver world class health care for Deltans.”

    “It would be recalled that Delta State has one of the most stable Political Systems in the country due to its rotational arrangements. The Governorship position is rotated between the three Senatorial Districts of Delta North, Delta Central and Delta South.

  • Abba Kyari’s death: Time to fund health sector properly

    Abba Kyari’s death: Time to fund health sector properly

    The Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advocacy (LEAD) Network has called for proper funding of the health sector to ensure optimal health of all Nigerians.

    The Executive Director of LEAD Network, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, made the call on Saturday in Enugu while reacting to the death of Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari.

    According to Okenwa, this is the time to properly fund and give priority attention to the health sector.

    “We received the death of Abba Kyari, due to the novel coronavirus, with a rude shock.

    “It is a clear indication of the fact that COVID-19 is no respecter of persons.

    “While identifying with the sober feelings at the apex corridor of power in the nation, LEAD Network, however, advises that such timely reflections should translate to an effective strategy for tackling this pandemic headlong.

    “It is indeed a clarion call to review our national health policies with a view to allot more funds into the sector.

    “Health is wealth and as such making great investment into health sector and its allied infrastructures as well as capacity building is not just right but smart,’’ he said.

    The executive director said that Nigeria, being the first African nation to lose a very high ranking official to this pandemic, “must take the lead in the research and development of effective vaccine to put an end to the imminent upsurge’’.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Presidency on Saturday morning announced the passage of Kyari.

    Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja.

    “The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19 and had been receiving treatment.

    “But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020.

    “May God accept his soul,’’ the statement said.

  • Declare state of emergency in health sector, Senate urges FG

    The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to declare a state-of-emergency in the country’s public health sector over decay of infrastructure.

    The Senate also urged the Federal Government to provide special funding for the overhaul of at least one public medical facility in each geo-political zone in the country.

    The resolutions were sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion by Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna-APC).

    Moving the motion, Hunkuyi expressed worry over increasing decay of infrastructure in the country’s healthcare institutions.

    He said that the “sorry state of affairs’’ in government hospitals and other healthcare facilities had rendered their services ineffective, resulting in dire consequences for the citizenry.

    According to him, the decayed infrastructure occasioned by epileptic power and inadequate water supply further increased the risk of hospital-transmitted infections.

    Hunkuyi added that critical diagnostic equipment essential for providing efficient diagnosis was either non-functional or not available.

    He pointed out that the situation had led to failure by the system to attract the required calibre of health professionals and skilled manpower to the public health institutions.

    “The situation in our public health institutions has resulted in increased medical tourism by Nigerians, with doctors and other healthcare professionals leaving for greener pastures to private medical facilities or even abroad.

    “This is with attendant outflow of foreign currency to the tune of several millions of dollars spent on medical care annually in Europe, America, Asia and some African countries to the detriment of our health institutions.

    “Recently, UNICEF in its latest statistics on child mortality ranked Nigeria second highest in the world with losses of about 2, 300 under-five years olds and 145 women of child-bearing age daily,’’ Hunkuyi said.

    Contributing, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi restated that the state of facilities in the country’s public health sector called for worry.

    According to him, over the years we talk about medical tourism and Nigeria has continued to witness capital flight.

    “You will agree with me that Nigerians are doing well outside and the question that rises is why are they not coming back?

    “If we provide solutions to reasons why they are not coming back, then we can attract them.

    “There is need to promote primary healthcare because something that can be tackled with right personnel and equipment eventually turns out to be chronic,’’ Sabi said.

    In his remark, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, stated that there was need for Federal Government to ensure compliance with the provision of the National Health Act.

    Saraki also said that the Senate, while working on the 2018 Appropriation Bill, would ensure adequate funding for primary healthcare services in the country.