The Nation Newspaper

Category: Health

  • FG signs new MoU to tackle preventable blindness in Nigeria

    FG signs new MoU to tackle preventable blindness in Nigeria

    Amid reports that more than 23 million Nigerians are living with one form of vision impairment or another, the Federal Government has taken a major step toward ending preventable blindness by signing a new national eye-care Memorandum of Understanding with Peek Vision.

    The partnership aims to transform how millions of Nigerians with vision impairment are identified, monitored, and connected to appropriate care.

    Signed in Abuja on Tuesday, the agreement is designed to close persistent gaps in eye-care access, particularly in rural and underserved communities where many people live with avoidable blindness but are never screened or linked to treatment.

    The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adekunle Salako, who endorsed the pact on behalf of the federal government, said the initiative would significantly expand Nigeria’s capacity to reach people at the last mile.

    He noted that the country has a history of innovative eye-care programmes, recalling the popular JigiBola initiative of the early 1990s in Lagos State, which provided glasses to thousands of residents.

     According to him, the new digital platform introduced through the MoU builds on that legacy by enabling health workers to identify people who need help and connect them directly to services.

    While emphasizing that misinformation and fear prevent many patients from seeking care early, the Ministry expressed optimism that the partnership will help solve this challenge by improving communication, screening, and referral systems nationwide.

    Salako explained that the agreement aligns with the government’s Renewable Health Connect initiative, which focuses on school-based screening, cataract services, and the provision of corrective lenses. 

    He assured that the Ministry is committed to driving full implementation, saying the programme would ensure that technology reaches communities that have historically been left behind.

    Speaking after the signing, the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision, Prof Andrew Bastawrous, said the initiative was driven by the urgent need to reach millions of Nigerians who live with avoidable vision loss but lack access to treatment.

     Most people with vision loss, particularly those in rural areas of low income, don’t know that they can be treated, don’t know where to go to get treatment if they are aware, and can’t access those services, he said.

    The partnership, he said, brings together the Ministry and leading international NGOs including Sightsavers, CBM, and Hands. 

    Under the arrangement, trained personnel will use smartphones and tablets to deliver accurate vision screening directly in homes, workplaces, and schools. 

    Bastawrous said this eliminates reliance on health facilities, “Because if you find them and they don’t receive treatment, you’ve solved nothing,” he noted.

    According to him, Peek Vision has developed a data platform that monitors every screened individual, tracks referrals, and identifies reasons why people fail to attend appointments

    Bastawrous explained how data-driven insights have solved similar challenges in Kenya, where fears, myths, and cost barriers were identified and addressed through targeted interventions. 

    The power of data is to point to where the problem is. The power of compassion is to respond, he said.

    He confirmed that the Nigerian rollout begins immediately and involves no direct financial commitment from the Federal Government.

    Peek Vision will be supported by its international partners, while the Ministry retains full ownership of all data generated. 

    He said a new programme supported by Sightsavers has already begun, screening 5,000 people and targeting 1.2 million schoolchildren over the next two years.

    Bastawrous added that the broader impact of improved vision goes beyond health, “Something as simple as a pair of magnifying glasses, which many people aren’t aware of, can increase learning potential by 20 to 50 percent. Yet remain inaccessible to people of all ages,” he said.

    He noted that cataracts remain the most common cause of blindness but are fully treatable, warning that most Nigerians with cataracts today may die without ever receiving care unless the system changes. 

    To date, he said, technology deployed through Peek Vision and its partners has screened 17 million people globally and connected more than 1.5 million to sight-restoring treatment.

    Today marks the beginning of that journey to change that story, he said.

  • Nigeria on track to end AIDS by 2030 – NACA

    Nigeria on track to end AIDS by 2030 – NACA

    Nigeria has met two of the three global 2030 HIV targets, achieving an 87 per cent diagnosis rate, 98 percent treatment coverage among those diagnosed and 95 per cent viral suppression among people on treatment, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said.

    It said the performance places the country firmly on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

    The agency also reported a 46 per cent decline in new HIV infections over the past decade and the highest-ever retention rates among people living with HIV. 

    The milestones, according to the Director General (DG), Dr Temitope Ilori, come despite economic strain, fluctuating donor support, service gaps in hard-to-reach areas and Nigeria’s disproportionate share of global paediatric HIV infections.

    The DG on Tuesday in Abuja during a World AIDS Day briefing, Ilori said the progress reflects national resilience, declaring, “Today, I stand before you to report that Nigeria remains firmly on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We will not stop until that goal is achieved”

    Ilori noted that Nigeria’s 87.98% performance marks significant gains in diagnosis, treatment, and viral suppression. 

    “Eighty-seven per cent of people living with HIV in Nigeria know their status, 98 per cent of those who know their status are on life-saving treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression, meaning they cannot transmit HIV,” she said.

    She added that more Nigerians living with HIV are now enrolled and retained in care than at any time in the country’s history.

    Early infant diagnosis and paediatric treatment have improved through state-led efforts, although she stressed that these areas still require focused attention.

    Ilori highlighted the role of civil society and community-led organisations in expanding access to prevention, testing and treatment, particularly among key populations and young people. 

    She reported that in 2024 alone, 204,201 individuals from key populations were on antiretroviral therapy with strong viral suppression outcomes.

    Domestic financing, she noted, has gained momentum as several states increased budget allocations and strengthened HIV Trust Funds. 

    She credited the Federal Government for preventing major service disruptions during global funding uncertainty, stressing that President Bola Tinubu had approved $200m to safeguard access to HIV services. 

    “It was leadership in action, expressing Nigeria’s commitment to its people,” she said.

    Ilori said the country’s progress has also been bolstered by integrating HIV services into broader health systems, establishing the AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Technical Working Group and enrolling more people living with HIV into state health insurance schemes. 

    “Digital reporting tools are improving accountability and data accuracy,” she noted.

    Despite the gains, she warned that critical challenges persist, including stigma, discrimination, reliance on external funding and service gaps in insecure communities. 

    Nigeria also continues to face a high burden of paediatric HIV infections. She called for increased domestic financing, stronger state-level partnerships, private-sector involvement and full implementation of the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission Acceleration Plan.

    Ilori outlined plans to expand HIV prevention for adolescents, young people and key populations, including wider access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. 

    She said Nigeria aims to pursue local production of HIV medicines to strengthen supply security and reduce dependence on imports while urging sustained multisectoral collaboration and renewed national efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination.

    UNAIDS’ representative, Gabriel Undelikwo, commended Nigeria’s leadership in strengthening its HIV response, saying, “We need to sustain the national leadership partnership, maintain integration, and strengthen collaboration and community empowerment because we believe that together we are overcoming the disruption and sustaining the national response to HIV.”

    The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Programmes at APIN Public Health Initiatives, Dr Jay Samuels, also reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment. 

    “As the foremost indigenous NGO providing treatment for over 20 per cent of Nigeria’s Persons Living with HIV AIDS, we restate our commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders to close the treatment gaps and ultimately end the epidemic,” he said.

    He added that APIN will continue mobilising domestic resources, noting, “We are leaving no stone unturned by identifying and working with institutions, organizations, foundations and individuals to ensure that patients who are bona fide Nigerians are not entirely dependent on the goodwill and generosity of the international community.”

  • Nigeria, Barbados sign MoU on local pharmaceutical production, regional health security

    Nigeria, Barbados sign MoU on local pharmaceutical production, regional health security

    Nigeria and Barbados have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost local production of pharmaceuticals and ensure regional health security.

    The Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) signed on behalf of the Federal Government while and Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. (BPI) signed for its country.

    The signing ceremony, which held in Abuja yesterday, marks a major step in deepening health cooperation between both nations.

    The ministerial endorsement underscored the importance of the MoU.

    The MoU is expected to accelerate local pharmaceutical manufacturing and strengthen regional market access across CARICOM–LATAM, ECOWAS and the AfCFTA.

    It provides a shared framework for the two countries to drive industrial growth, improve drug availability, and enhance regulatory collaboration. The agreement also initiates discussions toward a regulatory reliance arrangement between NAFDAC and Barbados’ emerging Medical Products Regulatory Authority.

    At its core, the MoU aims to establish joint activities that advance local production, strengthen policy reforms, and create financing channels that mirror PVAC’s successful deal-making model.

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    The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, while endorsing the MoU, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s full support for the partnership.

    He noted that it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s drive to industrialise the health sector, reduce dependence on imports, and strengthen national and regional health security.

    He said: “This visit is beyond symbolism. It’s very substantive. It represents both our collective commitments, Barbados and Nigeria, to address a key gap that has emerged over the last few years in terms of our own national health securities. Not only Nigeria, but I will say shared across the sub-region, but also the continent”.

    He said the delegation’s visit, made possible through AMA’s facilitation, was a significant milestone and assured that Nigeria is fully committed to supporting the implementation of the partnership with AMA going forward.

    “I want to also confirm, when we met in September, Her Excellency Prime Minister Miamoteli really affirmed and conveyed that political will, which from our side also was reciprocated in terms of President Mbola Eme Tsunugu’s intent to ensure that we move steadily hand in hand with you. And the fact that you are here essentially takes us further since that meeting in September,” Pate stressed.

    He emphasised that Nigeria’s growing pharmaceutical market, improved regulatory environment, and expanding primary healthcare utilization create the right conditions for impactful collaboration with global partners like Barbados.

    Dr. Jerome Walcott, the Senior Minister of Health and Wellness, Barbados, described the partnership as a milestone for regional health security, saying: “As a strategic partner, one whose scale, capability and vision aligns with our own pursuit of health sovereignty and industrial transformation.

    “This is not just an agreement between two institutions, it is a commitment between two governments and two regions to shape our own health futures.

    “Both our heads of government, Prime Minister Mia Ammar Motley and the Honorable President, Amit Tenugbo, have spoken powerfully about the need for Global South to stand on its own feet to manufacture the medicines our people need and to reduce our dependency on external supply chains. Today’s MOU brings that vision to life.”

    The Barbados delegation will also engage with AMA Medical Manufacturer and visit existing biomedical facilities, setting the stage for a Barbados-based production hub and future bilateral trade in medical and diagnostic products.

    Speaking further about the MoU, PVAC National Coordinator, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, said: “This is basically a framework for collaboration between us, touching on a number of areas including technical capacity building and human capital development.

    “We are already talking and seeing how we can bring together the Empower Academy that we established to see how that can work, but also issues around regulations.

    “But it is in the process of establishing a national regulatory agency and in that regard they already in discussions with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), they’re going to hopefully sign another MOU with the agency”.

  • FG names Lawal NOHIL substantive Medical Director

    FG names Lawal NOHIL substantive Medical Director

    The Federal Government has confirmed Dr. Wakeel Lawal as the substantive Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos (NOHIL). 

    In a statement yesterday by the hospital’s Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Ayo Adenike, Dr. Lawal’s appointment was said to take effect from November 10, 2025.

    The announcement follows the earlier appointment of Dr. Lawal as Acting Medical Director on April 15, 2025, after the demise of the former head of the institution, Dr. Mustapha Alimi. 

    Until he was drafted into the role, he served as the hospital’s Head of Clinical Services.

    A graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Lawal earned his MBChB before proceeding for further training abroad. 

    He holds Master’s degrees in Orthopaedics from the University of Chester, United Kingdom, and in Healthcare Management from the University of Zambia.

    He also undertook specialised trainings in Arthroplasty at the University of Assiut, Egypt, and the Ganga Medical Centre and Hospitals in India, among others.

    Lawal has served on several committees in the hospital and was the Acting Medical Director prior to his confirmation.

  • Experts call for urgent policy action to strengthen task-shifting, maternal healthcare

    Experts call for urgent policy action to strengthen task-shifting, maternal healthcare

    Stakeholders have called for renewed political commitment, stronger workforce investment, and clearer policy direction to address task shifting and strengthen maternal healthcare delivery across Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.

    The call followed revelations that more than half of trained health workers in many primary health centres (PHCs) operate as unsalaried volunteers, a situation stakeholders say contributes to weakened service delivery and poorer health outcomes.

    Experts at the Task Shifting Symposium 2025, held in Abuja on Tuesday, said task shifting remains necessary but must be urgently strengthened through better training, supervision, and sustainable government funding.

    The symposium, themed “The Policy and Practice of Task-shifting for Maternal Healthcare Services in Nigeria’s Primary Healthcare System”, examined persistent human resource gaps and the reforms required to reduce maternal deaths.

    It brought together policymakers, researchers, and frontline healthcare workers who agreed that Nigeria’s maternal mortality crisis cannot be resolved without deliberate efforts to expand and support the PHC workforce.

    Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, while delivering the keynote address, said discussions at the event underscored the national urgency to scale up capacity and deploy task shifting more effectively across PHC facilities.

    “This is resonating, not just for the FCT, but for the entire nation as well. Task shifting has been known to be a very terrible tool in achieving efficient, impactful, and productive services, only when done right. With clear boundaries, guardians, training, retraining, and supervision, this task-shifting symposium is an eye-opener.”

    Fasawe said Nigeria’s human resource crisis in health makes it critical to equip lower-cadre workers with the skills to support overstretched professionals.

    “We have a lot of talented people, especially in this aperture, who, when trained well, can easily step into the shoes of senior professionals and do it equally as well,” she said.

    She reaffirmed the FCT’s commitment to reducing preventable maternal and child deaths, saying, “We have zero tolerance for maternal mortality or infant or neonatal mortality in the FCC. We always say there’s no reason for a woman to die while bringing life into the world.”

    According to Dr. Francis Ayomoh, honorary postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and convener of the symposium, the study on the policy and practice of task shifting for maternal healthcare services in Nigeria examined both national and FCT-level realities to better understand the daily challenges faced by PHC workers.

    Ayomoh noted that Nigeria remains one of the world’s highest contributors to maternal deaths and that severe workforce shortages make task shifting unavoidable.

    Noting that the 202 and 2023 were instructive, he said, “The findings suggest that at least 50 per cent of primary healthcare workers in the FCT are unpaid volunteers who rely on facility stipends rather than government salaries.

    “This precarious situation requires urgent attention, which is why one of my key recommendations is increased government funding to employ more primary healthcare workers

    “It is no news that we have a severe health workforce shortage. This is why task shifting was necessary. But the study we conducted has shed more light on what the issues are with task shifting,” he noted.

    He explained that the major challenge is balancing access and quality, saying, “We cannot do without task shifting because of the level of human resource gap we have.

    “However, it is important that we reflect on the policy dilemma of balancing increasing access to maternal health services with the need for optimal quality.”

    A key finding of the study, he said, is the need for stronger government action in employing trained but unpaid PHC workers.

    “Studies show that we still have some lower-level healthcare workers, like community health workers, nurses, midwives, who are available to be employed but are still not put on the payroll and are working under very precarious conditions as volunteers. Let’s employ as many as the government can afford to pay.”

    The researcher also called for continuous training, supportive supervision, and a renewed focus on patient-centred care. 

  • Jigawa targets over 1.5 million children in polio vaccination campaign

    Jigawa targets over 1.5 million children in polio vaccination campaign

    The Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (PHCDA) has set a target of vaccinating more than 1.5 million children under five during the forthcoming polio immunisation exercise across the state.

    Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Shehu Sambo, announced this during the Jigawa State Media Dialogue on the November Polio Vaccination Campaign held at Mtown Hotel, Dutse.

    He said 1,516,244 children are expected to receive polio vaccines across 287 political wards in all 27 local government areas.

    The campaign is scheduled to run from November 27 to 30, employing fixed posts and mobile vaccination teams to ensure maximum coverage.

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    In his remarks, Rahama Rihood M. Farah, Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, commended Jigawa for recording a 58% reduction in cVPV2 cases, dropping from 12 in 2024 to five this year.

    He called for heightened preparedness as the state joins the national vaccination campaign from November 29 to December 2, targeting 42 million children across 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with Jigawa contributing over 1.5 million children.

    Farah, however, cautioned that polio remains a concern, with 72 cases reported in 14 states so far in 2025. To strengthen coverage, Jigawa has deployed 3,060 house-to-house teams, 548 special teams, 1,500 trained health workers, and thousands of community mobilisers, while routine immunisation services will also be scaled up during the campaign.

    He urged local government chairmen to provide strong oversight and appealed to the media to mobilise parents for full participation, stressing that polio vaccines are free, safe, and effective. Farah called on all stakeholders to join efforts in ending polio transmission in Jigawa and across Nigeria.

  • Data power: SECURE-Nigeria has transformed surveillance, labs, public-health preparedness – FG

    Data power: SECURE-Nigeria has transformed surveillance, labs, public-health preparedness – FG

    The federal government has underscored the central role of reliable data in early warning detection, improved public health outcomes, and the drive toward Universal Health Coverage, praising a five-year project for strengthening Nigeria’s disease surveillance and outbreak response systems.

    At a close-out dissemination meeting in Abuja on Monday, officials reviewed the interventions of the Strengthening Global Health Security Agenda in Nigeria (SECURE-Nigeria) project, implemented by the International Research Centre of Excellence at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IRCE-IHVN) from 2020 to 2025 with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global Health Protection.

    Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), said the project has helped build capacity at national and subnational levels. “Data quality is the cornerstone of effective public health action.

    “At both national and subnational levels, we have strengthened our workforce’s capacity to collect, analyse, and interpret data for timely response,” he said, adding that SECURE-Nigeria has left a legacy in laboratory optimisation, outbreak intelligence, workforce development, and emergency response coordination.

    Project Director Dr Rita Okonkwo described SECURE-Nigeria as an intervention designed to close gaps identified in Nigeria’s Joint External Evaluation and to strengthen compliance with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).

    Working with the NCDC, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, State Ministries of Health, and other partners, she said the project delivered targeted improvements in surveillance, laboratory systems, data use, infection prevention, and outbreak response.

    One prominent output is the Data Analytical and Visualisation Tool (DAVT), launched in 2023, she revealed, noting, “The tool automatically generates weekly epidemiological reports, outbreak indicators, and multi-source data triangulation from SORMAS and other platforms”.

    To improve the quality of inputs to DAVT, IHVN established a national Surveillance Data Quality Management system to support routine data reviews, accountability, and continuous improvement at the NCDC and in supported states, she added.

    Okonkwo also pointed to enhanced epidemic intelligence through the Acute Febrile Illness Sentinel Surveillance (AFISS) system and the Pan-Respiratory Disease Surveillance platform.

    “AFISS, implemented in six sentinel States, provided laboratory-confirmed insights on nine febrile pathogens,” she said, noting the value of multi-pathogen surveillance to guide clinical and public-health action.

    Dr Sohia Oluwakemi Osawe, Senior Manager at IRCE-IHVN, said SECURE-Nigeria expanded PCR-based diagnostic capacity for 11 priority diseases across seven national and subnational laboratories, accelerating outbreak confirmation.

    She credited the system with enabling early detection of mpox in 2022 and identifying increased dengue activity in 2025.

    “Other achievements include strengthened COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring, expanded infection prevention and control capacity, genomic sequencing for SARS-CoV-2, enhanced bio-banking, and large-scale serological surveillance using multiplex bead assay technology,” Osawe said.

    Workforce development formed a major strand of the project, participants said, pointing out that SECURE-Nigeria introduced e-learning curricula, provided advanced training in epidemiological analytics, and offered continuous mentoring for outbreak data-analysis teams operating at national and State levels.

    Dr Farah Husain, Programme Director at the US CDC, commended Nigeria’s progress and underscored the partnership’s hands-on approach.

    “We have collectively built and strengthened the data analytics skills of our public health workforce, sometimes quite literally experimenting side-by-side in laboratories. These contributions continue to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness,” she said.

    Prof Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of IRCE at IHVN, welcomed partners and highlighted the institute’s role in advancing research, building laboratory systems, and developing public-health expertise.

    She acknowledged the support of the US CDC team and other collaborators, saying the dissemination meeting provided an opportunity to consolidate lessons and plan for sustaining the strengthened systems.

    Organisers said the project’s tools and training must now be institutionalised and financed domestically to ensure that improved surveillance, laboratory, and data systems remain functional beyond donor funding.

    They also called for continued investment in workforce development, data quality management, and laboratory networks as essential foundations for timely outbreak detection and effective public-health responses.

  • Aare Michael George congratulates new NIMSA president-elect, urges exemplary leadership

    Aare Michael George congratulates new NIMSA president-elect, urges exemplary leadership

    Aare Michael George has extended heartfelt congratulations to the newly elected 49th President of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association (NIMSA), describing the victory as a testament to dedication, service, and commitment to the development of medical students across the country.

    In his congratulatory message, Aare Dr. George commended the President-Elect for earning the trust and mandate of medical students nationwide.

    He noted that the office comes with great responsibility and expressed confidence that the new leadership would usher in fresh ideas, improved collaboration, and innovative reforms that would positively shape the future of the association.

    He further encouraged the President-Elect to lead with integrity, humility, and a deep sense of purpose.

    According to him, NIMSA stands as an important platform for nurturing the next generation of medical professionals, and it requires a leader who can inspire, unify, and represent students with excellence.

    Aare Dr. George also emphasised the importance of continuity, accountability, and progressive initiatives that will enhance the welfare, academic growth, and global competitiveness of Nigerian medical students.

    He called on the President-Elect to build on past achievements while setting new standards for effective leadership.

    He concluded by wishing the new NIMSA President-Elect a successful tenure and reaffirmed his support for efforts aimed at strengthening medical education and student development in Nigeria.

  • FMC Ikole gets MDCN’s approval for housemanship training

    FMC Ikole gets MDCN’s approval for housemanship training

    The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ikole-Ekiti has secured full accreditation from Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for housemanship training. 

    The approval followed a thorough and detailed assessment of the hospital’s facilities, equipment, training structures, and patients load by a seven-member MDCN delegation led by the  Deputy Registrar, Dr. Nnaemeka Nwakanma.

    Speaking after the visit, Dr. Nwakanma said that the council was satisfied with FMC Ikole’s training capacity, facilities, structured programmes, supervision systems as well as conducive learning atmosphere.  

    He described FMC Ikole as a model of excellence, commending its state-of-the-art infrastructures and the impressive number of specialists it has attracted despite being recently upgrade from a secondary to a tertiary institution. 

    He praised the Medical Director, Prof Johnson Dare Ogunlusi, and the management team for demonstrating strong leadership and unity of purpose, noting that the hospital has quickly become a magnet for super-specialists within and beyond Ekiti State.

    He also applauded the hospital’s high standard of hygiene, saying the level of cleanliness observed is uncommon in many hospitals of similar status.

    Nwakanma urged consultants to uphold global best practices and ensure house officers receive proper mentorship in an environment free of toxic work cultures that cause burnout.

    He added, “There are not many hospitals at this level of operation that maintain the level of cleanliness I have seen at FMC Ikole-Ekiti. This shows that the Hospital has a culture of maintaining a clean and serene environment.

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    “But we have seen that you have made good effort and it didn’t look like it’s something you did today.  It obvious it looks like this all the time and it’s something that we commend quite much. 

    “So, my team has just told me to inform you that the Federal Medical Center Ikole-Ekiti has now been accredited as a Housemanship Training Center”.

    In his response, the Medical Director, Prof. Ogunlusi, applauded the MDCN for the recognition, attributing the hospital’s progress to the dedication of staff and prudent use of internally generated revenue. 

    The Medical Director  assured that with the 2025 budget, more facilities would be added to strengthen the hospital’s capacity,  reaffirming the commitment of the hospital to patient-centred service delivery, staff welfare and maintenance of a clean environment. 

    He promised that the hospital would continue to uphold the highest standards of medical practice as it begins its new role in training young doctors.

  • COPD: Experts call for urgent awareness, early diagnosis, policy support

    COPD: Experts call for urgent awareness, early diagnosis, policy support

    Medical experts have sounded the alarm over the rising burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Nigeria and across Africa, urging immediate policy reforms, increased public awareness, and expanded access to diagnosis and treatment.

    These concerns were raised during a pre-conference training workshop held in Lagos ahead of the Nigerian Thoracic Society (NTS) Annual Congress.

    The workshop is part of Race Africa, a multinational initiative promoting COPD awareness and training healthcare workers in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

    Speaking at the event, Professor Obianuju Ozo, a pulmonologist at the University of Lagos College of Medicine and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), described COPD as a chronic lung condition marked by persistent breathlessness, coughing, and sputum production.

    She noted that despite being common, preventable, and treatable, the disease remains significantly underdiagnosed in Nigeria.

    “COPD is common, preventable, and treatable—but many people don’t know they have it,” she said. She added that the 2025 World COPD Day theme, ‘Short of Breath? Think COPD aims to draw attention to breathlessness, often confused with heart-related issues or other ailments.

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    Prof. Ozo explained that risk factors begin as early as the prenatal stage and are worsened by exposure to indoor smoke, traffic fumes, air pollution, and tobacco use. She called for strong national policies to prioritise COPD, including improved access to spirometry equipment for early diagnosis and more affordable inhalers.

    “Lung function tests are available only in a few tertiary hospitals. Without a diagnosis, we cannot treat it. Policymakers must make inhalers available and affordable if we want to save lives,” she stressed.

    As a member of the Board of Directors and Science Committee of the Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), she reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for patients, many of whom are too ill to speak for themselves.

    Also speaking, Professor Djibril Mohamed, a respiratory physiotherapy specialist at Bayero University Kano, highlighted efforts to develop low-cost, locally adaptable pulmonary rehabilitation methods for indigent patients.

    He noted that community health extension workers are being trained to deliver COPD care at the primary healthcare level.

    Participants described the workshop as eye-opening. Physical therapist Zainab Olanyi said the training enriched their understanding of COPD management, particularly in improving lung function and the quality of life of patients.

    With Nigeria grappling with worsening air pollution, indoor smoke exposure, and strained healthcare resources, experts insist that COPD must be recognised as a national public health priority.

    They hope community-level awareness and stronger policy attention will reduce preventable suffering and deaths linked to the disease.