For most nations of the world to achieve Universal Health Coverage and to save a total of 3.7 million lives by 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments of all countries to invest heavily in nutrition and focus on optimum nutrition at each stage of life.

The number one health institution in the world noted on Wednesday that health services must integrate a stronger focus on ensuring optimum nutrition as it is estimated that the right investment in nutrition could save 3.7 million lives by 2025.

The global trade union federation, Public Services International (PSI), along with two of its Nigerian affiliates, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), have condemned attacks on health and social care workers in northeast part of the country by the Boko Haram terrorists.

The union in a statement by PSI IDP Project national coordinator, Moradeke Abiodun-Badru, condemned recent upsurge in attacks on health facilities in the Magumeri local government area.

THE organized labour on Thursday renewed its opposition on the proposal by the Federal Government to concession the 22 federal teaching hospitals in the country. The organized labour told the government that health is the foundation of development around the world and that it should not be for profit.

Speaking at the 2019 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nurses Week/Scientific workshop taking place in Abuja, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said that if the government was allowed to concession the teaching hospitals, it could lead to exorbitant cost of medical treatment beyond the capacity of majority of Nigerians.

The Federal Ministry of Health says it has disbursed over N1.8 billion for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in 18 states in the last two years. Chris Isokpunwu, Head Nutrition Division, who made this disclosure in an interview told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, noted that the fund was disbursed between 2017 and 2018.

Mr Isokpunwu said in 2017, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UNICEF for the counterpart contribution for the procurement of Ready to use Therapeutic Food (RU1TF).

Resident doctors in the South-West have urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to prevail upon state governors to pay the salary arrears of their members in the teaching hospitals of state-owned universities.

The Deputy Leader, National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, South-West caucus, Dr Taofeek Sanni, said the nations’ leaders should move swiftly between now and three weeks to avoid an industrial crisis in hospitals across the country.

The World Health Organisation has said quality investment in nutrition can save 3.7 million lives by 2025. It also noted that health services must integrate a stronger focus on ensuring optimum nutrition at each stage of a person’s life.

According to a new report titled, Essential Nutrition Actions: Mainstreaming Nutrition Through the Life Course, WHO estimated that the right investment in nutrition could save millions of lives annually.

The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, NAIP, a technical arm of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has renewed its call to the Federal government to set up pharmaceutical industrial hubs in the country to boost fortunes of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Making the call in Lagos during the Association’s 2019 CEO’s Forum, a public health consultant and Chief of Party, Promoting the Quality of Medicines, PQM, Prof Chimezie Anyakora described pharma hubs as catalysts for change.

His words: ”Setting up pharmaceutical industrial hubs in Nigeria, would promote the cheaper cost of manufacturing, better quality due to better regulation, more direct foreign partnership and investment and help in avoiding the mistakes of the oil sector, among others.”

Speaking while receiving the members of ANLCA Western Zone Chapters, led by the Zonal Coordinator, Dr. John DanKatsina Ofobike, on a coursey visit in his office, Adebayo said that as regulators, NAFDAC officials are not police officers, but are trained professionals to direct importers, exporters and Customs brokers to be compliant and imbibe the ideals of international best practices.

The planned upgrade of the 22 teaching hospitals in Nigeria which is expected to commence before the end of this year will save the country about $1bn (N360bn) annually.

The acting Head, Media and Publicity, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Patrick Ederaro, who said this, noted that the upgrade was needed as the current condition of the hospitals are not acceptable. He told our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday that the idea behind the project was to address the gaps in the teaching hospitals towards providing access to quality healthcare delivery across Nigeria.

The Federal Government has released N15 billion to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF). Out of the amount, about N6.5 billion would be disbursed through the NHIS gateway to15 states that have met the eligibility criteria as at February 2019 and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Speaking at the official disbursement of the first tranche of the BHCPF to the states’ health insurance agencies yesterday in Abuja, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said that other states that met the eligibility criteria would be accommodated, as “the fund is meant for all Nigerians.”