Nigeria’s former Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange has blamed the Nigerian governments at all levels for the poor health care delivery system in the country.
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been in operation for over ten years but it seems to have failed in the realization of the objectives for which it was established. Key among its failures is the non-realization of the objective of making health care available to Nigerians at an affordable cost. As at date many Nigerians still pay out of their pocket for medical expenses; a retrogressive health care funding mechanism. This has continued to drive many families to catastrophic health expenditures and poverty. There is therefore an urgent need to review the scheme with a view to finding out factors responsible for its poor performance and proffer solutions that can lead to improvement in the scheme. This is necessary in order to accelerate the expansion of the scheme to cover many Nigerians within the shortest possible time.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has urged health workers across the country to strictly adhere to standard Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) procedures while handling patients at all times and not just when Lassa fever is suspected.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in collaboration with other donor agencies, on Monday, donated 853 motorcycles to the Federal Government to strengthen diseases surveillance across the country.
The National Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday canvassed the establishment of test-laboratories across the 36 states to help in effective monitoring of foods and drugs.
The Union of National African Paediatric Societies and Associations (UNAPSA) and Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has begun training of doctors and nurses on neonatal resuscitation and anaesthetic.
The Nigerian government with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners will today launch a mass vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of yellow fever in the country.
The Health Management Organisation,(HMOs) under the aegis of Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN), has urged the National Assembly to revisit and expedite action on the review and the passage of the Health Insurance amendment Bill which has been pending before it since the past eight years.
National Publicity Secretary of HMCAN ),Lekan Ewenla who made the call yesterday in Abuja, said that the law establishing the NHIS is very weak and needs to be strengthened to enable Nigerians access affordable and quality healthcare in the country.
"The Center for Human Virology and Genomics (CHVG) has been listed as a WHO Prequalification Evaluating Laboratory. This happened after a successful audit of the laboratory to ISO 15189:2012standard by WHO Geneva on Monday 22nd January 2018. This therefore makes CHVG the first laboratory in West Africa to attain this feat.
The timeless aphorism says that health is wealth, yet one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria since independence has been the country’s inability to guarantee affordable and universal health care to its citizens. Little wonder that we are consistently ranked in the comity of poor nations? Access to health care is not only important, it is also fundamental to all areas of social development, from combating poverty to achieving a high standard of living.
The Federal Government says it will shut down all open drug markets this year to curb unwholesome drug distribution system. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, disclosed this in a statement issued after a ground breaking ceremony of the Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in Abia.
The management of Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, says no case of Lassa fever has been recorded in the hospital. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the hospital, Mr Darlington Madubuko, told newsmen on Tuesday in Umuahia that it was untrue the reported death of a suspected Lassa fever patient in the centre.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS), a global effort to address drug resistance.
The Federal Government on Tuesday announced special intervention funds for tertiary and specialist hospitals in the country. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made this known at the opening ceremony of the National Executive Council Meeting of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Abuja.
