Nigeria on Tuesday declared a Lassa Fever outbreak in the country. This followed the increase in the number of Lassa Fever cases reported in states since the beginning of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said.

This is coming on the heels of the Lassa Fever International Conference held in Abuja to mark the 50th year anniversary of the discovery of the disease in the country.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has commissioned a solar-powered electricity system at the Dutse Alhaji Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Bwari Area Council, Abuja.   

Speaking during the commissioning recently, Ehanire, who was represented by the Director, Public Private Partnership Unit, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Omobolale Olowu noted that it was a pilot project initiated and executed by the PVWater, the FMOH and the Federal Capital Territory Administration as PPP was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on healthcare.

The Federal Government and Global Fund (GF) have signed a mutual agreement to commit  $71, 216, 215 to the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  

Global Fund had before now, committed over $245 million to tuberculosis control response in Nigeria since the inception of GF support to TB in 2005.   The financial and logistics commitment was in addition to other efforts put in by various stakeholders to control the spread of TB epidemic in Nigeria for the period of 2019- 2020.

Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, the Lagos State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, is organizing a Gubernatorial debate for governorship candidates in Lagos on improved health and welfare of the citizens.

The medical doctors who were of the view that it has become necessary to critically look into some issues bordering on accessibility, availability, quality, and affordability of healthcare in the state, said the forthcoming election provides a platform to set agenda for the incoming governor.

There are indications that healthcare service delivery in Nigeria is set to improve as doctors and nurses are finalizing moves to settle their squabbles and seal their unity.

President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Dr Francis Faduyile disclosed on Friday while receiving the report of a 10-man Inter-professional relation committee. Doctors under the auspices of the NMA and the nurses under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), jointly set up the committee.

The Congress of the Coalition of Health Sector Unions, Kwara State branch, has suspended its indefinite strike due to the outbreak of Lassa fever, Yellow fever and Polio in some parts of the state.  

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Mr Joseph Adekanye, Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives and Mr Murtala Olayinka, Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Ilorin on Thursday.

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) on Wednesday says the Global Funds has provided $29 million grant to help fight Tuberculosis (TB) in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer, IHVN, Patrick Dakum, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said TB detection in the country still remains extremely poor.

Following a report that about 14.3million people in Nigeria use drugs outside prescription, drug control experts have urged the authorities to improve on drug control policies in the country.

The report of the National Drug Survey Use released in Abuja on Tuesday showed that the number of drug users in Nigeria is higher than the entire population of some European countries.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says Nigeria has the second largest number of stunted children in the world, with over 11 million children under the age of five affected.

Annefrida Kisesa, the Chief Field Services, and Operations, UNICEF, made the remark at a two-day workshop on nutrition and comprehensive dietary diversification held on Tuesday in Kano.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, has said the drug procurement process in hospitals must be streamlined to ensure technical and financial efficiency, as well as quality health care delivery.

Ipaye made the statement in Lagos on Monday at the 2019 Leadership Retreat and Health Summit organized by the Nigeria Medical Association, Lagos State chapter. “As leaders in the health sector, one key management responsibility is to ensure that our procurement system is safeguarded because whatever system you adopt will eventually translate to what gets into the stomach of patients.