Health
Commissioner, Others Recommit To HIV/AIDS Response Funding
The Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong, and other health officials of the state, have reaffirmed their commitment to support and scale up funding in HIV and AIDS response.
They renewed their various commitments at the 2018 stakeholders’ strategic review meeting on HIV/AIDS organised by AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF), last Monday in Abuja.
Asibong said the state has designed a sustainability road map for HIV and AIDS response to ensure that every aspect of the programme was adequately funded.
“The HIV prevalence rate in Cross River has declined from 12 per cent in 2003 to 6.6 per cent currently; this has been made possible by the government and support from AHF and our partners.
“The state has also commenced its Domestic Resource Mobilisation due to the dwindling funds by international donors and has increased its health budget from 3.5 per cent to 10 per cent this year.
“The state also has budget line for HIV and AIDS, this is important because some persons living with the virus are indigent, and it is our responsibility to care for them,” Asibong said.
She commended the effort of AHF as a credible partner providing free HIV and AIDS services and media advocacy in the state.
On his part, Dr Humphery Okoroukwu, Director Public Health, Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCT, commended the Administration as well as AHF for their immense support to HIV/AIDS in the FCT.
Okoroukwu said that AHF are presently working in 17 health facilities in five Area Councils across the FCT, with about 3,620 clients in care and 3,496 clients in treatment.
Dr Jonathan Terna-Kur, Director Public Health, Benue Ministry of Health, said that the Fast Track Initiative by the federal government to place 100,000 clients on treatment was a laudable one.
He said the project which commenced in 2017, was to increase the number of clients on treatment who have tested positive in order to reduce the prevalence of HIV in the country.
Terna-Kur added the state has a prevalence rate of 15.4 per cent, while appreciating AHF for its immense and consistent support over the years in providing free HIV/AIDS services in the state.
Mr Eric Akoji, Kogi AIDS Programme Coordinator, said the state government has made commitment to partners and was providing an enabling environment for stakeholders to ensure that HIV/AIDS programme was sustained.
Akoji explained that key stakeholders in the state have established an HIV fund to raise requisite funds through individuals and organisations.
He said the fund would be invested through a sustainable plan to push the AIDS response.
Dr Uchechukwu Onyejimbe, Director, Public Health and Diseases Control, Anambra Ministry of Health, affirmed that the impact of AHF work in providing free HIV services has helped in the decline of its prevalence.
“Presently, AHF is our dominant partner in the state, and we commend them for their consistent commitment in providing care for our people.
“Our sustainability plan for the state has been clearly stated; currently we have increased our health budget from 30 million to 300 million, part of which will fund the HIV response.
“We will also ensure there is no gap in providing drugs, maintaining health facilities, training of health personnel.
“The effort will help build the capacity for a sustainable HIV response in the state,” Onyejimbe said.
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.