The Lagos State Government on Friday inaugurated aCritical Care Unit (CCU) at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja as part of its efforts to improve healthcare delivery in the state.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, said the facility would help to discourage Nigerians from going abroad to seek medical care.

A Physiotherapist, Professor Rufus Adedoyin, on Sunday said physiotherapists were still unrecognised in the medical profession, in spite of the major role they played in the overall wellbeing of individuals.

Adedoyin, the Chairman, Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy Cardiopulmonary Specialty Group, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Health professionals and specialists in various medical fields are set to brainstorm in a conference on curbing Nigeria’s high Medical tourism, one of vexatious issues in Nigeria’s health sector.

In a statement made available to newsmen,  a neurosurgeon and advocate  for reversing medical tourism in Nigeria, Dr Biodun Ogungbo,  said the  theme of the conference coming up at the Covenant University in Ota,  Ogun State, 20th July, 2016, is “Reversing Medical Tourism:  strengthening local capabilities, and encouraging foreign collaborations”.

Discussions at the ongoing AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa, have focused on the dearth of homegrown scientific solutions to HIV/AIDS on the continent. This comes as participants at the conference say that many of the breakthroughs in the treatment and control of the viral disease are coming from abroad instead of within.

According to them, donors from the United States of America and other developed nations commit more funds and resources to HIV/AIDS programmes compared to governments  in Africa, the region that is most affected by the disease.

The Federal Government has announced that it is set to carry out 10,000 subsidised surgeries on indigent Nigerians which will include cleft lip and palate repairs, myomectomy, hysterectomy and Vessico-Vagina Fistula (VVF) amongst others in 46 tertiary institutions.

Also, there will be treatment of 200,000 severely malnourished children categorised under weight loss, stunted growth as well as poor resistance to infection as the devastating health effect of the condition, especially on their physical and intellectual growth needs to be tackled.

About 17 Health Management Organisations (HMOs) under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have been delisted, Mrs Ahunna Ochor, the Coordinator of the scheme in Enugu State, has said.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, Ochor said the affected HMOs could not provide quality health to enrollees.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Mid-year General Meeting of the Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria will be held on Thursday 28th July 2015 at 10.00am. The meeting is open to all members of and those who have applied for membership of Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria and all Healthcare providers’ who are considering becoming members. Your attendance is greatly appreciated. Matters of interest to the providers will be discussed.