Health Matters Across Nigeria (August Edition)

Expensive Readers,

As Nigeria joined the remainder of the world in August to combat towards the rampaging Mpox illness and different infectious ailments similar to Cholera and Diphtheria, medical medical doctors referred to as public consideration to the insecurity of their workplaces, significantly the whereabouts of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, for greater than eight months.

Mrs Popoola, a resident physician on the Nationwide Eye Centre in Kaduna, north-west Nigeria, was kidnapped on 27 December 2023 alongside her husband and nephew.

Whereas her husband was launched after a ransom was reportedly paid, Mrs Popoola and her nephew have remained in captivity.

Other than staging a peaceable stroll throughout its branches nationwide, the medical practitioners beneath the umbrella of the Nationwide Affiliation of Resident Docs (NARD) additionally launched into a weeklong warning strike to press dwelling their demand for the discharge of their kidnapped colleague.

The federal authorities confirmed that Mrs Popoola was nonetheless alive within the custody of her captors and pledged the dedication of safety operatives to make sure her protected return.

Nevertheless, after failing to persuade the medical doctors to droop their warning strike, the federal government threatened to invoke the “no work, no pay” rule, saying that leaving their obligation posts would endanger extra lives.

Medical college students’ abduction

As if to additional affirm the concern of the medical doctors, whereas the protests have been nonetheless ongoing, kidnappers struck once more, abducting 20 medical college students of the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri, who have been on a visit to Enugu, south-east Nigeria, to take part within the annual conference of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental College students.

The scholars’ launch was solely secured after greater than every week in captivity.

The event additional heightened the concern of medical practitioners within the nation, who claimed that such incidents justified the exodus of lots of their colleagues overseas.

New coverage towards ‘japa’

In the meantime, the federal government introduced a brand new coverage titled “Nationwide Coverage on Well being Workforce Migration” to handle the well being sector’s workforce challenges.

In keeping with the Coordinating Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, the initiative goals to deal with “the vital challenges going through the nation’s well being human assets, aiming to handle, harness, and reverse the migration of healthcare professionals.”

Sharing the information on his X deal with, Mr Pate wrote: “This coverage is greater than only a response to the continuing exodus of healthcare professionals; it’s a complete technique to handle, harness, and reverse well being employee migration. It envisions a thriving workforce that’s well-supported, adequately rewarded, and optimally utilised to fulfill the healthcare wants of all Nigerians”.

The minister mentioned 67 per cent of Nigerian medical medical doctors who travelled overseas work in the UK.

He mentioned the UK might face issue ought to Nigerian healthcare staff in her make use of resolve to depart.

Conflict towards Mpox

Additionally in August, the Africa Centre for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Well being Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox a continental and world well being emergency, respectively.

Africa CDC mentioned the variety of circumstances within the continent was growing, displaying a regarding upward development. “Moreover, the case fatality price is greater than anticipated, ranging between 3 per cent and 4 per cent, and that it might be linked to immune deficiency attributable to HIV,” the continental physique mentioned on the time.

Earlier, earlier than the declaration by WHO and Africa CDC, the Nigerian authorities had introduced the reintroduction of well being declaration types for travellers arriving within the nation. Earlier than the shape was reintroduced, Nigeria had recorded 24 circumstances.

In keeping with the nation’s well being ministry, “the shape is an instituted measure to forestall the unfold, monitor the potential importation of infectious ailments and support the management of illness outbreaks, thereby defending the well being of all Nigerians.”

Well being centres’ revitalisation

In an effort to enhance well being care within the rural areas, the Nigerian authorities in August introduced {that a} complete of 500 Village Well being Centres (VHCs) had been revitalised with the hope that further 3,000 can be touched inside a yr.

The Government Director of the Nationwide Main Healthcare Improvement Company (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Nigeria Common Healthcare Discussion board in collaboration with Choices Consultancy Companies.

Superbugs, Fats-filled powder

Earlier within the month, PREMIUM TIMES co-published a particular report on the challenges antibiotic resistance posed to many Nigerians, citing circumstances of neonatal sepsis in each Nigeria and Ethiopia, amongst different nations.

This newspaper additionally revealed an investigation exposing the importation of fat-filled milk powder into the nation from Europe and their consumption by unsuspecting Nigerians who mistake them for whole-milk powder as a result of the labels don’t reveal what they really are.

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The event jolted the nation’s regulatory agency- the Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management (NAFDAC) – to difficulty a press release in defence of her function however sidestepped main issues raised within the report.