A bill that seeks to establish a commission for mental health passed second reading at the Senate on Wednesday.

The bill entitled “A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment and regulation of mental health and substance abuse services, protect persons with mental health needs and establishment of National Commission for Mental and Substance Abuse Services, for the effective management of mental health in Nigeria and for other related matters,2019” was sponsored by Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central).

President Muhammadu Buhari Buhari Wednesday signed Executive Order 009 which is titled ‘The Open Defecation-Free Nigeria by 2025 and Other Related Matters Order.’

The signing of the order is to ensure Nigeria becomes open defecation free by 2025. About 46 million Nigerians are said to practice open defecation making the country the second in the world with such unhealthy practice.

Former Minister of Information, Retired General Ike Nwachukwu has called on the federal government to address the chronic neglect of physiotherapy and nuclear medicine services in Nigeria.

He made the remark in Lagos at that the annual conference of the Association of the Radiographers of Nigeria themed: “Radiography and Nuclear Medicine: Prospects and Challenges in Nigeria.

Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria by 2030 will require strong partnerships between the government and donor agencies, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said. The minister spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the strategic engagement between government agencies and development partners.

Organised by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the event was aimed at bridging funding gaps in achieving UHC in Nigeria. Mr Ehanire, who was represented at the event by Joseph Amedu, the Director health services at the health ministry, commended the funding support by donors for initiatives designed to achieve UHC.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARDs), on Monday, observed that there is an increasing number of persons with mental health issues in the country.

Roland Aigbovo, the Chairman of the Abuja chapter, said this at a news conference to herald the association’s 2019 Annual Health Week and General Meeting/Scientific Conference in Abuja.

To become HIV-free, Nigeria needs to combat the transmission of the epidemic among the vulnerable communities, UNAIDS has said. In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Country Director of UNAIDS, Erasmus Morah, said new cases of HIV are still being transmitted among the vulnerable groups.

These are sex workers, gays, pregnant women, people in prisons and injection drug users. He said this can only be stopped if the government makes testing and treatment available to them.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus has been described as a severe threat government’s efforts in reducing maternal mortality rates. The Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) estimates that about 204 million women between 20-79 years are living with diabetes worldwide.

Secretary Katsina State chapter of the Association Hussaini Usman made the disclosure yesterday during a free screening on diabetes organized by the Association to pregnant mothers in the state held at General Hospital Ingawa.

The World Health Organisation(WHO) said measles has killed more than 5,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January — more than double the toll in the country’s Ebola epidemic.

“The DRC (measles) outbreak is the largest outbreak worldwide. It is one of the largest that we have seen,” Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s immunization department, told reporters in Geneva.

In line with his administration’s determination to ensure full routine immunization coverage of Delta, the Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, has advised health workers not committed to their jobs to resign or be sacked.

The governor gave the warning on Thursday in Asaba at a meeting with relevant stakeholders on primary healthcare service delivery in the state.