Health
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Nigerian government’s stimulus package will avert deep economic recession – minister
Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has stated that the provision of stimulus package by the Federal Government will go a long way in preventing the country from plunging into deep economic recession. Prince Agba stated this at a virtual roundtable discussion, among state and non-state actors, international organizations and donor agencies, facilitated by the Nigeria’s secretariat of Open Government Partnership (OGP). The minister, who is a co-chair of OGP, led the discussion, which focused on ensuring an effective and inclusive stimulus as well as safety nets campaign for Nigeria as part of the response to the COVID-19 recovery. The Minister said that the roundtable discussion was aimed at improving transparency and accountability as the country r...
Melinda Gates tasks policymakers on protection of women, girls in fight against coronavirus
In a paper titled “The Pandemic’s Toll on Women and Girls,” Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates, has tasked global leaders and policymakers on the protection of women and girls in the fight against the coronavirus. Gates said that to recover fully from this pandemic, leaders must respond to the ways that it is affecting men and women differently. In the paper, she puts forward a set of specific, practical policy recommendations that governments should consider in their pandemic response—to improve health systems for women and girls, design more inclusive economic policies, gather better data, and prioritize women’s leadership. Writing in the paper, Gates described how previous disease outbreaks, including AIDS and Ebola, tend to exploit existing forces of ine...
Reckitt Benckiser donates N65m worth of hygiene products to Nigerian government
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), makers of Dettol and Jik, has donated hygiene products worth N65 million to Federal Ministry of Health to enable it respond to coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for Nigerians. Donated items included hygiene products such as antiseptic disinfectants, dettol soaps, Jik bleach, full Personal Protective Equipments (PPE), and 100 mobile hand wash units to be installed at locations as advised by the ministry of health. The donations which was presented by representatives of RB at the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, was received by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in company of other senior ministry officials. In his remarks, the Minister thanked RB for the donations, stating that “you have been in business for f...
NFF adopts points per game, new league season to start September/October
Following resolutions passed at an online meeting of the NFF Football Committee, which had in attendance the Chairpersons of all the National Leagues and the President of the Nigeria Referees Association, the Executive Committee of the NFF has, after a holistic consideration of all the issues affecting the leagues (including the status of the leagues before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic), the impact of the pandemic-induced disruptions, the health, safety and movement restrictive measures in the country, the potential protocols for football resumption, the costs, the financial status of the leagues and clubs, CAF calendar and resolutions of the various leagues as conveyed to the NFF, approved the following: 1. NPFL – The league ends at current Matchday 25 and the Points Per Game (PPG)...
US envoy inaugurates emergency health operation facility in Bayelsa
The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art public health Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Leonard said during the virtual event on Thursday that the facility, which was upgraded by the US, would enable “centralised real-time monitoring and predictive modelling for enhanced coordination of activities.” She commended the federal and state governments as well as other stakeholders for their efforts toward curtailing the coronavirus, stressing that the EOC would also help in making informed decisions about the pandemic and similar public health emergencies. The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, described the establishment of the EOC as a welcome development that would improve healthcare delivery in the state. He said the cen...
NMA: President Buhari should issue order for unfettered access into Kogi
File Photo Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has sent a “Save Our Soul” message to President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue the people of Kogi state from pending major health crisis that may be possibly caused by undetected COVID-19 pandemic. NMA, which is the umbrella body of medical doctors in Nigeria, suggested that the President immediately issue an order granting unfettered access and protection to officials of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) into Kogi State to enable them conduct COVID-19 testing and other related activities in the state. NMA President, Dr. Francis Faduyile, in a statement released in Abuja, on Friday, said the suggestion became necessary following strong resistance of Kogi state government to allow NCDC officials carry out COVID-19 testing and other relat...
PTF decries continued refusal by hospitals to treat patients for fear of coronavirus
The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) has decried the continued refusal by medical institutions including federal tertiary institutions to receive and treat patients for fear COVID-19. PTF lamented that this development has resulted in several unfortunate and avoidable fatalities. Meanwhile, the PTF will conclude its assessment on the impact of the measures put in place and further recommendations would be submitted to the President for a decision within the next seventy hours. Chairman of PTF and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who disclosed this at the daily Press Briefing in Abuja, noted that Nigeria is having more deaths from non-attendance to other diseases than even COVID 19 adding that the reason for the greater emphasis on COVID 19 is ...
Kogi gives conditions for coronavirus test
The Kogi State government has insisted the State is still free from the rampaging Coronavirus disease even as it has given condition for recognizing any Covid-19 test conducted outside it’s boundaries by it’s citizens. This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Dr. Saka Haruna Audu, Commissioner for Health. He said the major interest of the government is to secure lives and not in politics. “Kogi State till this very moment is Covid-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have come back negative. “We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious Covid-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any Covid-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initia...
Governor Wike: Oil workers constitute 60 percent of coronavirus cases in Rivers
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has stated that 60 per cent of coronavirus cases recorded in the state are oil workers returning from rigs. Wike disclosed this Wednesday when the management team of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt. He stated that it was for that reason the state government insisted that oil workers coming into the state must be tested to confirm their coronavirus status, noting that oil remains the mainstay of the economy and that government actions are not targeted at anybody or organisation. He recalled that recently the Nigeria Airforce Base, Port Harcourt, also quarantined 14 oil workers out which three tested positive. “It is not in anybody’s interest to deny people to carry out their official duties. Oil...
Kogi: We bought 5,000 coronavirus test kits
Kogi State government has dismissed the notion that it’s not testing enough to justify the claim that the state is free of Covid-19. It claimed that it has bought 5,000 test kits to show its committment to the fight against Covid-19. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, in it’s situation report on Covid-19 response across states published on Tuesday said Kogi had submitted only one sample, since the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria. The sample returned negative. The NCDC’s report comes few days after the state government said it tested 111 persons without the supervision of the health agency. Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, had claimed that the testing kits procured by the state were used to conduct the tests and that those tested were picked randomly. In a statement...
WHO pledges to use ‘every tool’ to fight coronavirus
The World Health Organisation (WHO) would use every tool at its disposal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General, has said. Ghebreyesus spoke at the closing of two-day virtual World Health Assembly in Geneva. In his speech posted on WHO website, Ghebreyesus said some of the recommendations from the assembly would be shared and be implemented. “WHO’s focus now is fighting the pandemic with every tool at its disposal. “Our focus is on saving lives. At the end of the day, what matters is life. That should be at the centre of everything we do and everything we say. “I’ve been heartened by the way countries have shared experiences, best practices through our regular Member State briefings and at this Assembly,’’ he said. The director general said the agency woul...
Minister advises on correct use of face masks
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has again advised Nigerians to use their face masks correctly, to protect themselves and others from contracting the dreaded coronavirus disease. The minister gave the advice at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 daily news conference on Tuesday in Abuja. He said that no policing should be needed to do the right thing, urging citizens to abide by the mandatory and correct use of face masks for the protection of others. Ehanire said that masks worn, must be washed daily, ironed and where possible, masks should cover mouth and nose and should not be left under the chin during close contact conversations or its purpose would be defeated. “New understanding is that droplet dispersal takes place even during normal speech and common use of face mas...
