Chioma Umeha

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has recorded breakthrough in the effort to eliminate the practice of open defecation through Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in 11 Local Government Areas in the country. Announcing this was Bioye Ogunjobi, UNICEF WASH specialist, at a Media Dialogue in Kano on Sanitation and Hygiene, UNICEF Communication Specialist, with the theme; “Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign.” Ogunjobi said that UNICEF has supported the ministry of water resources to ensure access to hygiene and sanitation in 11 out of 774 LGAs in various states across Nigeria. The 11 LGAs which are now Open Defecation Free (ODF) Ogunjobi said are Daas, Warji in Bauchi state; Birnin Kudu and Buji in Jigawa state; Ikom, Yala, Obanliku, Yakur, Boki and Berkwara in Cross River state and Logo in Benue State. “We were able to achieve this by supporting the federal ministry to implement what we call Community led total sanitation,” the WASH specialist stressed. He explain

With Nigeria almost at the last stage of being declared a polio-free country, the Lagos State government has confirmed the discovery of an environmental strand of the polio virus in Makoko, Itire, and Maracana Canals in the state. Disclosing this at a media/stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop in Lagos on Thursday was Titilayo Goncalves, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health. Goncalves said the state government, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other agencies, was gearing up for another polio vaccination campaign in this regard from Saturday, June 15 to Tuesday, June 18, 2019. The permanent secretary also said the vaccination campaign was to halt the spread of polio virus and increase coverage of immunised children against vaccine-preventable diseases. She further said that the vaccination campaign would improve the herd immunity of the environment against the wild polio virus. Dr. Gonclaves, however, said the campaign was aimed at elimina

Emeritus Professor Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe, Dr. Stella Chinyelu Okoli and Prof. Eyitayo Lambo were the three eminent persons who cart home the Lifetime Achievement prize of the sixth edition of Nigeria Health Care Excellence Award (NHEA). The award which held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos weekend, also bestowed the special recognition award on Dr. Mohammed Pate for providing leadership in the reduction of polio in Nigeria, while Dr. Aranmolate Ayobami received his for the revolution of cosmetic surgery in Nigeria. The event which had several doctors, hospital administrators, pharmacists, owners of health management organisations (HMOs), captains of industry and stakeholders in the health sector in attendance also awarded ‘Outstanding CSR Health Project of the Year’ to Healing Stripes Hospital for providing free dialysis for the less-privileged. Also, Nasarawa State won the Outstanding State Government Healthcare Programme of the Year award for Establishment of model

Sanwo-Olu   A s part of efforts to ensure full recovery from trauma and ill-health, the Lagos Government through the Ministry of Health has commenced general clinical follow-up and rehabilitation sessions for victims and survivors of the Ita-Faji collapsed building in Lagos. Speaking at the first general clinical follow-up and rehabilitation sessions held recently at the General Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, the exercise was organised under the auspices of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu In a statement on Sunday signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director, Public Affairs, Lagos state Ministry of Health, Goncalves stated that the rehabilitation session is to ensure full recovery of victims and survivors of the unfortunate incidence. She lamented; “What happened is quite unfortunate and we do not pray for a recurrence but moving on, the State government being responsible and responsive is concerned about the health and w

Experts have decried high rate of drug resistance, causalities, including deaths emanating from the prevalence of many substandard malaria drugs in the market. Recently, Dr. Babatunde Puddicombe, President, Nigeria Society of Malaria, urged the Federal Government to channel more efforts to check the influx of fake drugs in the country, not just on malaria. Puddicombe who spoke to DAILY INDEPENDENT at the backdrop of World Malaria Day in Lagos, regretted that more people who believe that they are taking adequate treatment are dying from malaria because of fake drugs. He said, “There was a survey at Idumota which showed about 20 different brands of malaria drugs that were not registered are being sold in the open market. The control is not as what it used to be. Fake drugs are getting into the country left, right and centre.” He advised that Federal Government to put place adequate measures to curb fake drugs, even as he advised patients to buy drugs with Scratch Pads and from credible P

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), in partnership with Sebeccly Cancer Care, provided free breast and cervical cancer screening, and prostate cancer screening for female and male participants respectively at the 2019 NSE Corporate Challenge which held on Saturday, July 6, 2019, at Muri-Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. The NSE Corporate Challenge, a one-day competitive and fun-filled 5 kilometer walk, jog and run event, has since inception in 2014, been a vehicle for creating awareness on the early detection of cancer and raising funds to support the fight against the dreadful disease in Nigeria. Speaking at the event, Mr. Bola Adeeko, Divisional Head, Shared Services, NSE said, “this year, the Exchange took the fight against cancer a step further by providing on-site cancer screening and treatment in the form of colposcopy, cryotherapy and histology for participants with identified irregularities. Over 110 participants were screened for breast, cervical and prostate cancer at the

Buhari   A coalition of Women Groups in the country have written to President Muhammadu Buhari remind him of his meeting with female parliamentarians and at the Advocacy Summit of August 30, 2018 where the implementation of 35 percent affirmative action was raised. The women said President Buhari assured them of his full support because this would ‘improve the representation of women in our politics.’ They told Buhari, “You said women are dedicated and more principled and that you are confident women can make great leaders.” “You said Nigerian women are resilient and dedicated to their responsibilities. You desired ‘an enabling environment forwomentoparticipateinpolitical process as women constitute more than 50 percent of voters.” They urged the President to create a worthy legacy by appointing 35 percent women across board, as he begins to put his cabinet together and make appointments across parastatals and agencies. “We believe that a step in this direction is critical now, given t