Chioma Umeha

• 764 LGAs Risk Disease Outbreak Due To The Unhygienic Practice Chioma Umeha Open defecation is widespread unhygienic practice whereby people go out in fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water, or other open spaces rather than using the toilet to pass faeces. From Nigeria’s North West, North East to the North Central, even to South West, South East and South South, the practice of defecating in the open is rife despite its dangerous implications. Mohammed Kabiru(not real names), Banker, said; “I had no choice, but to defecate openly last Monday on my way from Kaduna   to Sokoto. It was a ‘nature’s call’ and there is no toilet on the highway. Under this circumstance, I told the driver to park and I did it conveniently in a nearby bush,” the erudite banker told DAILY INDEPENDENT. The story of Samuel Odigwe, Lawyer is not different. Read his comments; “I was travelling to Owerri and I felt my stomach rumbling, the next thing, I became pressed to go to toilet immedia

•CRC Booklet In Child-Friendly Language, Pocket Format Chioma Umeha The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a campaign tagged; “For every child, every right,” to create awareness about the rights of children in Nigerian society. Mr. Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s new Country Representative in Nigeria, announced this on Monday in a statement to commemorate the Children’s Day, observed annually on May 27. Hawkins said that while there have been many innovations over the last few years, children in Nigeria were still not accessing health, nutrition, education and other amenities as they ought to. “Sadly, it is the most disadvantaged children who are suffering the greatest challenge in having their rights fulfilled.” This year’s Children’s Day falls during the 30th   anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is being commemorated this year around the world. As part of the celebrations, UNICEF is launching a “Passport to Your Rights”,

Chioma Umeha Following the deaths of thousands of Nigerians yearly due to unnecessary exposure to the toxic chemical, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the Nigerian government to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from the country’s food supply. Trans fat are industrially produced   and harmful chemical known as Trans fat which is a type of unsaturated fats partially found in hydrogenated oils. Therefore, the WHO, has tasked enjoined the Federal government to eliminate industrially, produced Trans fat from the country’s food supply. Consumption of Trans fat, used in baked, fried and packaged foods increases risk of cardiovascular diseases, recognised among the biggest cause of death around the world. The WHO, in its newly released report by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), suggests that thousands of Nigerians die each year due to unnecessary exposure to the toxic chemical. Approximately 1,300 deaths were attributable to high Trans fat intake i

•Says It Will Worsen Existing Chaotic Drug Distribution Network •Tells Buhari To Improve Health Sector Rating By Appointing Experienced Administrators Chioma Umeha Pharmacists under the auspices of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has picked holes in the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) to create three-tiers of eligible players in the sales of OTC drugs under the wide classification of Patent & Proprietary Medicine Vendors Licence (PPMVL) in Nigeria. Speaking for ACPN, Samuel Adekola, the National Chairman, said the proposal had been subjected to a lot of critical appraisal in the last few days that it was made public through a Punch on-line projection and that the entropy the move of the FMOH has generated compels the ACPN as the primary constituency that continues to bear the burden of an unwieldy drug distribution channel to make some clarifications. Adekola explained that the concept of PPMVL was originally structured to be

Chioma Umeha and LUCY SAMUEL The White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria (WRAN) has commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for the disbursement of N12.7 billion a 25 per cent of N55.1 billion 2018 Basic Health Care Provision Fund to the accounts of the three gateways. The Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health announced on Friday, May 17, 2019, that it has disbursed N12.7 billion (25 per cent), as the first tranche of N55.1 billion from the 2018 Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) allotted to Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) into the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) received N6.5 billion (50 per cent), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) received N5.8billion(45 per cent) and N327million(2.5 per cent) was received by the National Ce

Chioma Umeha The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has announced that it would be holding its fifth edition of Pharma Expo 2019 on August 28 and 29, 2019, in Lagos with a view to engage Federal Government to achieve the industry ambitious goal of accessing ‘N300 billion Industry Expansion and Intervention fund.’ Making the announcement, Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, Chairman, PMG-MAN, said the fund would be used for the industry upgrade and update technologically to become globally competitive, whilst ensuring medicine security and self-sufficiency. Ayebae who is also the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidson Healthcare Plc spoke at a press briefing on the forthcoming 2019 Nigerian Pharma Manufacturers Expo in Lagos. He said the Expo would attract approximately 200 international companies from six countries and nearly 10,000 pharma companies. The PMG-MAN boss said the theme of this year’s exhibition is “Strategic Co

Chioma Umeha To boost the skills of health workers for effective delivery of Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH) services in the country, Save the Children International says it has trained 5,250 health workers under its just-concluded Health Workers Capacity Building (HCB) project. Mrs. Nwamaka Ifionu, the organisation’s Area Operations Manager, Lagos, Cross River and Akwa- Ibom, said this at the organisation’s end of project and dissemination meeting held in Lagos, recently. Ifionu explained that the project was set out for a four-year period covering between 2015 and 2019. She said that the goal of the training is to ensure health workers in three states in Nigeria, including Lagos, are correctly applying improved skills and knowledge in the provision of MNCH services. According to Ifionu, her organisation is determined to see that no child, especially those under five years of age dies from preventable causes. She further said that the Save the Children Interna

Chioma Umeha For many natives of Agugu Oja in Agugu community, Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Agugu Health Post has become a Mecca of some sort to many primary healthcare seekers. The immunisation post which has transformed to a full-fledged health facility, now offers antenatal, post natal care, family planning, even accident and emergency first aid services used to be a mere retail shop for provisions, others. That was before late Madam Alice Mogbonjubola Ogunlana, donated it to serve as immunisation stand for Agugu community due to her passion to ensure that no baby dies from preventable causes. Today, the immunisation stand, the busiet of a set of twin shops attached to the home of its donor, has gradually transformed to a ‘facility’ rendering services, thus overstretching its capacity. Serving between 20 and 30 children during immunisation visits, it caters for women and children not just in the host community, but, the environment of Bodija,

Chioma Umeha Hardly is anyone free from suffering the bout of what is commonly known as ‘ordinary malaria,’ be it young or old.   Malaria neither respects age nor gender. However, infants and pregnant women seem to experience the worst bout, especially in Africa, Nigeria inclusive. Globally, an estimated 3.4 billion people are at risk of being infected with malaria and developing the disease while 1.1 billion is at high risk of the disease annually. Malaria scourge afflicts nearly 50 per cent of people worldwide with about 90 per cent of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Malaria Report 2018 states that there were 219 million cases and 435,000 deaths as a result of the disease in 2017. The figure represents a global decrease in malaria cases and death rates to 18 per cent and 28 per cent respectively between 2010 and 2017. The report also states that, an estimated 93 per cent of all malaria deaths occurred in sub-Sahara Africa and in Children under fiv

Chioma Umeha Pharmacists have raised an alarm on the dangers of recent rumours making rounds that fake drugs circulation in Nigeria has gone up to 70 per cent, saying, it undermines sectors’ moves to position Nigeria as African hub for pharmaceutical products. Specifically, the pharmacists under the auspices of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) have debunked the claims. Specifically, the ACPN said it is reckless, displeasing and irresponsible to say that the fake drug incidence in Nigeria had increased to 70 per cent, instead of 17 per cent. Speaking for the pharmacists was Samuel Adekola, Chairman, who also said that the claim is counterproductive to the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry to boost its contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and global perception. Adekola noted that despite all efforts, the contribution of the pharmaceutical industry to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is still less than two per cent bec