By Abujah Racheal

The Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC), on Monday called for the reinvestment of petroleum subsidies into the country’s health sector.

Its Chairperson, Mrs Chika Offor, said this in a press conference in Abuja, organised by the Coalition to analyze the health manifestos of the four front-running political parties in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the right to health is inextricably linked to the right to life, as Nigeria is bound by certain laws and charters to protect the right to health of its citizens.

Sustainable Development Goal 3 is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all irrespective of age.

According to the official, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.

“They also have the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

Offor said that seeing the cross-cutting commitment to the removal of petroleum subsidy which in 2022 gulped over 20 per cent of the country’s budget, the Coalition strongly suggests a substantial reinvestment of the subsidy package in the health sector.

She said that the idea is not only because the removal creates ample fiscal space to achieve the Abuja Declaration, but because health is one of the few sectors that can provide immediate dividends of productivity for the people and economic growth for the country.

She said it is necessary to inform Nigerians of the recent activities to help shape the political conversation around healthcare in the build-up to the long-anticipated 2023 polls.

Offor said that HSRC is a coalition of more than 100 Civil Society Organizations and other non-government actors who came together to drive citizens-led health sector reforms in the country.

“Since this period, HSRC has continued to pursue the implementation of the Act and other sectoral reforms which have a strong potential for transforming the healthcare landscape in Nigeria through the provision of Primary Health Care (PHC) services to all Nigerians and providing a roadmap to th Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

“Effectively, the group, in line with its mandate of advancing the rights of Nigerians to UHC and health security, commissioned a scientific analysis of the plans of the top-contending political parties and candidates in the forthcoming presidential elections.

“Beyond activating a culture of holding the political class accountable to their health promises, the overarching goal of this exercise was essentially to visualize to Nigerians the various health roadmaps of the top candidates to inform voter decision-making,” she explained.

Offor, however, congratulated the political parties and candidates for heeding citizens’ call for a more comprehensive health agenda to indeed earn their positions as front-running candidates in this election, since health is directly at the heart of human development.

NAN recalled that Chapter two of the 1999 Constitution, sec 17 (3), provides for the rights to health of Nigerians, which states “The health, safety and welfare of all persons in employment are safeguarded and not endangered or abused; there are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons.”

Also, the recently-signed National Health Insurance Authority Act, 2022, has an overriding objective to promote, integrate and regulate all health insurance schemes; improve and harness private sector participation in the provision of health care services, and do such other things that will assist the authority in achieving universal coverage in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, some health experts said that the four front-running parties made a common promise to increase the number of persons enrolled under the health insurance scheme but are not clear on how they would raise the funds to achieve the set targets.

The target to increase health insurance coverage is in line with the strategic objective of attaining universal health coverage.

The UHC has a goal to improve healthcare by accelerating reforms to adequately finance the health system and realign resources in line with the responsibility for health across the tiers of the healthcare delivery system.

They say “To achieve this, whoever emerges winner of the 2023 presidential election will implement the NHIA Act that makes health insurance mandatory for all residents in the country adding that the imposition of an insurance levy on all residents of the country will generate the required funds necessary to fund the health sector.

The next president will also commit to allocating 15 per cent of the entire annual budget to health, in line with the Abuja Declaration of African leaders, the experts said.

Meanwhile, the Coalition described the four front-running parties as; the Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress and the New Nigeria Peoples Party out of the 18 registered political parties. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vincent Obi

By Abiodun Lawal

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday officially inaugurated a 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital in Iperu-Remo, Ogun state.

The project is a collaboration between the Ogun Government and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.

In his speech, the vice president ascribed the development of the project which was made possible through the Sustainable Development Goals to the commitment of the President Muhammad Buhari-led administration.

Osinbajo added that the hospital was a testament to the commitment of the incumbent at the Federal level to the healthcare of women and children in Ogun and the country as a whole.

He further disclosed that the project was linked to the Sustainable Development Goal number 3.

He noted that the event symbolised the tremendous progress that had been made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in promoting the health and welfare of all the people of the country.

The vice president added that the hospital remained an investment for the future.

“This center is directly linked to the achievement of the SDG 3 for quality health and well-being for all as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.

“This hospital is indeed an investment for the future, a testament to the women and children all over our state.

“This 100-bed Mother and Child center is equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities which include two operating centers, recovery rooms, private and general wards, scanning rooms, consultation rooms and laboratories.

“Other facilities include an ultra scan machine and a vacuum extraction delivery set,” he said.

Osinbajo disclosed that an already completed 250-Bed Mother and Child Hospital in Ikenne and a 24- classroom in Ikenne Community High School would soon be commissioned for the use of the people of the local government and the state as a whole.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government had taken some few steps to improve the quality of life of the citizens of the country.

He added that the FG had equally increased access to education, promoted sustainable agriculture and improved infrastructure across the country.

Osinbajo, however, noted that no young person should go through the frustration of joblessness anywhere in the country, hence, a skill acquisition center with a place for the development of human development had been provided.

In his remarks, Gov. Dapo Abiodun commended President Buhari for adopting the Sustainable Development Goal and allowing the state to be a beneficiary of the project.

Abiodun added that the project would further help to reduce maternal and child mortality.

“We have a programme under the Ministry of Health that is called ‘Ibidero’, and that is the programme that allows our indigent women to come to a facility like this and give birth having enrolled in our healthcare programme, you will now give birth without having to pay anything.

In her remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Mrs  Adejoke Adefulure, commended Abiodun for his support and cooperation in the collective desire of the Federal Government to implement the Sustainable Development Goal.

Adefulure noted that the Federal Government was committed to prioritising key interventions with multiplier effects on multi dimension poverty such as basic health care, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship center. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

By Stanley Nwanosike

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has urged Enugu State residents, especially rural dwellers, to access quality and affordable healthcare through functional Type-3 Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) facilities and other PHC centres.

Ugwuanyi made the call while flagging off the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) at Type-3 Modal PHC facility at Ibagwa-Aka community, in Igboeze South Local Government Area (LGA) in Enugu State on Saturday.

The week-long programme, meant for nursing mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children to access comprehensive and free healthcare, is being organised by the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

Other partners involved in the programme included Ugo Touch of Life Foundation (U-TOLF), Family Health International, UNICEF, WHO and Nigerian Red Cross, among others.

Ugwuanyi, represented by Chief Vita Abba, the House of Representative Candidate for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Nsukka/Igboeze Federal Constituency, said that his administration had made giant strides in the welfare and wellbeing of rural people in the state.

According to him, this well-equipped and functional Type-3 PHC facility we are in, with two resident doctors, 18 other healthcare staff, good water reticulation and a generating set for 24/7 electricity, is replicated in six other rural communities in the state.

“We have also completed three more, ready for inauguration; while about seven others are in the pipeline to be built in rural areas for the benefit of our rural dwellers and the downtrodden that cannot easily afford expensive healthcare of major cities,” he said.

The governor, however, urged rural dwellers to keep patronising and accessing the quality and comprehensive healthcare at the Type-3 PHC facilities as well as over 260 functional PHCs dotted in communities within the state.

“As a responsive government; we built these facilities, employed health workers in them, supplied the drugs and got assistance from our health partners to ensure that these PHC facilities function optimally for the benefit of our rural people.

“We want our people to access it and take advantage of it, especially the free drugs, medical consumables and care that will be given out in this special week throughout all PHC facilities in the state,” he said.

Earlier, Executive Secretary of ENS-PHCDA, Dr George Ugwu, said that Ugwuanyi would be remembered for “being the father of PHC by signing modern PHC law, making the state partaker in national PHC programmes, building Type-3 PHC facilities, and renovating former PHC facilities, among others”.

Ugwu said that the governor had recently engaged 20 health workers, which included two resident doctors, four senior nurses and midwives and other health workers in each of the functional Type-3 PHC facilities and employed another number of health workers to man 260 functional PHCs.

“He also engaged 100 nurses and midwives as ad-hoc staff to support the existing staff of all the PHC facilities in the state; even as he have restored the functionality of over 260 PHCs scattered in each political ward of the state; thus, making healthcare provision and accessibility closer to the rural people.

“By working hard to place about 260 PHC facilities in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), via making them functional as well as retraining of all PHC staff; the state government secured a quarterly allowance of N300,000 from the BHCPF fund.

“This allowance has been paid for three quarters now, while the fourth quarter payment is close by. Thus, one can say that they would be receiving over one million per the 260 PHC facilities within one year,” he said.

On the week’s programme, Ugwu that the ENS-PHCDA and its partners would de-worm all children that visit PHC centres/facilities throughout the state as well as provide them with vitamin A and other medical consumable free-of-charge.

The executive secretary said that nursing and pregnant women would receive quality health and nutritional talk in each facility everyday as well as other medical consumables meant to improve their health conditions free-of-charge.

“We are so grateful to U-TOLF Foundation for the donation of monumental volume of drugs such as worm expellers, vitamin-A and medical consumables meant for children, pregnant and nursing mothers. We highly appreciate the governor’s wife, Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, founder of U-TOLF Foundation, for supporting PHC greatly and consistently.

“We also thank the NPHCDA, WHO, UNICEF Family Health International and Nigerian Red Cross, among many others, for partnering with the state government and making this Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week a huge success,” he added.

Speaking, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Ikechukwu Obi, represented by the state Director of Public Health, Dr Boniface Okolo, thanked the government for the programme, noting that the health of children and women determines the overall health of a state.

In a goodwill message from one of the partners, Dr Clinton Eze-Okoroikpa, State Team Lead for Family Health International, said that his organization wanted to make an impact on the lives of the people by keying into the programme.

“For over 30 years, Family Health International has been supporting the health and wellbeing of rural dwellers in the country and being part of this programme showcases what we know how to do best,” Eze-Okoroikpa said.

Mr Richard Asogwu, representative of WHO, commended the government for robust investment in healthcare and uplift of the health of rural dwellers, adding that the WHO would continue to support Enugu State in all its health programmes and projects.

In a welcome address, Chairman of Igboeze South Local Government Area, Chief Vitus Okechi, lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for building and making functional a Type-3 model PHC facility as well as renovating and revitalizing other PHCs back to life in the council area.

“To support our health-loving governor, the council has decided to off-set all anti-natal and pregnancy delivery costs of all pregnant women in this Type-3 PHC facility. So, I declared this facility pregnancy and newborn friendly,” Okechi said.

One of the beneficiaries of the free anti-natal care, Mrs Ijeoma Okoroafor, thanked the chairman and Gov. Ugwuanyi for the rare gesture, adding: “I will surely appreciate PDP-led government and Gov. Ugwuanyi going for Senate by voting for them on Saturday, Feb. 25”.

Another beneficiary, Mrs Joyce Akah, thanked Ugwuanyi and Okechi for caring for the downtrodden people, “even in this hard time”.

“I will definitely mobilise my family members, relatives and friends to vote for Gov. Ugwuanyi for Senate, Abba for Representative and Okechi for state House of Assembly and other PDP candidates. One good turn deserves another,” Akah said.  (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vincent Obi

By Angela Atabo

Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen and Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) have called on stakeholders to protect women and prevent electoral violence ahead of the general elections.

They made the call on Friday at a National Dialogue on Preventing Violence Against Women in 2023 general elections organised by WIPF, with support from National Democratic Institute (NDI), in Abuja .

Tallen said that women were faced with a lot of challenges particularly in the political season thus the need for them to stand together and support one another .

“We have a role to support and protect these women because women are the most vulnerable and better leaders, they have the mothers’ hearts to make things happen.

“On behalf of all Nigerian women and the female candidates, I am making a passionate appeal that we owe it a responsibility to ensure that these women are protected,” the minister urged.

Tallen encouraged women to be strong and fully armed ”because the struggles continue.

“Those that have registered to monitor these elections, you should have the fear of God to protect the vulnerables and ensure that each vote is counted.

“We should not fold our hands and allow these women to be phased out, because if women are not on the decision table, the country won’t work.”

President, WIPF, Ebere Ifendu, said the dialogue was a continuation of the meetings with security agents and candidates ahead of the elections to look for ways to tackle violence during elections.

She said; “Women are mostly hit when there is violence and you can see that our situation in Nigeria today is very pitiable and scary and everyone is feeling it .

“The level of violence is something we need to address, we have an election in few days’ time and a lot of things are happening.

“INEC themselves are crying, over 52 INEC establishments had been destroyed, so it is something that should be of concern to everyone living in Nigeria especially the government and security agencies.

“This is the reason we are here today with all our stakeholders to talk about what steps we are going to take to ensure that the elections are free from any form of violence.”

According to Ifendu, the group expects  credible elections that the people will come out to vote .

She said the group identified some challenges that might affect the elections like attacks during campaign and Naira scarcity, among others.
“WIPF is now partnering with NCSDC, we will have a situation room with them to take proactive action against violence,” Ifendu added.

She said that there would be a communiqué at the end of the dialogue to be shared with the media and major stakeholders like INEC and the I-G so as to encourage follow up and implementation of the salient issues raised.
Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, commended the forum for the initiative to support and make case for women ahead of the elections.

Obi stressed the need to take the protection of women during elections seriously to avoid unpalatable incidences.

She said: “When you strike a woman, so many humans are affected, there is a changing trend and that is that if you touch a woman now, you touch every woman.

“Wherever you are in any corner of the country, just let us know, these days, we just need to activate the agency of women.”

Obi said that for women to progress, they have to start looking out and helping each other as well as shun envy and jealousy.

She said: “It is important to know that when a sister is wounded, you have been wounded, if you don’t protect the next woman to you, you yourself are not protected.

“So, as we face the 2023 general elections, we need to mobilise.”(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Abiodun Azi

A firm, Cranium Integrated Solutions Ltd, has  introduced a local- content health app designed to improve healthcare delivery in the country.

Mr Kunle Adesida ,an engineer and co-founder of the firm ,who disclosed this in a statement on Friday , said that the app would help address the health needs of the people ,even up to the rural areas.

According to him ,the use of the app ,especially in under-served areas ,will enable users to access healthcare at the firm’s many mobile clinics and other hospitals.

“Even with the issue of low internet penetration at the digitally under-served areas, Cranium will deliver health care with its mobile clinics, running its Telecare module which is part of a full deployment of the app”,he said.

He said the app was designed to suit local needs as it is 100 per cent customisable to the requirements of the country’s health facilities.

Adesida added the health app was in a bid to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals through promotion of health and wellbeing .

He noted that the adoption of digital health was low globally and that there was the need for proper sensitisation on its importance to healthcare delivery.

Adesida said COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for digitilisation of healthcare delivery.

“The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for digitalization. Again, many people started seeing the need to go into this particular area, we have been in this area since 2005.

‘’It took us so many years to put this product together because we needed to ensure that we put in the real case scenarios architectural design for seamless medical, administrative and financial worldwide acceptable standards and that’s the good thing about local content.

“Cranium has different levels of health facilities across Nigeria as clients and partners such as primary health care centres,  private hospitals, secondary and tertiary institutions running Cranium app,” he said.

Adesida said that so much effort went into the development of the app to ensure the entire patient workflow in any hospital was covered with inputs of clinicians and other healthcare professionals .

The co-founder said that with the app, a patient’s vitals could be monitored from the comfort of their homes using point- of -care testing devices and wearables, integrated to patient’s chart in the hospital.

According  to him, Cranium is leveraging blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence that enables patients access health care and data in any location or hospital they walk into.

The co-founder emphasised  that there was need to talk to stakeholders and decision makers on digitilisation of hospitals , saying hospitals operating manual systems could go into extinction soon.

He explained that digitization of hospital  processes using cranium app would also improve healthcare delivery as patient’s would have access to their personal health records which are confidential and protected.

Adesida said that Cranium was compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations and also HL7 Standard, powered for medical informatics exchange between healthcare providers.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Nkiru Ifeajuna /Buhari Bolaji

By Kemi Akintokun

The Lagos Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), says 10,385 vulnerable women have benefitted from its Micro-Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI) since 2019.

Mrs Bolaji Dada, the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, made this known during an empowerment programme held in Lagos on Thursday.

She said that MESI was an intervention programme designed for vulnerable and indigent residents across the state, irrespective of social status, religion, health status or political beliefs.

“Today, we are empowering beneficiaries with working tools through our social intervention programme.

“This is an initiative which aims to ensure that participants are empowered to be self-reliant so that they can support their families and contribute their quota towards the Greater Lagos vision.

“This has been on since 2019 till date, 10, 385 across all Local Governments and Local Council Development Area’s in the state,” she said.

She reiterated WAPA’s commitment to easing the plights of women, in a bid to transform them into highly resourceful persons who are financially capable and self-dependent.

The commissioner called on the unemployed to enrol in any of the tuition-free 20 Skills Acquisition Centres in the state to benefit from the over 20 vocations for a duration of six to 12 months.

“The focal point of the initiative remains the grassroots level and WAPA is unwavering in its efforts to financially liberate many community dwellers through its numerous empowerment programmes,” she noted.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo, stated that WAPA would not relent in its drive to empower vulnerable women, through its various initiatives and skills acquisition centres.

“WAPA remains dedicated to the empowerment of youths and women, as such, the State Government has intensified its efforts to drastically alleviate poverty and curb all forms of Sexual and Gender-based Violence” she said.

One of the beneficiaries, Rofiat Keshinro, who received a hair dryer equipment, applauded WAPA for its commitment towards the empowerment of women and encouraged beneficiaries to properly utilize the equipment given to them.

“I am grateful to WAPA for this programme.

“I urge my fellow beneficiaries to properly use the equipment we have been given to excel in our chosen businesses and become people who do not depend on others to survive,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that various empowerment items such as grinding machines, deep freezers, sewing machines, Hair-dryers, barber kits with sterilizers and generators were given to 1500 beneficiaries.

Others include popcorn machines, photography equipment, tile cutting machines and more.

Beneficiaries of WAPA’s snail farming training were also equipped with snail pens and 40 snails each to aid in starting their business.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu