The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, yesterday urged Nigerians to report cases of gross negligence and malpractice by health workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists, among others. He said issues about infractions about medication administration and other health care services should be reported to the Federal Government for proper investigation and sanctions.

He noted that while a study has shown that there is serious under-reporting of medication errors in the country, many Nigerians have experienced great harm and have lost their lives due to surgical errors, diagnostic errors, unsafe transfusions and radiation errors.

He further said it is within the rights of the patient to ask questions about the name and side effects of medications being prescribed or administered for them. He said any attempt by the health care worker to hide or decline such requests should be reported.

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While stating that such complaints do not require the complainant to make any payment, the minister encouraged Nigerians to write to the Federal Ministry of Health to inform it of such unethical and unprofessional conduct and practices, for such individuals and institutions to be tried and sanctioned by their regulatory bodies.

Dr Ehanire made this known in Abuja during the commemoration of this year’s World Patient Safety Day, with the theme “Medication without Harm,” in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Ameyo Stella Adedevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, and other partners.

Represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, Ehanire said: “The goal is to reduce severe medication-related harm by 50 per cent in the next five years by addressing harms resulting from unsafe practices in the health system. The benefits of drugs and medications cannot be overemphasized, however, medications can sometimes cause serious serious harm if not used correctly, either as a result of miscommunication between the patient and healthcare giver, error in prescriptions, poor monitoring of patients on medication, misuse of antibiotics which can result in antimicrobial resistance, confusion in dispensing look-alike and sound-alike drugs, and others.”

The Country Representative of the WHO, Dr Walter Mulombo, who was represented by Dr Alex Chimbaru, said: “The theme of this year’s event specifically draws attention to the need to put systems in place to support safe medication and address unsafe practices.

“Medication errors of care are commonly due to weakness in medication systems, and are aggravated by a shortage of well-trained health members of staff and environmental conditions.”

A civil society, Accountability Lab Nigeria has said there is a need for the country to evolve a law to protect digital rights.

The organisation called on the Federal Government to work with the National Assembly to ensure the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill.It argued that a law that protects digital rights was pertinent to the nation’s progress.

This is even as the organisation also asked the two arms of government to gazette the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) to make it enforceable and part of the Nigerian law.

Communication Manager, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Murkthar Suleiman, stated this in Abuja during the training for Security Officers from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on digital rights.

Suleiman said the law will ensure that Nigeria becomes a respectable 21st Century digitised economy and a society governed by the rule of law where the citizens are not harassed by law enforcement agencies.

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He said: “We have seen cases where we have issues with security agencies where citizens feel like policemen cannot just stop them and search their phone which is often the case. But there are also limitations of that right, depending on the context.”

A Technology lawyer, Igube Pana said the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill was passed in 2019 and sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent, saying that “unfortunately he didn’t assent it based on certain issues.”

She noted that there was a need for a law to ensure the protection of the digital rights of Nigerians.

Pana said: “So, the conversation is still ongoing for us to have a digital rights and freedom bill because we live in a digital space right now.

“Communicating is changing and the way we’re interacting is changing. There’s a need for our rights to be protected.”

She said the goal of the training was to raise more awareness about digital rights.

“We’re educating law enforcement officers about digital rights, so we’re bringing awareness for them to understand that citizens have certain rights,” she added.

Nigerian youths have been advised to actively participate in next year’s general elections.

The Country Director, MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima gave the advice while delivering a keynote address at the opening of a two-day Lead on Conference 2022 organised by the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN) in Abuja.

Shettima said the foundation was committed to working in partnership with Nigeria towards the success of the 2023 general elections.

According to him, the organisation has been working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make elections credible.

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He also said the foundation engaged young people to register, collect their Permanent Voter Cards and come out and vote on the day of election.

Shettima said the foundation, since 1989, had invested not less than $200 million dollars in Nigeria.

He advised the government, philanthropists and developmental organisations to invest more in education, health care systems to slow down the country’s fertility rate as well as create economic opportunities for the youth.

President of the association, Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem, said the Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF), established by the former United States President, Barack Obama in 2014, had the potential to impact on the unity and development of Nigeria.

He said the fellowship provided outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. higher education institution with support for professional development after they return home.

A coalition of health groups has called on the Nasarawa State Government to ensure adequate funding and prioritisation of family planning.

The groups under the aegis of Pathfinder International, in collaboration with Community Link for Health and Family Planning Advocacy (CLHFPA), stated that poor funding has impeded family planning target. This they attributed to lack of political will to prioritise this all-important segment of the health sector.

Head of the coalition, Mrs Mary Ashenaye stated these at a one-day media forum in Lafia on the status of family planning in the state, which was organised by Pathfinder International, in collaboration with CLHFPA.

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She alleged that the state government is paying lip services to the funding of family planning programmes, adding that N30 million which was appropriated for family planning programmes in the 2022 budget has not been released to the implementing agencies to carry out their activities.

While appealing to the state government to give priority to family planning programmes, she noted that lack of funds has stalled activities related to family planning across the state. She decried lack of political will to invest in family planning initiative, intended to curb maternal and child mortality.

She expressed disappointment that a situation where family planning budget will drag to the last quarter of the year was not healthy for the health sector.

The Secretary of the coalition, Mr Idika Kalu commended the state government for reviewing the family planning budget from N5 million to N30 million in the 2022 budget, even as he appealed for prompt release of the fund to hasten the implementation of the programme.

The Plateau State University Bokkos has been ranked third best university in Northern Nigeria at the just-concluded National Debate 2022 organised by Monday Diamond Foundation. The event took place at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel Abuja.

The debate, which featured three sub-topics namely “2023 Northern or Southern Presidency: Panacea to National Peace, Unity and Progress of Nigeria; Nigeria 62nd Independence Anniversary; Dissecting the Leadership Performance of Nigeria’s Democratic Dispensation and Lingering Strike in Nigeria’s Educational System: Who is to blame” drew participants from public and private universities across the country.

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Plateau State University Bokkos, which was represented by the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) Kaze Peter Arin, Chairman, Student Judicial Council, Shaku Fwangshak Duguryil and NAPSS President Mahan Sati Peter came third behind Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and Kwara State University that came first and second respectively.

Receiving the contingent at the University Guest House in Jos, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yohana Daniel Izam, who was in the company of the Registrar of the University, Yakubu Ayuba, commended Monday Diamond Foundation for providing a platform for the undergraduates to exhibit their talents; thus stimulating the culture of debate among university students.

Professor Izam, in a statement by the spokesman of the institution, John Agam said such a debate fosters the spirit of unity, progress and national development, adding that the performance of the contingent from the university further attests to the quality of students produced by the university.