By Aderogba George

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare targets increasing the number of Primary HealthCare Centres (PHCs) benefiting from Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from 8,809 to 17, 618.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said this in Abuja on Wednesday at 11th Biennial Conference of the Africa Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference is “The journey to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa; Experiences and Lessons from the Faith Communities.”

It was put together by Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN).

Pate was represented by Dr Muyi Aina, the Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

He said that the plan to increase the centres was targeted at meeting up with UHC across all state and FCT by 2027.

According to Pate, the Federal Government plans to double the number of fully functional PHCs being funded for infrastructural upgrades and operational costs, to ensure high quality services across the country.

He said that each of these PHCs would be linked to a secondary facility providing comprehensive emergency obstetrics and newborn care as well as a referral system.

He said that the Federal Government was also strengthening collaboration with States Primary Healthcare Agencies and Boards and States Health Insurance Agencies to deliver efficient, equitable, and trusted PHC services accessible to all.

Pate said that the ministry would work with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure early and prompt response to disease outbreaks and improve effectiveness of all health campaigns while routinising most basic services.

He said that BHCPF had been redesigned, adding that strong PHC system was a veritable tool to achieving UHC.

He said that BHCPF has redesigned as the foundational basis for the sector-wide approach, to address high cost of healthcare, enhance access to essential healthcare services as outlined in the National Health Act 2014.

The minister said that development partners’ financial resources had also been mobilised into a common pool, to also help drive in the target of UHC.

He said that the ministry envisaged that it would mobilise about 2.5 million dollars in pooled and non-pooled funds within the period of 2024-2026, to improve the country’s PHC system.

“Consequently, we have initiated an innovative health sector reform driven by the UHC goal of making quality and affordable health care accessible to all citizens irrespective of their socio-economic status, known as the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme (NHSRIP).

“This blueprint encapsulates our strategic vision for the sector in the next three years. Our goal is to save lives, reduce physical and financial pain and produce health for all Nigerians.

“The vision has four key pillars- effective governance; efficient, equitable and quality health system.

“We have adopted the Sector Wide Approach (SWaP) to drive this vision and the role of CHAN as influencers and service providers, in translating this vision to actionable interventions cannot be overemphasised.

“It is pertinent to state that our vision is not just a blueprint for transforming the health sector, but a share commitment of all stakeholders to a heathier and more prosperous Nigeria,” Pate said.

Mrs Nkatha Njeru, Chief Executive Officer, ACHAP, said the programme was basically to reflect on what Christian Health Associations (CHAs) were doing in their various countries in terms of provision of good healthcare services.

She said the programme was also to share ideas among all CHAs and to find a common ground where they could be of help to each other from their various countries.

“We are here in Nigeria bringing together christian health associations that are national organisations in their own countries. In their countries they bring together mission health facilities programmes.

“So, what we are doing is just reflecting on our roles on UHC, countries cannot do it alone, we all needs to work together, we as faith actors reflecting on our roles in helping our respective countries to achieve UHC.

“We exist in communities, we provide service delivery through health organisations, in many Africa countries we provide 70 per cent of healthcare to compliment government effort.

“This programme is also reflecting on what we should continue to do as health organisations, or the area government will want us to work with them to ensure that we achieve UHC,” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chidinma Agu/Vivian Ihechu

By Folasade Akpan

The National Hospital, Abuja has discharged the sextuplets delivered on Jan. 30.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Mrs Precious Nwachukwu had the children after 13 years of marriage.

The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, while handing the babies over to the parents and other helpers on Thursday, said that the successful delivery of the babies and their care was a good feat recorded by the hospital.

He also said that the babies, who had gone through certain stages of care to ensure that they were healthy, were given the best chances of survival by the neonatal unit of the hospital.

“It really says a lot about their commitment and dedication to practice and that has shown us that in Nigeria, we have people, the knowledge and skill to really do something like this.

“The doctors and nurses stood by these children and one amazing thing was the fact that they had to increase the staffing of this facility to ensure that these children really have the best chances to survive.

“The least weight of these children was at 850 grams and, within this one month, the one with the lowest weight had gotten to 1,300 grams, that’s 1.3 kgs. One of them got up to two kgs.

“We want to assure Nigerians of the resoluteness of the staff of this hospital to do whatever it is they can, to push the frontiers of healthcare forward to greater heights.”

Mahmud also commended the family for keeping hope alive all these years and pushing themselves in spite of all the challenges they encountered.

“We congratulate the family now that we are releasing these blessings to you.

“We pray that God sees you through their upbringing, from their feeding to their housing, clothing, to education and to the best of the characters that will actually be able to make impact.”

He commended the philanthropists who had come to assist the family, adding that the family still needed more support from all Nigerians to be able to properly take care of the children the way they should be cared for.

The Chief Consultant Neonatologist, Dr Mariya-Mukhtar Yola, said that birthing and caring for the sextuplets was indeed one of the rarest occasions the unit had had.

She said that at birth, all the babies had special health challenges thereby needing respiratory support, and support with sugar levels, temperature, feeding, blood and even infection prevention.

She said that to the glory of God, they had all grown way beyond their birth weight, adding that the hospital had a strict follow up plan for them to support them.

“Ideally, they could have waited longer to gain weight, but because of the exigencies of society and the cost constraints, they were discharged early. But, again, they are fit to go home.

“So, we’ll be following them up initially twice in a week, and then eventually weekly and even longer times as they mature.

“There are still a lot of challenges ahead, because they are going to be needing more medication, some blood transfusions along the way. So, they still need a lot of support from people and well-wishers.”

The father of the babies, Mr Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, appreciated the hospital for caring for the wife from four months into the pregnancy up till delivery.

He also thanked them for taking care of the babies who were pre-term, till they were fit to be discharged.

He further appreciated well-meaning Nigerians who have come to support them, adding that more was still needed to bring the children up.

“We really give glory and praise to God for a time like this and we appreciate all the amazing staff that had been there for us and all who have come to support us.

“We need the help of the teeming Nigerians and the amazing mother we have up there in the person of the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu. We have named the last daughter after her.

“We really desire that you come to our aid, the home that we are taking these children to now is a concern, how to sustain them to be good citizens of Nigeria is a concern, but I know that you all can help us.

“I know that we are not alone in this journey, the entire Nigerians, the government of the day which renew hope at all time, this is the time to renew hope for this family,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the babies – four girls and two boys – were conceived through In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and were delivered at 30 weeks through Caesarean Section. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Ephraims Sheyin

By Oluwafunke Ishola
The Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) have called for reinstatement of guidelines on safe termination of pregnancy in Lagos State.

Dr Kehinde Okunade, General-Secretary, SOGON, Lagos, made the call on Monday in an online meeting with the theme, “Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Incest, Rape and Other Diseases: Launch of Signature Campaign”.

He appealed to the Lagos State Government to lift the suspension on the ‘Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications’, to reduce preventable deaths.

He also requested for guidelines for termination of pregnancy in cases of sexual and gender-based violence.

Okunade said that the guidelines would serve as a tool for safe termination of pregnancy within the legal framework in circumstances whereby the continuation of such pregnancies threatened the life or mental health of the woman.

He said the intention was to standardise practice, build the capacity of medical personnel in identifying pregnancies for which the law was intended to institute ethical and safe management.

Okunade said that many women had risked their lives in a bid to terminate pregnancy from unskilled health practitioners.

“The implementation of the guidelines will contribute in the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality in Lagos, and by extension Nigeria,” he said.

Mrs Ngozi Nwosu-Juba, a rights activist and Project Director, Vision Spring Initiatives, said government spent huge sums of money in correcting unsafe abortions to save lives of women.

According to her, such finance can be diverted to ensuring that women and girls, especially rape and incest survivors get unhindered access to safe abortion as well as sexual and reproductive health services to enhance their well-being.

Speaking further, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Executive Director, WARDC, decried the increase in reported cases of rape and incest in Lagos and across the country, with many of the cases resulting in pregnancy.

Akiyode-Afolabi noted that restrictions on abortion hinder women and girls (minors) from accessing abortion services within the healthcare system.

She said that unsafe abortion contributed to maternal death in the country, constituting 10 per cent of the global maternal death rate and a second leading cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria.

“We are deeply concerned about the neglect of this preventable issue due to provisions in Nigeria’s abortion laws, which are yet to be reformed to align with international commitments on women’s reproductive rights.

“In 2017, about 212,000 women out of two million, annually, estimated to have had abortions were treated for complications, while 285,000 of the number never received treatments for the severe health consequences they faced.

“This number is on the rise,” she said.

According to Akiyode-Afolabi, denial of safe abortion care to survivors of rape violates the right to health and privacy stipulated in the now repealed guidelines.

“This situation leaves the rape and incest victims with no option than to resort to self-help and quack doctors, often leading to health complications and death. These deaths are avoidable.

“We cannot continue to look on as women with ill-health, and victims of rape and incest continue to die from unsafe abortions.

“These girls and women are traumatised by their situation and should not be denied access to abortions to preserve their health and dignity,” she said.

Akiyode-Afolabi said it was important to urgently address the situation, considering Nigeria’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Global Sustainable Development Goals.

According to her, the goals target universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services.

She commended the Lagos State Government for presenting the guidelines, but said that it was not wise to have allowed politics to jeopardise the interest of the majority of the people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 150 Women Rights and Civil Society Organisations signed an appeal letter to the state government, seeking reinstatement of the guidelines.

The CSOs include WARDC, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA); Nigeria Network of NGOs; Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, NASFAT and Mirabal Centre, among others.

NAN recalls that Lagos State, on June 28, 2022, set out guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy within the ambit of the state’s criminal law.

However, the state government on July 7, 2022, directed that the guidelines be suspended following controversies that trailed the launch of the document.

The 40-page document titled, “Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications”, was issued by the ministry’s Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition.

The guidelines acknowledged legal indications, including obstetrics and gynaecological conditions; heart and vascular diseases; kidney diseases, cancers, blood diseases, psychiatric or other mental disorders, and other conditions as reasons for the practice.

The document acknowledged that the therapeutic termination of pregnancy was permissible under the state’s law.

Absence of clear guidelines however stalled its effective implementation at the appropriate levels of care, resulting in preventable deaths. (NAN)

Edited by Chidi Opara/Olawunmi Ashafa

By Angela Atabo

Pigba Kasa community in Apo District, Abuja, says the intervention of Sexual Offences Awareness and Response Initiative (SOAR Initiative), an NGO, is changing the narratives on child sexual abuse and early marriage in the community.

The community members stated this during the graduation of beneficiaries of the NGO’s ‘Right to be a Girl’s Project’ in the community on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project, a nine-month intervention, is being supported by Mundo Cooparente, a Spanish humanitarian aid organisation.

The project is designed to empower 240 vulnerable adolescent girls from ages 10 to 16 with the right information and life-skills to protect themselves from violations, improve their ability to speak out against SGBV and forced marriage.

The Chief of Pigba Kasa community, Ayuba Kulobi, described the project as a game changer in addressing the challenges of SGBV in the community.

Kulobi said that prior to the project, the incidence of SGBV was high,but now on a downward trend due the  NGO’s intervention.

He particularly said that the Right to be a Girl’s Project has empowered adolescent girls with the needed information on how to protect their rights and seek redress when violated.

He added that the NGO helped the community to set up a Community Protection Committee (CPC) centre, where community members meet monthly to share ideas and advise families on how to address SGBV.

“More so, we now have access to the police, and we can call them anytime we have issues of SGBV. Gladly, the police intervened promptly and made arrests.

“Due to these interventions, we now hardly record cases of SGBV in our community,” he said.

The Deputy Chairperson of CPC in the community, Ms Christiana Manji, said the community members were now speaking out courtesy of the project.

“Hidden issues are now being exposed because people now know their rights and can seek redress,” she said.

Similarly, the committee’s secretary, Mr Ibrahim Idris, said that several persons have been arrested over alleged domestic and sexual abuse.

Some of the beneficiaries of the project thanked SOAR Initiative for the gesture, saying it broadened their knowledge on the rights of the girl-child among others.

One of them, a 13-year-old Jessica George, said she now knows a lot about sexual abuse, dangers of early marriage and self-esteem.

The story was the same for Mary Ayuba, a 10-year-old, who said that the project has empowered her to defend herself against SGBV.

“I am so empowered that I can now help other girls to overcome SGBV and enlighten them on how to seek help,” the girl said.

The Youth Advocate of the NGO, Miss Lolade Ipele, expressed satisfaction on how the adolescent girls embrace the 12-week project.

“I saw them grow from timid girls to intelligent girls with confidence to face the future,” Ipele said.

The Project Officer, Mr Yakubu Levi, said that the project was implemented in two communities – Chafuyi and Pigba Kasa, leveraging four public schools serving the communities.

Levi said that the girls were trained on safe spaces and other life skills, including access to case management, psycho-social counseling, and legal-aid services.

For sustainability, the project officer said that the NGO would support the establishment of a girls’ club in the four benefiting schools in collaboration with FCT Education Secretariat. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai