Chioma Umeha

Chioma Umeha The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) is organising its 3rd International Exhibition for Pharma & Healthcare (iPHEX Africa) on March 14 – 15, 2019 at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, with the support of Indian High Commission, Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association in Nigeria, Association of Pharmaceuticals Importers in Nigeria, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria. The event is expected to feature about 60 Indian pharma companies. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to explore pharmaceutical formulations, APIs, pellets, nutraceuticals, veterinary drugs, medical devices and other healthcare products. About 1,500 to 2,000 local pharma companies, pharmacists, doctors, regulators, investors and policymakers are expected to attend and interact with exhibitors and themselves. “We are happy with the level of cooperation from Nigerian government and relevant agencies since the maiden edition of this exhibition, it has not only im

Dr. Funmilola  Olaolorun, a senior lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan-Nigeria, is co-principal investigator for Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020/Nigeria. Olaolorun who is also a Gates’ Scholar and graduate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in this interview with CHIOMA UMEHA advocates some form of voucher system to enable the poorest of the women to afford family planning consumables and commodities. Excerpts: What is PMA 2020 all about? The Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA) 2020 is likely to help to monitor and evaluate the progress towards the goal of FP 2020, which is to reach additional 120 million women and girls in the poorest countries of the world with family planning services, those who don’t have access by the year 2020. So that is the reason PMA2020 exists, just for monitoring and evaluation so that we can track the main family planning indictor overtime i

Chioma Umeha Dr. Jide Idris , Lagos State Commissioner for Health and others during the at the first General Assembly of the forum in 2019 in Lagos, recently. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has tasked the Lagos State health sector development partners under the umbrella of the Lagos State Health Sector Development Partners’ Forum on continuous improvement of the State health system. According to a press statement signed by Adeola Salako, Director, Public Affairs, Idris, Idris who spoke to stakeholders at the first General Assembly of the forum in 2019 noted that the forum which was inaugurated in year 2011 by the Ministry of Health was aimed at strengthening and coordinating partnerships for health as well as creating a viable platform that enables partners to harmonise all their activities and plans. “The formation of the Health Sector Development Partners’ Forum was seen as critical to facilitate a coordinating system that would reduce transaction

Chioma Umeha Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris has called on members of the public to support the Government in its efforts to reduce the spread of communicable diseases in the State. According to a press statement signed by Adeola Salako, Director, Public Affairs, Idris who spoke in his office at the Secretariat, Alausa,   Ikeja recently, advised Lagosians to imbibe the habit of maintaining both personal and environmental hygiene to keep communicable diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites at bay. He disclosed that the State Government is leaving no stone unturned in improving the health of the people through huge investments in the sector adding that adherence to basic healthy habits such as regular hand washing with clean running water and soap, keeping hygienic environment by disposing wastes appropriately, hygienic storage of food, adequate and proper cooking of food before consumption will go a long way in checking

Chioma Umeha Efforts to reduce out-of-pocket payments for healthcare, a huge burden on households and individuals remain a mirage in view of the poverty level of Nigerians which is put at 70 per cent. However, health insurance provides financial protection for pregnant women, spreading risks and pooling funds which would make maternal healthcare affordable and accessible, writes CHIOMA UMEHA. Every day, Nigeria loses about 145 women of childbearing age, making her the second largest contributor to the maternal mortality rate in the world, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). When this statistic was released in 2017, it generated different responses from different people even as many disputed the figure. Though pregnancy and child birth supposed to be safe and normal, so many women and their new born die due to pregnancy and child birth related reasons, those who survive end up with complications. Here lies the need to increase access of antenatal care for

Chioma Umeha Research has shown that knowing one’s HIV status can help in making healthy decisions to prevent acquiring or transmitting the Human Immune Virus (HIV). Nigeria is home to 10 per cent of Adolescents Living With HIV(ALHIV) globally, that is about 240,000, according to a project initiated in response to the 2016 National Adolescents and Young Peoples (AYP) HIV strategy. However, this number is not reflected in HIV Testing Services (HTS) and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) services, hence the need to identify Adolescents Living With HIV and put them on treatment. To this effect, a new study seeks to find adolescents living with HIV, link them to treatment, and ensure they remain in treatment. It also seeks to observe and document factors that facilitate successful scale – up in identification and treatment of AYP living with HIV in service programmes in three States in Nigeria including, Lagos State. However, the study uses family-based and index case finding

Chioma Umeha The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was launched 14 years ago to ensure universal access to quality health delivery by protecting Nigerian families from financial barriers to health care, and ensuring availability of funds to the health sector. However, less than two decades after its launch, experts have lamented on its slow implementation as only five per cent coverage has been achieved by the scheme. It is intrucctive to note that the NHIS is expected to improve access to health services and bring overall development of the country. Indeed, the National Health Insurance Scheme was established under Act 35 of 1999 by the Federal Government to provide easy access to healthcare for all Nigerians at an affordable cost through various pre-payment systems. This is because health care is a developmental issue in the country and very vital to the coporate existence of Nigeria. In an effort to ensure that residents in Oyo state enjoy the NHIS, the gover

Chioma Umeha A Non-Governmental Organisation, Centre for the Right to Health has called for investment in new HIV prevention treatment, Pre- exposure Prophylaxis, (PReP) as it helps in reducing HIV infection. Speaking to journalists in Lagos during a two day media training on biomedical HIV prevention in Nigeria, the Program Director of the Centre,   Mr Bede Eziefule said PReP is a drug that HIV negative persons can take to prevent being positive especially those that are sexually active, adding that it has been proven to be 90 percent effective when used correctly and consistently. According to him, “as you might also know we are at a cross road and interesting times in prevention of HIV infection. More and more persons, especially young persons who constitute the bulk of persons are getting infected daily with HIV are beginning to ask for more options to protect themselves from contracting HIV.” He said the media is an important force in shaping socio-economic and p

Chioma Umeha The Lagos State Committee on Food and Nutrition in conjunction with Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) have domesticated the National Policy on Food and Nutrition to Lagos specific. Speaking during the opening remark of the validation meeting of the Lagos State Specific Plan on Food and Nutrition (SSPFN) and State Multi-Sectorial Plan of Action for Nutrition (SMSPAN), Mr Shola Fadorun, representing the State’s Permanent Secretary,   Ministry of Economy Planning and Budget, Abayomi Adebisi Kadiri said malnutrition is a key health challenge in the State. He said the validated policy will serve as a direction for the execution of programmes and projects that will address nutrition matters in the State. Kadiri said the main objective of the validation exercise is to cross the‘t’s, dot the ‘I’s and confirm the data referred to in the document, adding that the exercise will address the cross cutting issues among the lines Ministry, Department

Chioma Umeha As Nigeria joins in the celebration of International Day for Zero Tolerance Against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) today, CHIOMA UMEHA writes that the country which shares 25 per cent of the burden of FGM which occurs in Africa is home to millions of girls and women who have undergone FGM, a dehumanising practice which endangers their life. Like every young lady who is ripe for marriage, Chinwe Ude was happy to tie the nuptial knots at the age of 24. But, her joy was cut short by dyspareunia – pain during sexual intercourse. The diagnosis of Chinwe’s condition was linked to FGM. Also, Funmi Adigun, 23, suddenly began to experience vagina itching, painful urination and menstrual problems, shortly after marriage. She was further diagnosed with genital tissue and reproductive tract damage as a result of FGM which was performed on her at the age of five. For Miriam Abubakar, her joy knew no bounds when she got married at the age of 33. Hardly had she completed