Health
Nigeria to get 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine
The Federal Government says it is expecting to receive 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.
Executive Secretary, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, gave the indication at the presidential task force on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
He said Nigeria had put in place the machinery for this, adding that the country is a member of COVAX, an international coalition, under the WHO umbrella.
Shuaib added that 92 countries came together to ensure access and safety of vaccines.
He said the expected 20 million doses will first be given to workers in the health sector and vulnerable citizens.
“We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population,” he said.
H added, “We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians.”
A former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said Nigeria and other African countries will have access to COVID-19 vaccines as from the end of January through the first quarter of 2021.
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this at a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja.
The big breakthrough came when Pfizer/BioNTech published its first results in November.
They showed the vaccine is up to 95 per cent effective and the UK is due to get 40 million doses.
The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart. About 43,000 people have had the vaccine, with no safety issue.
The vaccine must be stored at a temperature of around -70C and transported in a special box, packed in dry ice and installed with GPS trackers.
On 2 December, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
On 8 December, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first patient to receive the vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, with 800,000 more doses expected to be given in the coming weeks.
Health
NAFDAC takes over Aba market after finding huge fake drugs
NAFDAC takes over Aba market after finding huge fake drugs
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Monday, took over the Ariaria International Market, Aba,for shop to shop search after it’s official discovered ‘mind-boggling” cases of fake and unregistered drugs.
“What we have seen here is mind-boggling,” Omoyeni Babatunde, the NAFDAC Deputy Director in charge of Enforcement and Federal Task Force, South-South/South-East told journalists on Monday at the Ariaria market.
Some of the mind boggling discoveries by the NAFDAC team in one of the shops included a substance suspected to be the dreaded Crystal Methamphetamine (Mkpuru Mmiri) wrapped like cigarette with foils.
The products were hidden in small cartons with Epsom Salt labels and packed behind doors in the shop.
NAFDAC also confiscated huge quantities of unregistered and banned medicines at the Patent Medicine Section of the market.
He said: “Today, people are not in the market, we have taken over and we have been working from shop to shop but no arrest made yet,” he said.
“We have been here at Ariaria since morning and press men have covered practically everything we have done here.
“What we have seen here is mind-boggling.
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“We have seen Analgin Injection, Gentamicin 280mg all of which have long been banned by the agency,” he said.
Babatunde also said that some of the confiscated drugs had no NAFDAC registration number, hence not supposed to be sold in patent medicine shops.
He said the enforcement in the market was a national assignment coordinated by the NAFDAC Zonal Director, Mr Martins Iluyomade.
He said the scope of the assignment at Ariaria was to uncover unregistered products in the market.
Babatunde said that the assignment in Aba area was segmented into three locations and being executed simultaneously.
He also said the screening was the result of intelligence from inter-agency collaboration, involving the Department of State Service, Police, Nigerian Army, and NAFDAC.
He said that any product in the market without NAFDAC number had not passed through NAFDAC’s processes and not qualified to be on sale.
“If you go through NAFDAC’S mandate critically, you will see that the agency is empowered to enter any premises by force, if need be, when we reasonably suspect contravention of NAFDAC statutory regulations.
“We have to screen the entire shops because that is the scope we were given and we are being meticulous about it.
“So, one shop after the other, we are going to carry out the operation to the letter,” he said.
He said that the agency could only attach figures to the confiscated medicines at the end of the enforcement.
NAFDAC takes over Aba market after finding huge fake drugs
(NAN)
Health
US citizens, others rushing to Nigeria for kidney transplant – Shettima
US citizens, others rushing to Nigeria for kidney transplant – Shettima
Vice President Kashim Shettima has observed that Nigeria is witnessing a surge in reverse medical tourism, with patients from the United States and other countries thronging the nation’s hospitals to seek affordable and high-quality kidney transplants.
The vice president attributed the choice of Nigeria for treatment to affordability and high-quality expertise within the country’s medical community.
Speaking on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) at the Presidential Villa ahead of the association’s 37th Scientific Conference, Mr Shettima stressed the need for further investments in specialised medical education to sustain this progress.
He said, “There is reverse medical tourism these days fundamentally because of the level of care at some of our hospitals. Recently, 13 patients from the United States came to Nigeria for kidney transplants at Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre because it is much cheaper here, and they receive the same level of expertise available anywhere in the world.”
The vice president praised Olalekan Olatise, chief medical director of Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, for his contributions to kidney care, describing him as “a very decent man who is highly altruistic” in his efforts to assist humanity.
Mr Shettima, however, noted the financial strain on patients, many of whom sell their homes or rely on government support to afford transplants.
“While getting a kidney transplant is a significant challenge, life after a transplant presents even more difficulties. Many patients struggle with the cost of post-transplant care, including immunosuppressants, which are essential to maintaining their health,” he said.
The vice president recalled healthcare initiatives he had embarked on during his tenure as Governor of Borno State, as well as the success of ongoing free maternal care programmes he introduced.
“At a hospital in my neighbourhood, we provide a bag of rice and beans to every new mother. They record about 30 births daily, more than even the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). Over 4,000 deliveries have been recorded in less than eight months, with all medical expenses covered, including caesarean sections,” VP Shettima said.
The vice president also reiterated the need for Nigeria to build its medical workforce, noting that when he was in Borno State as governor, he took 60 female students to study medicine in Sudan.
“About 58 of them completed their education and passed the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) licensing exams. Most of them are now in their medical residency programmes. The beauty of training women in medicine is that they are more likely to stay back and serve their communities.
“We must make deliberate and targeted investments in specialised healthcare education in this country,” the vice president said.
Earlier, Mr Olatise, who also serves as the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 37th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, said the conference with the theme, “Revolutionizing Kidney Care in Nigeria: Evidence-Based Innovations,” will take place in Abuja from 19 to 21 February.
The association also announced plans to honour Vice President Shettima with the Kidney Champion Award in recognition of his advocacy and direct support for kidney patients, including funding immunosuppressants and proposing the establishment of a specialised laboratory for post-transplant care.
“We have noticed the role the vice president is playing in looking after kidney patients in the country. He has been involved in purchasing immunosuppressants, providing post-transplant care, and even considering setting up a lab to monitor calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) levels for kidney patients. This award is a recognition of his commitment,” Olatise said.
The conference is expected to attract over 600 participants, including Nigerian medical professionals based abroad, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and manufacturers of dialysis consumables.
US citizens, others rushing to Nigeria for kidney transplant – Shettima
Health
Tinubu approves 65 year retirement age for doctors, healthcare workers
Tinubu approves 65 year retirement age for doctors, healthcare workers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved an increase in the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare workers from 60 to 65 years.
Dr Mannir Bature, National Publicity Secretary, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
Mr Bature said the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has been directed to formally present the approval to the Council on Establishment through the Office of the Head of Service for finalisation.
He said the policy shift was conveyed by Pate during a high-level meeting with the NMA President, Prof. Bala Audu, and key stakeholders in the health sector.
Mr Bature said the meeting also had in attendance the leadership of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU.
He said discussions centred on progress made regarding the welfare of doctors and other healthcare professionals in Nigeria.
According to him, the coordinating minister confirmed that the arrears resulting from the adjustment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) are set for payment.
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“The necessary funds have been secured, and disbursement to beneficiaries will commence soon,” he said.
Mr Bature quoted the minister as saying that President Tinubu has approved the correction of consequential adjustments for both CONMESS and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), arising from the implementation of the new minimum wage.
“The process to effect this correction is at an advanced stage, providing much-needed relief to doctors and other healthcare workers,” he said.
He said following an extensive review initiated by the NMA, approval has been granted for the implementation of new tariffs for healthcare service providers.
“This will particularly benefit members of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners and Nurses (ANPMPN), ensuring better financial remuneration and sustainability for healthcare services nationwide,” he said.
Mr Bature said the Coordinating Minister expressed appreciation for the patience and collaboration of all stakeholders, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of all healthcare workers.
Mr Bature said Pate emphasised that collaboration was crucial to strengthening Nigeria’s health sector.
He said attendees at the meeting renewed their commitment to work together in advocating for the welfare of healthcare workers and ensuring the full implementation of key reforms.
The NMA has championed increasing the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years to address brain drain, improve knowledge transfer and for quality healthcare delivery.
NAN reports that nationwide strikes had been declared by various health associations or unions over the non-implementation of CONMESS and CONHESS for doctors and healthcare workers.
Tinubu approves 65 year retirement age for doctors, healthcare workers
NAN
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