Chioma Umeha

G overnment has been urged to increase funding and support People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partners working on HIV awareness in line with the global campaign for safer motherhood and HIV-free babies. Making the call recently, was Mrs. Kadiri Oluseyi, Executive Director, Centre for Positive Health Organisation, Lagos State under the platform of Abidjan – Lagos – Corridor who further canvassed for elimination of stigma for People Living With HIV/AIDS. According to her, support from government through increased funding and access to anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs will help to ameliorate the challlenges of PLWHA, especially pregnant mothers and help in the elimination of  Mother-To- Child- Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV. Oluseyi spoke when members of Journalists Alliance for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Nigeria (JAPiN), Lagos state Chapter made special investigative visit to the office of Abijan-Lagos Corridor O

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that Nigeria has the largest number of girls not in school and has launched an initiative tagged “Girls for Girls” (G4G) to facilitate education of girls as well as empower them with information and knowledge. The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Fall, who announced this said the UN agency plans to facilitate the education of  one million girls in Bauchi, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states. Fall disclosed this via a press statement signed by its spokesman, Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, lamenting that Nigeria has the largest number of girls not in school. He explained that the initiative would help the girls build their capacity and create access to education so as to enable them to stand up for themselves. According to him, “a vast majority of girls in Nigeria do not complete primary school. The average girl stays in school only through age nine. Less than one-third of girls in Nigeria enrol in the lower secondar

To usher a new dawn in healthcare where the interest of patients will be paramount, doctors and pharmacists in the country under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) respectively, have pledged to bury their differences. The goal according to them is to boost the country’s healthcare delivery system by offering quality and effective healthcare services to patients   through a harmonious relationship and teamwork. To this effect, the leadership of the two professional bodies, said it had set up some committees on inter- professional collaboration to ensure the implementation of the decision among healthcare professionals. The committees will ensure a smooth working relationship among all the various professional groups in the health sector, including nurses, laboratory scientists, among others. Disclosing this during an interactive session in Lagos recently, Dr. Mike Ogirima, President of NMA and Pharm. Ahmed Yakas

Experts have continued to strongly canvass for Nigeria to study Cuba’s model of infant HIV elimination since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Cuba as the first country in the world to eliminate Mother-To-Child Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV and syphilis to replicate same in the country. Indications are rife that Nigeria would one day succeed in eliminating Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and syphilis infection from mother-to-child. Confirming this experts reason that if Nigeria adopts policies like Cuba which made history in June 2015, emerging the first country in the world to eliminate MTCT of HIV and syphilis she will achieve the same result. The Joint United Nations programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organization (WHO) declared Cuba the first country in the world to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child. WHO in a statement sent through an international delegation drafted from th

To help residents to attain quality life and improve access to family planning services in Lagos State ( NURHI ) began a 72-hour renovation and equipping of clinics in 50 state selected public health facilities in 2016. Journalists who embarked on a  recent  visit to the family planning clinics established by the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative ( NURHI ) in selected Primary Healthcare Clinics (PHCs) in Lagos State confirmed that safe childbirths have improved in the areas that benefitted from NURHI gesture. A 42-year-old mother of three, Mrs. Yetunde Idowu, said that she was happy to access family planning at Itire-Ijesha PHC. Speaking to j ournalists  during the tour which was organised by an NGO, Development Communications ( DEVCOMS ), Idowu said the clinic is now more conducive. “I feel at home being counselled and given my preferred method in the clinic.” She also observed that her body did not accept the implant method and that she had to opt for pills having

Reproductive Health Journalists Grieve Over Osotimehin; Says His Death Is Big Loss The Network  of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) has commiseratd  with the Nigerian and global health community on the demise of the Executive Director, United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), Professor Babatunde Osotimehin which occurred penultimate Sunday. NRHJN  which is the foremost  body of journalists  with passion   on Reproductive Health and Rights reporting, described  Prof . Osotimehi's death  as a colossal loss to the global and local health industry. A statement jointly signed by Mr. Roland Ogbonnaya and Mrs. Yinka Shokunbi, the President and Secretary of  NRHJN respectively,  said, "Until his death, Professor Osotimehin was a pillar of support to our body." He gave necessary encouragement to NRHJN to remain forthright in the reportage of issues around women and children with special attention on young people, the statement said. "

The need for women, especially the pregnant ones to take full charge of their lives through ensuring the use of healthcare centres to prevent high rate of maternal mortality has become one of growing concern. The issue was the major high point recently, when Mamaye/Evidence 4Action, a non-governmental organisation in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry Health organised an advocacy campaign in Amuwo Odofin and Ori Ade Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). The goal was to sensitise women and educate them on how to avoid maternal and infant deaths. Stressing on how timely the sensitisation programme is to the people of the community, Dr. Orebiyi Olatunji Sunday, medical officer of health of Amuwo Odofin Local government, said that one of the things that is quite obvious in Amuwo Odofin is that maternal mortality is 525 per 100, 000 women. “So it’s very high and it’s the same thing with Lagos state, so we need to reduce the maternal mortality. We can only get that done when