Minister of Health Prof Isaac Adewole yesterday appealed to resident doctors to go back to work in the interest of Nigerians.
Adewole gave the assurance of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing all the issues in contention, but needed time.
He said “another round of meetings had been scheduled for tomorrow with the hope that that more.progress would be made in reaching a consensus.”
He expressed the determination of Administration to promote industrial harmony in the health sector.
Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has praised the efforts the security agencies put in place for the success of emergency response to the humanitarian crisis in the state.
According to the minister, the health and humanitarian emergency response in Borno state was only possible in the hard reach areas of the state due to the gallant efforts put into liberating the communities hitherto in the hands of the insurgents.
The minister who spoke at the presentation of the midterm review of Health and Nutrition Emergency Response Project in Borno State at the Multi-purpose Conference Hall of the Government House Maiduguri said the military and other security agencies deserve commendation for making sure health personale get access to the hard to reach areas.
“The military and other security agencies have made this work possible. Particular commendation must to given to our security agencies for their efforts in liberating those communities in the hands of the insurgents which has made it possible for the health workers and other humanitarian intervention easier for us,” the minister said.
While setting the agenda for the meeting, the Prof. Adewale explained that Malaria, Diarhoea diseases, Upper Respiratory Tract infections were the three common diseases that were identified during the assessment period.
He noted that the Federal Ministery of Health through the FMOH Humanitarian Support Team will continue to:
• To Provide Coordination and Support to the State to manage the emergency response initiative.
• To strengthen the state`s capacity to undertake integrated supportive supervision in health facilities and communities;
• To strengthen the logistics and supply chain for medicines and other health commodities;
• Assist and support the strengthening of the health management information system;
• To work with SMOH and WHO to rebuild the integrated disease surveillance and response system;
• To administer and manage the team of health personnel contracted to support with the delivery of health services in the State.
• Ensure cooperation with all local and international stakeholders under a unified command structure.
• To perform oversight responsibility for the control and coordination of the field activities, working in consultation with the SMOH.
• To articulate reports and areas of further intervention and resource mobilization for the consideration of the management of the Federal Ministry.
Speaking on the objectives of the MTR meeting, the minister informed that the meeting will comparatively analyse the HNER key performance indicators which would form the basis of assessment of the project, adding that , “ we intend to assess and achieve the following parameters:-
The Level of implementation Common ailments noted during course of implementation The Efficacy of this intervention to the project goals Identification and addressing of project bottlenecks Take necessary steps to improve on project implementation going forward”.
In his address, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima commended the joint ministries committee on humanitarian response in the state and the level of supervision put in the program.
His words: “Our gathering today, couldn’t have been possible without the efficient role played by the joint team from the Federal Ministry of Health and our own State Ministry of Health and the various implementing teams who defied all odds to go to Local Government Areas in the country side to render nutritional intervention to the most vulnerable communities liberated by our gallant armed forces. Judging from favorable health indices now being reported across the state particularly, the marked improvements in status of Nutrition, it is clear that our collaborative efforts are paying off in the Health sector. I salute the courage and sacrifices of our field men and women who move round the State for the sake of humanity.
“I understand that today’s Mid-Term Review Meeting is to assess implementation of the HEALTH AND NUTRITION EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROJECT launched earlier on. This is a positive step. As someone from the private sector, I can say that Review and supervision are twin bridges to success in implementing any initiative. In fact, lack of adequate supervision is mostly responsible for failure of most programmes in the public sector.I will therefore urge stakeholders to use today’s Mid-Term Review to, in their usual meaningful ways, recommend ways to strength supervision and implementation of the project. Our goal should be how to increase beneficiaries without compromising standards,” Gov. Shettima said.
Kashim also took time to remind the Federal Government on some of the promises made to Borno state which include the promises for the establishment of a Radio Diagnostic Centre at the State Specialist Hospital; the establishment of a Burns Centre at Umaru Shehu Ultra-Modern Hospital and the Completion of the Drugs Store under Construction at Molai, stressing that those promises if fulfilled will bring a lot of positive impact on the health of Borno people.
Goodwill message were presented by the WHO, UNICEF, the Representative of the minister of State Budget and Economic Planning among others.
Sunday Saanu, former media aide to Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole extols the virtues of the scholar and astute administrator, who clocks 63 this week
His story vividly illustrates the popular saying that the best reward for hard work is an opportunity to do more. He was about concluding his five-year single tenure as the 11th Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan (UI) in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari rewarded the spirit of hard work in him with a fresh appointment as Health Minister.
However , critics of Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole had thought he would soon collapse on the job for he has never taken time to rest, given the enormity of the job he did in UI. But, instead of manifesting signs of fatigue, the Health Minister keeps waxing stronger, traversing the length and breadth of the country in service of humanity. He is 63 years old today, having been born on 5 May 1954. Who says heroes are not born to do more?
His cerebral endowments startle everyone. From primary through secondary schools, he posted a unique and unassailable impressive record of coming first in his class. At Ilesa Grammar School which he attended between 1966 and 1972, his mates testified that “any time there was a competition involving physics, chemistry, biology, you could be certain that Isaac would carry the day!” He repeated the same academic wizardry at the University of Ibadan when he enrolled as a National Award Scholar in 1973 and obtained his MB.BS degree in 1978, winning the Glaxo Allenbury prize for the best overall performance in Pediatrics. Any wonder he is Health Minister today?
Having worked with him for five years as his Media Assistant, this writer is of the view that Prof. Adewole is a man of amazing grace and courtly civility. He is not just a star, but a shining star among the galaxy of stars. “Ifa”, (oracle) as he is being fondly addressed by his close friends, is indeed a beacon and blistering light in usually impossible tunnels. Part of his greatest assets is his belief in himself, and those not so sure-footed confuse such passion of conviction as arrogance. But he never gets discouraged even when his motives are misjudged.
Practically, in all his undertakings, Prof. Adewole usually demonstrates outstanding resourcefulness, foresight and dogged determination in his efforts to make marks. Immediately President Buhari appointed him, those who knew what he could do believed that a new day has dawned in Health Sector. And, so far, he has not disappointed the nation in his service delivery. He has been fighting the menace of meningitis with zest and aplomb. He has led doctors to carry out fistula surgeries across the country. It is thrilling seeing him on television performing surgery operations despite his status as Minister. He is in his element when it comes to health matters.
Indeed, President Buhari made the right choice with his appointment as Health Minister. In my recent visit to him in his office in Abuja, Prof. Adewole spoke passionately about his desire to ensure that Nigerians get the best health-care delivery. According to him, “the health sector is like the economy and you cannot separate the health sector from the economy. In fact, many countries have improvements in their economy when they recorded improvements in health sector: Malaysia, Thailand among others are ready examples”. As part of his strategic plans therefore, the erudite Health Minister promised to revitalize the Primary Health Care policy because that is the base. Prof. Adewole noted that 70 percent of Nigerians could receive care at Primary Care level”.
He came into his present office on the wave-crest of his outstanding performance in UI as VC. Prof. Adewole’s administration in UI had significant impact on the taste and tone of the institution’s social and cultural landscape. Any day, any time, he stands out on his own perch as he is perceptually acute.
Interestingly, one of his strong points is his ability to quickly network and share with people of like minds. Prof. Adewole, in other words, could be described as a creative cultivator of acquaintanceship and companionship. His network of his friends, associates and admirers cut across the strata of Nigerian society and beyond. For instance, one of his friends, retired Prof. Dieter Wenzel from far away Wroclaw, Poland challenged me to ensure that this tribute is done for the Health Minister, saying, “Isaac is a transcendental icon who deserves to be celebrated. If a foreigner could be so passionate about our own IFA, why should we then find it difficult to applaud this rare breed?
With all the swagger that is all his, Prof. Adewole conducts himself with class and confidence. His charisma, as well as his camaraderie is difficult to ignore! He enjoys taking the route less travelled to achieve his aim. He is fearless; he freely shares his confidence with people and keeps his fright to himself. He does his due diligence on any matter. Prof. Adewole will neither call a meeting, nor attend any, without first of all, reading through all the relevant documents and available literature. He hardly sleeps. At different occasions, I have sent messages to him in the middle of the night when you probably think he would be sleeping, to your surprise, he would just reply, leaving you wondering if he ever sleeps.
Above all, Prof, Adewole is a man of prayer, highly spiritual somewhat. He dissects issues spiritually, just as he constantly admonishes you to go and pray on any nagging matter. There was a time I went to his office and complained against persecution from certain quarters. His response was as shocking as it was consolatory. “Go and relax”, he said to my amazement. His words “you are saying they hate you, what about Jesus Christ, did they not hate Him? What about me, did they not persecute me before I became VC? Did they not write petition against me? How can you be writing such articles and be getting popular and you think they will love you?” Case closed, so I went back to my office.
Strikingly, Prof. Adewole does not reward beneficence with ingratitude. He recognizes every good deed and appropriately rewards such. He will call you and thank you profusely and normally conclude his conversation with “cheers”. At public functions, his audiences are never, and will never be bored with his delivery. He usually garnishes issues at stake with humour and rib-cracking jokes. He always has a way of keeping the ball on the bounce!
However, since there is no error-proof man in life, Prof. Adewole certainly has his own foibles. Part of his idiosyncrasies to the best of my knowledge, may not probably be intentional, but could definitely be hurting. He often finds it difficult to fulfill some of the promises he makes. Perhaps as a result of pressure. This could probably be forgiven as every man has his limitations. But, beyond this, Prof. Adewole is highly gregarious. He is awesome. His present exploits and feats are to the pride of his mentees and devotees among whom I am happy to be numbered.
At 63, he has indeed remained a rare role model. God’s favours upon him are immeasurable. From a little seed, he has become a great oak. It is my prayer that he lives much longer before he becomes an ancestor. Prof. Adewole was born on 5th May, 1954. He attended Ilesa Grammar School from 1966-1972 and even at that tender age he was a role model to his schoolmates, on account of his good conduct, exemplary character and exceptional brilliance. He obtained Grade 1 with Distinction in his West African School Certificate in 1970 and scored AAC grades at the Higher School Certificate Examination in 1972.
He enrolled as a National Award Scholar at the University of Ibadan in 1973. He obtained his MB BS degree in 1978. He underwent further medical training in Nigeria, becoming a Senior Registrar in theDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University College Hospital (UCH),Ibadan, in 1984. He then proceeded to the United Kingdom for a Research Fellowship in the Department of Medical Oncology at Charing Cross Hospital in London. He was appointed UI VC in 2010 and completed the tenure in 2015 upon which he was appointed Health Minister.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, may have been locked in a supremacy battle, it was learnt yesterday.
The Ministry of Health supervises the NHIS, but has denied any rift between the two professors of medicine. But there are signs of a frosty relationship between the duo.
The Nation gathered that Yusuf was quick to say that he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to salvage the scheme which had been riddled with fraud and, therefore, responsible to the president alone.
In carrying out his duties, it was learnt, the NHIS boss boycotted the Ministry of Health, which did not go down well with Adewole.
A source cited a recent instruction from the minister, which the ES refused to carry out. He was told to restore Ilorin as one of the two regional offices for North Central but he refused.
Also, there is the issue of the 15 people on secondment to the agency at Yusuf’s instance. The Executive Secretary brought in the 15 people from outside to occupy vacant positions after a redeployment.
Some NHIS workers kicked against the action and petitioned the minister who in turn directed Yusuf to reverse his action as it did not follow laid down rules.
The alleged tension between Adewole and Yusuf is reportedly fuelled by corrupt officials who do not want sanity restored in the NHIS.
The Convener of Governance with Responsibility Project, an NGO, Mr. Funsho Tajudeen, in a statement, warned that the sour relationship between Adewole and Yusuf could threaten the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government’s agenda on healthcare.
While acknowledging that both professors are men of integrity, Tajudeen said some corrupt elements in the health insurance industry were desperately trying to create a wedge between Adewole and Yusuf by leveraging on primordial sentiments.
But a ministry source denied any rift between the Minister and the NHIS boss.
“Prof. Yusuf, on Tuesday, complied with Prof. Adewole’s directive to remove the 15 workers he brought into the scheme, which was part of the issues in the petition raised against him by protesting workers.
“Besides, he has also reversed to the old arrangement of two zonal offices for North Central zone,” the source said.
But this may not be the end of the disquiet in the scheme as other issues are being raised.
Tajudeen raised other salient issues, amongst which was the alleged diversion of huge funds meant for the agency’s operation.
Among the sharp practices raging in NHIS, according to him, are unauthorised/unbudgeted and illegal payment of N1.05 billion to Health Management Organisations (HMOs), under the guise of arrears, as reported by the 2015 Auditor-General of the federation’s report.
On December 22, 2014 N193.3 billion was paid into a fixed deposits on one day with 11 banks at 2 per cent interest rate, at the time when the CBN’s prevailing interest rate was 9.2 per cent, it was alleged.
As at March 31, 2015, more than 70 per cent of HMO’s refused to pay hospitals that rendered services to enrollees – N2,442,891,628.95 for capitation and N298,334,233.01 for service in 19 northern states and N318,428,275.75 for capitation and N49,936,529.29 for service in 17 southern states.
This is all despite that all HMO’s collected billions of Naira in 2015 and 2016. Thus, the total amount due to hospitals and being held illegally by some HMO’s, from the verification conducted in March 2017, stands at N3,109, 590,667.00.
An undeveloped land adjacent to NHIS head office in Utako, Abuja was purchased at N990 million (N90 million) vide a voucher, dated January 12, 2015, when the amount in the 2015 NHIS budget was N500 million. Even then, there was neither ministerial nor FEC approval for the purchase, it was alleged.
All decisions were approved by the management committee who are unauthorised for that volume of expenditure. ICPC interim report, dated November 15, 2015, reference No: ICPC/P/NC557/2015, captured the scenario aptly. N10.085 billion of NHIS money with Heritage Bank (account 5900000386) is still being held by the bank more than 14 months after the start of the Treasury Single Account (TSA). This is despite a written undertaking by the bank to transfer the money to the TSA.
Not less than N11.297 billion is being withheld by a bank. The money is neither transferred to TSA nor accessible to NHIS, according to the document .
Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole has asked the Borno State Commissioner of Health Dr. Haruna Mshelia to take over the case of one Kwazo Malilah, an elderly Internally Displaced wman, at Madinatu IDP camp who had a swollen breast and needed an urgent medical attention.
The attention of the health minister was drawn to her case by a twitter user Morocco@ibrahimu14 who had appealed to the minister to help her. A few days later a former minister Dr. Oby Ezekwezili had in a tweet also did the same.
Prof Adewole has therefore directed the commissioner to locate her and send her for treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
This directive has led to twitter users lauding the action of the minister who through the Minister’s twitter handle @Fmohnigeria gave the directive. One The Godfather @Ayourb called on the minister ‘to urgently intervene on the condition of a young girl who had jaw tumour and allegedly not been attended to well by doctors at the National Hospital, Abuja.” The Minister promptly took up the case and according to a tweet from the Minister’s handle @Fmohnigeria, an eight hour surgery to remove the girl’s pharyngeal mass was carried out by a combined team of Paediatric, Maxilofacial and ENT surgeons. The Minister was also reported via his twitter handle to have paid an unannounced visit to the young girl at National Hospital, yesterday, and to encourage the team of nurses, anaesthetists and surgeons.
•No plan to build new ones
The Federal Government has no plan to build new Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said.
He told The Nation by phone yesterday that there is no truth in a media report that government planned to build 10,000 primary health centres across the country.
He said that on the contrary, government will “revitalize and not build new ones.”
But it will, in doing this, “partner with states to build where the facility has been destroyed or absent.”
“For instance, in Borno State about 60 percent of the PHCs have been destroyed while about 20 percent also suffered the same fate in Yobe and Adamawa states.
“What we intend to do is to revitalize these and make them functional. In some other states, the PHCs are enough and we only need to make that functional and effective.”
The minister said making these primary health centres across the country fully functional will facilitate the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and substantially reduce the pressure on secondary and tertiary health care facilities.
Prof. Adewole added that the inter ministerial committee in charge of this project is chaired by Finance Minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
The Committee is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring a sustainable financing plan for the scheme.
He added that the plan is to move away from the past practices where PHCs are built and not sustainable.
“We don’t just want to put money there and it disappears,” he declared.
He said in spite of the present economic challenges, the health ministry under his watch has developed one of the most ambitious health programmes in Africa under universal health coverage using primary health care as the fulcrum and that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has no plans to suspend its commitment to the uplifting of the health sector.
He said so far 110 PHCs across the country have been selected as pilot for the revitalized project and that the inter- ministerial committee will give monthly reports of its finding to the Presidency.
He emphasized that at no time did the federal government or the ministry of health plan to build primary health centres across the country, this he said was the clear responsibility of states and local governments which the federal government does not want to take away from them.
Prof Adewole also said: “In fulfilling the campaign promises of the President, several active strategies have been put in place by the Health Ministry to drastically reduce the maternal and under five mortality rates and that all hands are on deck to change the trajectory and remove Nigeria from the pariah status nation that we have founded ourselves.
“We are committed to eliminating wastes while promoting a culture of accountability and transparency. The war against polio is being fought vigorously and we intend to make Nigeria polio free. We are also committed to placing 500,000 people living with HIV on treatment with support of our partners and will tackle the scourge of TB with renewed vigour. The FMOH will work to reduce the need to Nigerians to travel abroad for medical reasons from 2017.”
He reiterated the commitment of the Buhari Administration the upliftment of the health of all citizens
Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole, Friday directed tertiary hospitals across the country to save patients’ lives first during emergency cases before demanding for money.
Adewole, spoke during a facility tour of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said people’s lives were more important than the money being demanded before treatment.
According to him, accidents, among other emergency cases can occur at anytime, so patients should not be refrained from accessing treatment.
Adewole advised hospitals not to allow patients stay beyond a day at the Accident and Emergency (A and E) ward to enable them have room for other new patients on emergency.
He urged LUTH management to ensure that the poor receive treatment, stressing that the hospital should operate a social system to enable it know those that are genuinely poor.
“We cannot continue to turn poor patients away from the hospitals. The poverty indicator shows that 60 to 70 percent of Nigerians is poor. This means about 100 million people are poor in Nigeria. So, we will provide basic care through the primary health care (PHC) system for Nigerians,” he said.
He lamented poor funding of the health care, saying there was chronic underfunding of the sector.
Moreover, Nigerians and the media should take the fight to increase health budget to the front burner because health is wealth. “The sick cannot make the country strong,” the minister said.
He charged patients with minor ailments to visit primary health care (PHC) centres rather than going to teaching hospitals.
Prof Adewole said Nigeria needs 140 radiotherapy machines, adding that the seven machines now available were inadequate.
“Only two or three presently work at a time. Poor power supply has marred our effort to keep the machines running regularly. If power improves, the equipment will last longer,” he said.
He charged people to improve their lifestyle, exercise and eat healthily.
Besides, they should have regular checkups.
“Many late cancer cases cannot be cured
MINISTER of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole yesterday shocked members of the Senate Committee on Health when he informed the committee that the original budget of his ministry had been largely distorted.
He claimed that strange figures were smuggled into the budget.
The minister’s revelation might have reinforced the Senate’s claim that the 2016 budget had been tampered with.
The minister urged the committee to discard the budget proposal before it and await a new estimate to be re-submitted today. He assured members of the committee that the new proposal would reflect the programmes of the health sector for the year.
Adewole’s revelation forced Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, to convene a closed door session with the minister apparently to discuss the development.
The minister told the committee that there were some health issues on which conclusions had not been made by the ministry and yet allocations were made on them without the ministry’s knowledge.
Adewole insisted that the provisions of the budget before the National Assembly was in contrast with the priorities of the health sector as contained in the original budget it prepared and submitted to the budget office.
He noted that some of the votes earmarked by the ministry for some activities had been re-distributed while some important areas in the sector had been excluded.
He said: “In the revised budget as re-submitted, N15.7 billion for capital allocation has been moved to other areas. Some allocations made are not in keeping with our priorities. There is nothing allocated to public health and family health. Over the last two years, nothing has been done on HIV…
“We have to look into the details of the budget and re-submit it to the committee. This was not what we submitted. We’ll submit another one. We don’t want anything foreign to creep into that budget. What we submitted is not there. We have not reached that stage and we find the money there.”
The committee chairman noted that given the submission of the minister, the budget before the committee was not the proposal of the Health Ministry.
He added that it would be out of place to work on a budget that had already been disowned by the minister.
He said: “Honourable minister, we need to have an executive session. You said about this budget that public health is not there. Obviously, the budget we are looking at now is not your own.”
Adewole responded: “Yes, it’s not. We’ll submit the revised document tomorrow (today). It will be an updated version of what you have.”
The minister also said State House Clinic to which N3.9 billion had been allocated in the budget at the expense of other hospitals put together which got far less allocations, is not under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.
He explained that the clinic is under the Presidency.
Adewole said the figure might not have been the original allocation to the clinic by State House, noting that the original allocation might have been inflated by the same forces, which, he said, had distorted his ministry’s original estimates.
Tejuosho noted that since the minister said that State House Clinic was not under the watch of the Health Ministry, it also implied that the Health Committee’s oversight function did not extend to the clinic.
He added that it is the responsibility of the Special Duties’ Committee to engage the State House on the budget for the clinic.
The minister allayed the fears of Nigerians about Zika virus that is ravaging some countries.
He noted that the virus had been in the country since 1954, but had been unable to harm citizens because Nigerians had developed strong resistance to it.
The minister said the virus should be ignored.
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole Tuesday announced the escape of a Lassa fever patient in Ebonyi state.
The patient, whose identity was not made public, it was learnt escaped from the health facility where he was receiving treatment.
The minister made the disclosure during the emergency meeting of National Council on Health in Abuja. The National Council on Health is the highest advisory body on health in the country.
The minister also inaugurated the 15 member Lassa fever eradication committee, to address the outbreak of the disease and other communicable disease in the country. The committee is headed by Prof.
The minister while the meeting was on announced to the entire gathering that he just received a text that a Lassa fever patient had escaped from a health facility in Ebonyi while undergoing treatment.
The minister therefore urged the relevant agency and the state government to do everything possible to trace the patient and those who might have had contact with the patient.
The Emergency session of the National Council on Health (NCH) on Lassa Fever Outbreak approved that a high index of suspicion should be maintained and the surveillance systems should be robust enough to detect further infections.
Other decision reached at the meeting also approved the inauguration of the Multi-Sectoral Lassa Fever Eradication Committee and also implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Response Strategy.
The meeting broadly aimed to lay the foundation for a Multi-Sectoral Response to the Lassa Fever Outbreak which has claimed about 46 lives since the outbreak of the disease in August 2015 in Niger.
Council received a presentation from Prof. Isaac F. Adewole, Hon. Minister of Health titled “Laying the Foundation for a Multi-Sectoral Response to Lassa Fever”. The presentation elucidated the Multi-Sectoral Response Strategy for the control of Lassa fever and other similar diseases.
He called on all the States to strengthen their surveillance systems, report all cases and collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health in the successful implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Response Strategy. Six Councils also received a presentation on Epidemiological Situation of the current Lassa Fever Outbreak in Nigeria including available Response Infrastructure/Resource requirements by Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi, National Coordinator/CEO, NCDC; updates from Lassa Fever affected states who detailed the progression of the outbreak(s) in their states and current efforts to contain and prevent further spread of the disease and reassure the affected Communities; as well as updates from CMDs/MDs of Federal Tertiary Health Institutions located within the affected States on their response and high index of suspicion towards all cases coming to their institutions, their management of confirmed cases, and measures being implemented to prevent nosocomial spread within their facilities as well as their community outreach efforts.
The Council also observed that unlike Ebola, Lassa fever is treatable if detected early and there are adequate treatment centres spread across the country. Council therefore reassured the Public on the adequacy of the response to the outbreak and urged the Public, Community and Religious leaders to cooperate with the Health Agencies in their States to ensure prompt reporting of any suspected case.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the inaugurated Lassa fever committee, Prof. Oyewole Tomori has disabused the mind of the people on the possibility of eradicating the disease.
Tomori said that as far as there are rodents it will be impossible to eradicate the disease.
He however said that what the committee will work hard at is to ensure that the disease is brought under control to the point that it is no longer an epidemic.
He said: “We cannot eradicate Lassa fever but we can control it as not to allow it to become an epidemic.”
He further tresses that it is not that the country does not know what to do but “We don’t put our money where our mouth is.”
He therefore added that “this committee is not about Lassa alone but one that tackles all communicable diseases.
On the expected challenge the committee might encounter, Prof. Tomori said main challenge the committee might encounter could be in the area of funds.
He however said with the assurance given by the minister, it is believed that is over.
Tomori also said that it was important for the committee to properly utilize the funds that will be released to it in a transparent manner.
Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole has called on members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution (NASU) to support the new Minister of Education in developing the educational system in the country.
The Minister gave this charge while addressing the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of NASU in Abuja.
Addressing delegates, Adewole noted that NASU constitutes a stabilizing factor in the university system. As a result, its leaders should always seek dialogue and engagement in crisis management in their various establishments in order to achieve more for the sector.
Adewole who was presented with a fellowship Award of the union by the President, Comrade Ladi Ilya, said that a worker is an asset not a liability and as such should be seen as the most important factor of production. He added that well-motivated workers are key to the progress of any organisation.
Comrade Ilya said the award was in recognition of Adewole’s tremendous assistance to NASU during his tenure as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. She also said it was to encourage him to do more for Nigeria and the health sector in particular.