Frontpage News (3249)
Ugandan authorities on Tuesday quarantined 13 people, who picked up a body of suspected Ebola death in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as hemorrhagic fever tests are carried out.
The Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) in a joint statement disclosed this in Kampala.
Ms Vera Songwe, the Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), on Tuesday in Addis Ababa called for an improved Public Private Partnership (PPP) in financing Healthcare in Africa.
Songwe made the call at the Africa Business Health Forum, organised by UNECA, Aliko Dangote Foundation and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede’s GBCHealth. An 89-page study on Healthcare and Economic Growth in Africa, jointly sponsored by the trio was presented at the event.
Until there is a strong synergy between public and private sectors to boost investment in Africa’s health sector, about 16 million jobs will remain elusive and exported outside the continent, United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa’s (ECA) executive secretary, Vera Songwe, has said.
Songwe, who asserted that Nigeria and other African countries presently spend about $14 billion on the importation of pharmaceutical products needed in the continent, due to lack of capacity in local production, said the African’s health sector has the potential to create 16 million jobs.
- Set for human trials
A new drug that can reverse memory loss due to aging and depression has been developed by scientists.
As people get older, especially above the age of 50, they begin to experience forgetfulness almost on a daily basis. Some people misplace things, forget faces and even why they do certain things.
Dr Kunden Deyin, the Plateau Commissioner for Health says the state has recorded 28 new cases of Lassa fever with 10 deaths.
Deyin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Thursday that 64 cases were taken to the laboratory for confirmation out of which 28 were confirmed to be Lassa fever.
The 3.1 million-strong community of people living with HIV/AIDS has called on the government to commit more support for their welfare as donor funding for HIV services continue to dwindle.
The new leadership of Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS (NEPWHAN) has listed on priorities a “four-year strategic plan” to guide its operations in line with the agendas of its partners, including donor agencies.
A new phase I/II open-label, the dose-escalation trial has recently tested the effectiveness of a “Trojan horse” drug in treating multiple types of otherwise treatment-resistant cancer in its late stages.
Recently, a team of experts from The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust both in the United Kingdom has conducted a phase I/II clinical trial of a newly developed anticancer drug called tisotumab vedotin (TV).To make the novel compound, scientists attached a toxic substance to an antibody that targets the “tissue factor” receptor, a protein that is abundant on the surface of numerous cancer cells and the presence of which predicts poor survival rates.
Training traditional birth attendants will curb maternal mortality – Doctor
Dr Mercy Luka, a medical practitioner, has called for effective training and proper monitoring of activities of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to mitigate cases of maternal and child mortality.
Luka made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Dozens of health advocates on Thursday gathered in front of Asokoro Hospital, Abuja, to protest the death of one of their colleagues, Kafayat Addulazeez, due to alleged medical negligence.
In anticipation of the protest, over 20 policemen were stationed at the hospital gate.
No fewer than 102 people have been confirmed to be positive with Lassa fever, in addition to 15 deaths recorded in Ondo State between January and February.
Wale Oke, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Akure.
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As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2019 Zero Discrimination Day, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has called for legal protection against HIV-related discrimination in the country.
The Director General of the Agency, Sani Aliyu, made the call in a statement on Wednesday to mark the Zero Discrimination Day being celebrated across the globe.
A team of researchers have examined the link between vitamin D and brain function to find out why the nutrient may be the key to memory function. According to medicalnewstoday.com, the researchers published their findings in the journal, Trends in Neurosciences.
The lead author of the study, who also led the research, Dr Thomas Burne of the University of Queensland Brain Institute, St. Lucia, Australia, said that over 1 billion people worldwide suffered vitamin D deficiency. He also confirmed the existence of a well-established link between vitamin D deficiency and impaired cognition.
What informed the mandatory health insurance scheme in the state?
Health insurance is a symbiotic financing scheme for the state; it is a way of mobilizing funds for the sector. The sector is very huge and resource- demanding. So, if there is no financing scheme it would simply amount to a waste of time. This is because, with a proper financing scheme, a number of things would be taken care of, one of which is access to healthcare. In the course of doing that, the quality of care and effectiveness of care would be addressed. If we get it right with the health insurance it would change the entire picture in the health sector because it will address the core issues.
The State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) and The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in Taraba State have inaugurated a committee tasked to design messages for specific target audience to promote access and use of modern contraceptives.
The selected members of the committee who were drawn from the media, health sector, religious organisations and traditional institutions were trained on sensitising the public on family planning.
