Frontpage News (3249)
Given the avalanche of controversies that marked the tenure of the immediate past executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, it comes as no surprise that the recent appointment of Prof. Mohammed Nasir Sambo as the new executive secretary of the Scheme has once again raised the hopes of many Nigerians that the programme may get a fresh start to finally begin to deliver on its mandate.
It is, however, essential to state that turning around the fortunes of the NHIS will require much more than hopes; it will require a lot of work, vision and strategy, driven by an uncommon passion to deliver results. In fact, the success of the new executive secretary will depend more on how he addresses the fundamental challenges that have bogged down the agency since inception, as these have, in no small way, contributed to the high turnover of executive secretaries for the Scheme.
Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of Gombe State has described the condition of the state’s health sector as deplorable. He promised to do all within his powers to uplift the sector.
Yahaya said this while inaugurating a nine-man task force on the health sector on Tuesday in Gombe, the state capital. Yahaya recalled that his visit to some health facilities shortly after his swearing-in showed that the health sector had been neglected by the past administration.
National Hospital Gets Additional Cancer Treatment Machines from NNPC, Shell
To effectively and efficiently treat cancer patients nationwide, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) have donated an additional Linear Accelerator (LINAC) radiotherapy machine to the National Hospital, Abuja.
Speaking at an event to commission the machine, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, noted that the commissioning of the ultramodern cancer treatment machine gives the country hope because cancer patients now have a place to find succor.
A PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Misitura Arowona, has developed a drug that promises to be potent in the treatment of tuberculosis, an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs.
The University of Ilorin Bulletin, on Monday, stated that the student, who is being supervised by Prof. Joshua Obaleye, former Dean, Faculty of Science of Unilorin, is currently undergoing a sandwich fellowship at the Faculty of Science of The Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, India.
The House of Representatives, the Federal Government, and medical directors have formed a committee to resolve the crisis between the government and the doctors over non-payment of N26.5bn arrears, among others.
The panel is made up of the House committees on health care services and health institutions, the federal ministries of health and finance, and the committee of chief medical directors and medical directors.
The Gombe State Epidemiologist, Dr Bile Nuhu, has said the state recorded seven Lassa fever cases with one death between January and July. Nuhu, in an interview with our correspondent, expressed the resolve of the state to tackle epidemic with its recent surveillance and response mechanism in partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
“We look at Lassa fever in seasons from November to April, but for this year we have had suspected cases. Whenever we have such cases, we take samples to laboratories either in Lagos, Kaduna or Abuja for investigation.
The Kaduna State government has said that it intends to recruit 3,059 primary healthcare workers to improve healthcare delivery in the state.
The Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Hamza Abubakar, disclosed this on Wednesday when a coalition of non-governmental agencies in the state, under the aegis of Partnership for Advocacy in Child Health @Scale (PASA) paid a visit to the Ministry of Health.
Ebola: Nigerian aviation authorities demand high level of vigilance from airlines
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all operators, especially airlines operating regional and international flights into the country, to exercise a high level of vigilance
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier declared the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in line with International Health Regulations
Ebola ‘No Longer Incurable’ As Congo Trial Finds Drugs Boost Survival
Scientists are a step closer to being able to cure the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever after two experimental drugs showed survival rates of as much as 90% in a clinical trial in Congo.
Two experimental drugs – an antibody cocktail called REGN-EB3 developed by Regeneron and a monoclonal antibody called mAb114 – will now be offered to all patients infected with the viral disease in an ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Drug abuse worsens the severity of the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis infections because of the peculiar behavior and quality of life of drug addicts, it has been learned.
The Head of Drug Reduction Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Adamawa State, Shehu Dankolo, stated this in an interview with our correspondent. Dankolo noted that HIV and Hepatitis B & C infections among drug abusers are more acute than the public realizes.
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Two of four Ebola treatment drugs have been determined “more effective” than the others and will be the only ones used on patients going forward, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced.
WHO announced in a statement that two of the four Ebola treatment drugs were determined more effective in treating patients than others in a trial which began as part of the emergency response in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Nov. 20, 2018.
The Ebonyi State government has confirmed the death of two people resulting from the recent yellow fever outbreak in the state. The State Commissioner of Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike confirmed the incident while addressing newsmen on Monday in Abakaliki, urging people to however observe all preventive measures against the disease.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Umezurike equally adviced residents to disregard conflicting information on the number of causalities from the outbreak, stressing that authentic figure of deaths from the disease was two.
Minimum Wage: Nurses Call for Compromise between FG and Organised Labour
Nurses under the aegis of University Graduates of Nursing Science Association (UGONSA) have called for a compromise between the Federal Government (FG) and organised labour over the new minimum wage for improved productivity and enhanced national economy.
The National Secretary of the Association, Nurse Goodluck Nshi made the call on Monday while briefing newsmen in Abakaliki.
Global artistes, athletes sign pledge to end AIDS, TB, Malaria by 2030
British-Nigerian-American actor, David Oyelowo, has joined other global artistes and athletes to sign an open letter to seven-year-olds, promising to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics by 2030 – the year the children will become adults.
By 2030, the seven-year-olds will be 18.
Other Signatories include popular musicians, Sir Elton John, and Ed Sheeran, comedian Trevor Noah, captain of the France national women’s football team Amandine Henry, and Antoine Griezmann and Thomas Lemar of the French national men’s team.
