NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
Health

NMA trains members on entrepreneurship skill in Nasarawa

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By Sunday John
The Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has begun entrepreneurship training programme  for its  members on sustainable income economic after retirement.
Dr Sabo Emmanuel, the State’s NMA Chairman at the  training in  Lafia, said the initiative was aimed at securing better living conditions for  members after retirement.
Emmanuel said  that the leadership of the association had decided to train Doctors in animal husbandry, crop farming, food storage and processing, Information Communication Technology (ICT), among others, in line with the diversification programme of the government.
“This is an idea that we brought to the association to ensure doctors also take good care of their families,  considering the fact that their monthly salaries can no longer meet their increasing demands in the midst of raising economic challenges.
“Even after their retirement from service, they can go on with their businesses to cater for their families”, Emmanuel said.
The NMA Chairman added that the association would assist their members with finances to set up their businesses at end of the training.
Emmanuel , who noted that  60 medical doctors  from Nasarawa South Senatorial Zone were  selected for the training, said  the gesture would be replicated in Nasarawa North and West Senatorial Zones.
He  also  called on the State Government to establish entrepreneurship programme for civil servants.
On his part,  Mr Nicholas Aboki, the State’s  Head of Civil Service, commended the association for the initiative with a promise that government would always support them to succeed.
Aboki also said that  government would study  the mode of the training with a view of replicating it for all civil servants in the state.
Similarly, Dr Hassan Ikrama, Chief Medical Director, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia, lauded the association for the initiative.
Ikrama said the training  programme, if properly implemented would go a long way towards improving the living standards of doctors in the state. (NAN)
Health

Buhari urges Nigerians to get COVID-19 vaccination

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By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu has urged all eligible Nigerians to get the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination “so that we can be protected from the virus.”

Speaking after he had received the jab, the President said, “I have received my first jab and I wish to recommend it to all eligible Nigerians, (and urge them) to do same so that we can be protected from the virus.”

He urged all state governments, traditional and religious leaders, to take the lead in the mobilisation effort within their environments and spheres of influence.

‘“The vaccine offers hope for a safe country, free of the coronavirus.

‘“I similarly urge all eligible Nigerians to present themselves to be vaccinated in accordance with the order of priority already mapped out, at the various authorised designated centres ONLY,’’ he added.

Buhari congratulated the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19  on the successful multi-sectoral approach to the management of the pandemic.

He also acknowledged and commended the support of governments, donors, development partners, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders as well as critical stakeholders who supported Nigeria’s response to the pandemic, assuring that all the resources provided would be equitably administered.

The president noted that since the beginning of the year 2020, humanity had remained under the burden of COVID-19 pandemic, an unseen but very potent enemy around the world.

“Infection from the virus has resulted in over two million and five hundred thousand fatalities and destroyed several global and national systems.

“The response in Nigeria and the ECOWAS sub-region has been robust, collaborative, and united.

“It was driven by a collective knowledge of the fact that ‘no country is safe until every country is safe.’’

“The speedy development of the COVID-19 vaccines is quite significant and underscores the collective resolve of humanity to overcome the pandemic.

“Similarly, the collaborative effort to ensure equal access has brought relief to poor and developing countries,’’ he said.

Buhari spoke of the assurance by the PTF that the AstraZeneca vaccine which Nigeria has accessed would arrive in batches beginning with the four million doses already received.

The president said the roll out and administration plan would cater to more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population in 2021 and 2022.

He had described his decision to take the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination in public as “a demonstration of leadership and faith in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.’’

He expressed the view after he, alongside Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had received the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday in Abuja.

Buhari and Osinbajo received the jabs live on TV, a day after the COVID-19 national vaccine programme began with the vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers at the National Hospital, Abuja.

The Chief Physician to the President, Dr Sanusi Raafindadi administered the vaccine to him while that of the Vice President’ was done by his Personal Physician, Dr Nicholas Audifferen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president and the vice-president received the first shots of the vaccine at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja in the presence of members of the PTF on COVID-19, senior government officials, and  journalists. (NAN)

Health

Buhari, Osinbajo receive COVID-19 vaccination

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By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday, at the State House, Abuja received vaccination for the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president’s chief physician, Dr Suhayb Rafidadi, administered the vaccine at about 11:52 a.m.

The vice-president was also vaccinated by his personal physician immediately after the president received his dose.

NAN reports that the president, who is the ECOWAS Champion on the Fight against COVID-19, also received his COVID-19 vaccination card.

NAN observed that a similar card was presented to the vice-president by officials of the Federal Ministry of Health who supervised the exercise.

NAN reports that Nigeria received 3.92 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, delivered under the international Covax scheme. (NAN)

Health

Group harps on occupational health, safety in workplaces

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By Victor Okoye

National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria (NISCN) has urged government and all stakeholders to make the issues of health and safety of workers in workplaces a priority in the country.

Its Chairman in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Festus Daniel, made the plea on the sidelines of a one-day workshop organised by ETPM-Reckon Singapore and International Security Organsaation (ISO) in collaboration with NISN on Friday in Abuja.

Daniel said he was really passionate about the issue of safety, most especially in Nigeria, hence the need to organise the workshop.

He said “the safety of workers in an environment and their health, whether in public or private institutions is very important because these are the people building the economy of our nation.

“I therefore think it’s high time the government, Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as other stakeholders, pick up the baton and begin to run with it.

“They must ensure that as a nation, we begin to attain zero tolerance to workplace accidents, illnesses and ensure that policies are enforced and laws enacted to ensure that workers are safe and healthy during work hours.”

He noted that the aim of the workshop was also to prepare and improve the capacity of workers in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, especially in the area of emerging technologies as it relates to their job description.

“We are having a one day programme in collaboration with International Security Organsaation on Emerging  Issues for factory workers in the Ministry of Labour and Employment basically in the area of the jobs they do like incident inspection, among others.

“So, the aim of the workshop is to prepare them and improve their capacity.

“As a factory inspector, they need to be abreast with today’s technology advancement. That’s why we have put together this programme with the support of  International organisations from Switzerland and Singapore.

“It is also to assess their jobs and evaluate gaps, as well as proffer solutions and steps which can be followed to achieve great success in their jobs/reports.

“It is hoped that the knowledge/skills acquired by the participants will trickle down to every officer in the ministry because their job is pivotal to the safety of our environment and workplaces.”

Anietie Hanson, a certified occupational health and safety professional, noted that what was obtainable today, especially in private institutions was a complete neglect of the safety and health of workers.

He said that some employers were only interested in the money and gains they would get, leaving employees helpless.

He recalled the case of an employee working in a factory whose hand was amputated due to an accident which occurred in his place of work and he was laid off in the process by the organisation.

“This is indeed very wrong and I think it is high time we start creating occupational safety and health awareness in our nation.

“If possible, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should begin to sensitise people just the same way they propagate safety with respect to the COVID-19  pandemic.

He applealed to the Minister of Labour and Employment to rise up to the challenge and synergise with the various stakeholders to ensure that the health and safety of workers was not compromised. (NAN)

Health

Gbajabiamila lauds health workers in fight against COVID-19

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By Zainab Garba

Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker, House of Representatives, has commended Nigerian health workers for being the major contributors to the success in the COVID-19  fight.

He made the commendation at the national launch of the COVID-19 vaccination in Abuja on Friday.

He implored journalists to report the pandemic issues objectively and verify their sources but ignore rumours.

The speaker also urged journalists to assist government in the campaign roll out plan, adding that “the roll out is as important as the vaccination itself.”

Gbajabiamila said “even developed countries are finding the roll out a bit difficult because it is something new.”

He, therefore, stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to help government roll out the COVID-19 vaccination campaign plan. (NAN)

Health

Nigeria records 371 new COVID-19 infections

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By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 371 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the total number of infections in the country to 158,042.

The NCDC disclosed the figures on its official Twitter handle on Friday.

The public health agency recorded three COVID-19 deaths, raising the total fatalities in the country to 1,954.

The NCDC disclosed that the new infections occurred in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last 24 hours.

It stated that Lagos State reported the highest number of infections with 101 cases, followed by Rivers with 54 and Anambra with 31 cases.

Ebonyi had 23, Imo-23, Kwara-22, Kano-20, Taraba-17, Akwa Ibom-16, FCT-15, Abia-13, Kaduna-13, Osun-five, Edo-four, Oyo-four, Kebbi-three, Ogun-three, Ekiti-two, Nasarawa-one and Zamfara-one.

According to the NCDC, a total of 137,025 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease, including 609 in past 24 hours.

It said there 204 community recoveries in Kwara, 167 in Lagos State, 88 in Edo and 60 in Osun, all managed in line with set guidelines.

The NCDC noted that the number of active COVID-19 cases in Nigeria was 19,063,on Friday,  down slightly from 19,385 the previous day.

The agency said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities in Nigeria.

NAN recalls that Nigeria has tested 1,544,008 people since the COVID-19 index case was announced on Feb. 27, 2020. (NAN)

Health

MD Garki Hospital urges private sector involvement in Nigeria’s healthcare system

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By Abujah Racheal

The Medical Director, Garki Hospital, Abuja, Dr Adamu Onu, has called for a greater involvement of the private sector n Nigeria’s healthcare policy.

Onu made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), on Friday in Abuja.

“There is need for the health sector to embrace the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model in funding and managing the sector.

“A PPP-driven health care system will build an efficient healthcare ecosystem that will address the shortcomings of the public sector facilities and minimize outbound medical tourism, he said.

While reviewing the collaboration between public and private hospitals in managing the coronavirus pandemic he said” The PTF on COVID-19, has done remarkably well in managing the pandemic going by the rate of infection, fatality ratio and the rapid deployment of new infectious diseases laboratories across the country.

The managing director noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the huge gaps in the healthcare sector, replicating the template between Nisa Premier and the Federal Capital Territory Administration would provide needed improvements.

Specifically, he stated that the pandemic has provided a stress test on the nation’s healthcare system which had exposed areas of inadequacies within the public even private health sectors.

“Nigeria’s healthcare sector is not as strong as it should be and the Covid-19 crises that came about is basically what I will call a stress test for the Nigerian health sector.

“Based on my experience here in Garki Hospital, I can confidently say that the PPP model is a very good way to improve the healthcare sector so that when pandemics like this arrive, the capacity is there to be able to curb or handle such and take care of it.

“The PPP between Nisa Premier and Garki Hospital, being the first of its kind in Nigerian health sector, has successfully passed this test,” he said.

Since its inception in 2007 till date, he said, the hospital has not shut down for a single day either due to strike action or any other reason and we have not sacked any staff.

Similarly, he noted that all patients, including those infected with COVID-19 were treated in line with the hospital’s policy of offering affordable treatment.

He commended the COVID-19 Presidential Task force (PTF), led by the Chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha for a good job for evolving a robust and workable national response strategy.

Education , Health

University of Oxford developer honoured for AstraZeneca vaccine

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A British vaccinologist who led the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab has received a prestigious award recognising her contribution to “a global common good.”

Prof. Sarah Gilbert said it was a “great honour” to be handed the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Albert Medal.

Previous winners include Winston Churchill, Marie Curie, Alexander Graham Bell, Stephen Hawking and Tim Berners-Lee.

Gilbert – who joined Oxford University in 1994 – is the 156th recipient of the medal, which started in 1864 as a memorial to Prince Albert, former president of the society.

“It is a great honour to receive this award.

“The creation and the development of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine came after I had worked in this field for many years, learning how to move quickly from a concept to a licensed vaccine, which involves numerous steps along the way.

“With a great team at Oxford we developed a ‘vaccine for the world’ which is now being used to save lives in many countries; our goal from the very beginning,” she said.

RSA Chief Executive, Matthew Taylor, congratulated the professor of vaccinology, saying: “The RSA’s Albert Medal celebrates the best in innovation, and the Oxford vaccine is a huge triumph for British creativity, research and development.

“The path set by Prof. Gilbert and her team shows how public, private and philanthropic sectors can collaborate in the public interest.

“I am delighted Prof. Gilbert has accepted this award, joining the ranks of distinguished innovators the RSA has honoured over the past 150 years, from Marie Curie to Stephen Hawking,” Taylor added. (dpa/NAN)

Foreign , Health

COVID-19 lockdowns threaten mental health of 332m children worldwide — UNICEF

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns  that stay-at-home policies are threatening the mental health of 332 million children worldwide.

In a report released on Thursday, UNICEF said the affected children had been caged at home for at least nine months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the agency, 139 million children globally have lived under required nationwide stay-at-home orders since March 11, 2020 when COVID-19 was characterised as a pandemic.

This, it said, means that they are required to stay at home with few exceptions, and they include children living in Nigeria, Paraguay and Peru.

The remaining 193 million have lived under recommended nationwide stay-at-home policies for the same amount of time, UNICEF said.

The agency quoted its UNICEF Executive Director, Ms Henrietta Fore, as saying that this had left many children “feeling afraid, lonely, anxious and concerned about their future”.

“With nationwide lockdowns and pandemic-related movement restrictions, it has been a long year for all of us, but especially for children.

“When, day after day, you are away from your friends and distant loved ones, and perhaps even stuck at home with an abuser, the impact is significant.

“We must emerge from this pandemic with a better approach to child and adolescent mental health, and that starts by giving the issue the attention it deserves,” Fore said.

UNICEF said that children and young people were already facing mental health risks before the pandemic started.

It added that half of all mental disorders develop before age 15, and 75 per cent by early adulthood.

According to the UN agency, majority of the 800,000 people who die by suicide every year are young people.

It stated that self-harm was the third leading cause of death among 15 to 19-year-olds, with higher rates among adolescent girls.

“It is estimated that globally one in four children live with a parent who has a mental disorder.

“For children experiencing violence, neglect or abuse at home, lockdowns have left many stranded with abusers and without the support of teachers, extended families and communities.

Children in vulnerable population groups, such as those living and working on the streets, children with disabilities, and children living in conflict settings, risk having their mental health needs overlooked entirely,” the report said.

To make matters worse, the pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This, WHO said, is amid a surge in demands for mental health support globally.

To address the challenge, the UNICEF boss urged countries to invest in expansion of mental health services and support for young people and their caregivers in communities and schools.

“We also need scaled-up parenting programmes to ensure that children from vulnerable families get the support and protection they need at home,” Fore said.(NAN)

Health

COVID-19: NCDC announces 708 new infections, additional 12 deaths

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By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 708 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the total number of infected people in the country to 157,671.

The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the additional 708 new cases make it the first time since Feb. 26, 2021 that daily counts had surpassed 500.

Apart from the new infections, the NCDC also registered 12 COVID-19 related deaths, raising the total fatalities to 1,951.

The health agency stated that the new infections were registered in 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last 24 hours.

According to it,  Adamawa recorded 180 new infections, Lagos confirmed 141, Ondo reported 60  and Anambra 54 cases.

Rivers-41, Taraba-33, Edo-30, Abia-22, Kaduna-22, FCT-21, Akwa Ibom-20, Kano-20, Plateau-11, Ekiti-10, Kebbi-10, Nasarawa-10, Bayelsa-seven Ogun-five, Osun-five, Oyo-five and Gombe-one.

The NCDC disclosed that 504 people were discharged after testing negative to the virus in the last 24 hours.

Today’s discharges include 229 community recoveries in Lagos State, 144 in Imo and 45 in Akwa Ibom.

“Till date, more than 136,335 people have recovered from COVID-19 and discharged,’’ the NCDC added.

It said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities Nigeria

NAN recalls that the country has tested 1.5 million people since the first confirmed case was announced on Feb. 27, 2020. (NAN)

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