Health
Senate Lauds HP+Over Achievements In Healthcare Funding
Nigerian Senate has commended Health Policy Plus+ ; a non – governmental organisation, over their innovative policies and support in the health sector which has yielded boosts in the nation’s health management, financing through domestic resources.
Stakeholders in the sector were also urged to explore further strategies that can consolidate on the gains of the HP+project being concluded even as the group Says $662 million can be raised internally for the HIV/ AIDs project within five years
Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care, Senator , Chukwuka Utazi , ( PDP ,Enugu North) made the commendation at the ‘End of Project’ event of the Organization held in Abuja recently .
Senator Utazi in his good will message noted that Nigeria has made remarkable improvements in accessment of healthcare through various reforms in the funding of the sector even as more still needs to be done .
His words ”Recent major health reforms like the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, which aims to increase resources for health and extend primary healthcare services across the country, represent important new funding sources, as do state-level social health insurance schemes.
“ Building on the momentum of its recent health reforms Nigeria is now exploring ways to integrate HIV and TB care into existing insurance programs
“Expanding sources of funding for achieving coverage is one of the key roles of the USAID Health Policy Plus (HP+) Nigeria and since they launched the Project just being concluded now, a lot has been achieved.
“At this juncture, let me congratulate HP+ for all the support services you have rendered to the Government and the Health Agencies in the Country.
“ However, if it is still possible to design a successor project for the next few years to see how we can drive from the present mileage to the destination of Universal Health Coverage, I urge the concerned stakeholders to explore this.”
Earlier in her speech , the Country Director of HP+; Dr Frances Ilika said the group had evolved policies aimed at improving primary health care, increasing access to health care through health insurance as well as supporting a very viral policy, the Basic Health Provision Fund..
Ilika noted that Nigeria’s had largely depended on foreign donors especially for key disease areas like HIV/AIDs and malaria but said the group has come to change the narrative as HP+ is determined to raise funds locally to finance the sector.
”within the next five years, 662 million dollars can be raised for HIV/AIDs financing so we don’t have to depend on donors anymor when you need it.” The Director said she further explained
“That is why health policy plus has provided support to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to develop a five year Domestic Resource Mobilisation Sustainability Plan.
“If this policy is fully implemented; if we implent it across all the states, we can begin to talk about owning our own HIV control and all other high burden disease control and beginning to wean off dependence on donor funding which is not sustainable.”
According to her , Nigeria ‘s journey toward universal health coverage was possible
Speaking at the event , the Global Project Director Health Policy Plus Dr Sunneeta Sharma said that the project was a global project funded by USAID.
“Health policy plus is a global project operating in over 49 countries with Nigeria as one of the countries that has implemented that project.
“It is a flagship USA project that has made a lot of impact in Nigeria.
“This is by supporting government policies including policies aimed at improving primary health care, increasing access to health care through health insurance as well as supporting a very viral policy, the Basic Health Provision Fund
By: Nneka Amaechi- Nnadi, Abuja
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.
