Ministry of Health
Kwara commissioner urges students to adopt physiotherapy as career
The Commissioner for Health, Kwara, Dr Raji Razaq, has urged students to adopt Physiotherapy as a career choice. Newsmen reports that Physiotherapy is a science-based profession that deals with helping to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. The Commissioner made the call on Saturday, while receiving members of the Nigerian Society of Physiotherapy, Kwara State Chapter, in his office on a courtesy visit. He urged members of the society to review their routine programme in order to include career guidance and counselling. According to him, this would encourage secondary school students to choose Physiotherapy as a future career option. Razaq told the delegation that “one of the ways the state government is exploring to reduce medical touri...
Coronavirus may reach peak in Lagos by August – commissioner
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said on Thursday that the state may experience the peak of coronavirus by August. Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Abayomi said that the COVID-19 prediction model of the state holds that the pandemic will soon reach its peak, followed by the flattening of the curve and a gradual decline in the number of cases. “We believe that in the next week or two, we are going to see an increase in both the private sector testing and public laboratory testing. “We are still seeing a gentle increase in the number of cases overtime cumulatively. Lagos will theoretically peak in the month of August, it will flatten out and over some time, we will see a decline,” Abayomi said. The commissioner earlier said the state will record between 90,000 ...
Bayelsa set to pay hazard allowances
The Bayelsa State Government has indicated its readiness to pay special allowances to frontline health workers combating the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Mr Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, stated this in a statement on Wednesday. It would be recalled that Gov. Douye Diri, had given the assurance to pay the allowances on Tuesday. He said it at a meeting with the representatives of the labour unions including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Association of Resident Doctors in Government House, Yenagoa. Other unions represented at the meeting include the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Association of Medical Laboratory Sci...
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...
Uganda grapples with refugee crisis amid coronavirus pandemic
As the world marks World Refugee Day on Saturday, thousands of Congolese are stranded at the Ugandan border seeking to enter the East African country after deadly tribal clashes back home. Uganda, according to government officials, has agreed to open its border entry point in the north western part of the country for three days starting from Monday to allow in an estimated 5,000 Congolese from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Uganda had closed all its border entry points to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. “We have received a letter from the Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees under the Office of the Prime Minister to host the refugees in our district,” Andrew Kajoingi, resident district commissioner for Zombo, told Xinhua by telephone on Friday. “We ...
Governor Wike slams NGF as toothless bulldog
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike on Monday slammed the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for not standing up for embattled Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki. He said the NGF had become a toothless bulldog as it has lost focus on its role in defending the rule of law. Wike said the Forum used to be non-partisan and a powerful voice on national issues. He noted that since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over the NGF in 2015, governors have been turned to beggars. The governor spoke at a media parley held at Government House in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. He said: “Before 2015, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum used to be very powerful as symbols of their respective states but APC killed it because they were protecting the interest of the ruling party. “It is quite unfortunate ...
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 ...
Lagos conducts assessment to revitalise 329 primary healthcare
As part of efforts geared towards the revitalisation of Primary Healthcare, the Lagos State Government has carried out a comprehensive assessment of no fewer than 329 Primary healthcare centres in the State. Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this today at the Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate Governor Sanwo-Olu’s first year in office, noted that the assessment focused on the level of functionality and geographical positioning system of the PHCs to identify gaps for service improvement efforts. Abayomi explained that the comprehensive assessment was carried out in collaboration with two non-governmental organisations, namely: Health Assist and PharmAccess Foundation, to improve the quality of service delivery at Primary Healthcare Centres across the State. T...
Kano clarifies on ongoing work at Sani Abatcha isolation centre
Kano State Government on Tuesday said the delay in the early completion of the Sani Abacha Stadium (SAS) Isolation Centre was necessitated by the review of the project initial plan. Malam Muhammad Garba, the state Commissioner of Information, made the clarification in a statement in Kano. Garba, who was reacting to a viral social media video clip on the project, dismissed the footage as a “mischievous attempt to misrepresent facts on the ongoing installation works at the isolation centre, donated by the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID). The project, which was initiated in April, was designed with a 500-bed capacity for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the three and a half minutes video clip, showed ongoing installation works at the isolation c...
Bayelsa sends 25 samples daily to UPTH for coronavirus testing – official
Chairman, Bayelsa COVID-19 Task Force, Inodu Apoku, on Tuesday announced that an average of 25 samples are sent on a daily basis to University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), for testing. Mr Apoku, who is also the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, made this known to newsmen in a statement in Yenagoa, the state capital. “Our surveillance is gathering momentum by the day and we are testing more cases daily. “We now use the UPTH COVID-19 Laboratory. In the past weeks, we have been sending an average of 25 samples daily to this facility. Most of these samples are contacts of confirmed cases,” he announced. On the confirmed new case in the state by the NCDC on Monday, the chairman said it had brought the total number of cases in Bayelsa to 12. “This new case is a 48-year...
Nigeria considers traditional herbal treatment for coronavirus
The Federal Government is not ignoring any direction in it’s search for cure for the Coronavirus disease. Aside orthodox sources, the government is exploring traditional alternatives for ways to defeat the virus. Part of the efforts is the plan to screen 19 Nigerian firms to assess their suitability for the production of herbal remedies to the pandemic. Newsmen report that the Federal Ministry of Health and National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC are coordinating the efforts. The firms, it was learnt, made many claims ranging from the outright cure for COVID-19 to the treatment of the symptoms. It was learnt that the 19 firms had met with the leadership of the ministry and the Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The firms have, however, been ...
Anambra intensifies community searching for coronavirus
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Don Adinuba said the state government had decided to establish a COVID-19 task force in each of the 21 local government areas. According to him, each task force would be headed by the chairman of the local government Transition Committee, while members would compromise the Health Officer, the Information Officer, the Disease and Surveillance Officer, as well as the Ministry of Health Covid-19 Liaison Officer in the LGA. Adinuba also the government had also decided to set up a COVID-19 task force in each of the 326 wards in the state, with membership to be drawn from the Ministry of Health, the officer in charge of the Primary Healthcare in the ward, the youth leader in the ward, the woman leader in the ward, the development ward...
