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  • ‘Sustain excellence in healthcare delivery’

    ‘Sustain excellence in healthcare delivery’

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged stakeholders in health to deepen and sustain excellence in service delivery. The governor said consistent quality is key to achieving resilient health outcomes.

    Sanwo-Olu spoke in Lagos at this year’s Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA), an annual event that celebrates service, innovation, and dedication among healthcare providers and institutions driving transformation in the sector.

    Often referred to as the ‘Oscars of Nigerian Healthcare’, NHEA 2025 got support from PharmAccess Foundation, DCL Laboratory Products, and other partners, with endorsements from major bodies, including Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), and the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN).

    The event brought together top government officials, leaders in healthcare, and key stakeholders from health, including Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda and Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako.

    Represented by Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, the governor noted that recognising excellence in healthcare is critical to driving progress in our health system.

    He added: “The achievements celebrated tonight, whether in quality improvement, health financing, or service delivery, reflect the resilience and commitment of healthcare professionals.

    “It is encouraging to see categories that highlight quality improvement, such as those supported by PharmAccess through SafeCare platform, which encourage facilities to raise standards…”

    With 100 nominees in 29 categories, the organisers said the awards attracted thousands online votes, reflecting the recognition and engagement from stakeholders.

    Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation, Njide Ndili, said through the foundation’s flagship SafeCare Quality Programme, PharmAccess recognided facilities demonstrating continuous improvement, patient safety, and operational excellence, especially in resource-constrained settings.

    Reflecting on PharmAccess Foundation’s decade-long collaboration with the Nigeria Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) to spotlight healthcare facilities committed to quality care through the internationally recognised SafeCare methodology, Ndili explained that the partnership stemmed from the foundation’s unwavering commitment to advancing quality healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

    She emphasised the critical effect that honouring the outstanding service, innovation, and dedication of healthcare providers and institutions could have on transforming the nation’s health sector.

    Ndili said: “We are proud of our continued partnership with NHEA in spotlighting healthcare providers who prioritise quality.”

    The country director emphasised the critical effect of honouring those who render outstanding service, demonstrate innovation, and exhibit dedication to duty among healthcare providers and institutions, saying this could have on the country’s health sector.

    She said: “We are proud of our continued partnership with NHEA in spotlighting healthcare providers who prioritise quality.

    Read Also: Jimoh Ibrahim faults IMF, World Bank, insists Nigeria is world’s 42nd biggest economy

    “The SafeCare programme helps facilities embed continuous improvement practices, regardless of their size or resource level.

    “Our mission remains clear – to drive measurable quality improvements that translate into better health outcomes for all Nigerians.”

    The Project Director of NHEA, Dr. Wale Alabi, said the platform has continued to be a platform that celebrates not just excellence but also the progress and resilience of our healthcare system.

    “This year, we honour leaders and institutions shaping real outcomes, expanding access, driving innovation, and transforming healthcare delivery in Nigeria,” he said.

    At this year’s event, Orile Agege General Hospital won the ‘Most Active Public Facility on the SafeCare Quality Platform’, edging out Ikorodu General Hospital, Ibeju Lekki General Hospital, and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital.

    The ‘Facility with the Highest SafeCare Quality Score and Level’ went to South Shore Women and Children’s Hospital, ahead of R-Jolad Hospital, Lifeline Children’s Hospital, and Lakeshore Cancer Centre.

    Beyond the SafeCare categories, the night also honoured achievements in broader healthcare excellence, including joint recognition of LASHMA and KTSCHMA as State Government Health Insurance of the Year, along with the awards for Public and Private Healthcare Providers of the Year, Telemedicine Company of the Year, Biomedical Engineering Service Company of the Year, and the Diaspora Excellence Award.

    A Special ‘Recognition Award for Transformative Healthcare Leadership’ was also presented to Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda for his significant contributions to improving healthcare in the state.

  • Doctorcare247 brings convenience, access to healthcare delivery

    Doctorcare247, an integrated telehealth platform that enables doctors and other healthcare specialists to diagnose and treat patients online, has been launched in Lagos. At  the heart of the telehealth package are features to provide access, aid service delivery, and bring convenience to users, thus promising to bring about a revolution in the way healthcare is accessed and delivered in the country.

    At the formal unveiling of the service, Chucks Chibundu, chief executive officer of Doctorcare247, said the platform is designed to change the landscape of healthcare delivery in Nigeria. According to him, the primary reason for creating the online platform is to bring convenience to the people, especially now that patients clamour for convenience and quick access instead of spending their precious time on endless queues in hospitals waiting to access treatment.

    It provides round-the-clock e-health consultations through doctors and specialists certified by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council, the professional health regulatory body for the professions of medicine and dentistry in the country. What this means is that the platform provided by Doctorcare247 can help users to break the barriers of distance, travel time, logistics and long waiting hours in hospitals because its features allow patients to access quality healthcare services from medical providers online, anytime and anywhere.

    “What we have done is to make sure that patients can get healthcare services whenever and wherever they need them. People are searching for convenience; they want everything delivered to their doorsteps. So, imagine you don’t have to go to the hospital and wait for hours just to see a doctor. That is what Doctorecare247 will do for you. You can easily consult your doctor via audio, video calls and text, instead of going to the hospital,” Chibundu said.

    While acknowledging that telehealth is an entirely new thing in Nigeria, Chibundu said he is optimistic that Doctorcare247 is an idea whose time has come because experience has shown that Nigerians, like their counterparts abroad, want convenience in everything they do, including shopping. When the idea started two years ago, the health technology expert and former banker said he decided to travel around the world to learn more about the features and drivers of their telehealth industry and how these can be localised in the country to the benefit of everyone. “I remember two years ago, when the idea came, people questioned why I wanted to go into something that had not been done. Why not?  That was my response, because I was convinced of the efficacy of the solution and the need and gap it was going to fill,” he said.

    Through the use of information and communication technology, Doctorcare247 seeks to bring virtual access to its users for treatments such as general wellness, child wellness, mental wellness, lifestyle management and remote patient management. Its features show that the doctor-patient consultations are done via a secure high definition video chat, texts or calls with all records held in a secure cloud storage. With a mobile device such as computer, laptop or phone, a patient can schedule consultation sessions at his or her convenience through a branded application on IOS, Android or via the web. Its promoters said consultations will be done via a secure communication channel in high definition video, audio and text chat between patients and remote healthcare providers such as doctors and consultants. The platform is built to transmit images, data and sound in real-time, while patients can also post questions about simple health conditions under text consultations.

    At the unveiling ceremony, Foluke Akinniranye, chief retail officer of HealthPlus Ltd, a fast-growing pharmacy chain, said her company has investigated Doctorcare247 and can confirm that it is credible, adding that it is what Nigeria needs at this time to address issues of lack of access to healthcare, self-medication and self-prescription. Akinniranye, who said she has worked in the United States’s health sector for 20 years before returning home last year, attested to the efficacy of telehealth and stressed that Doctorcare247 can help the government in fulfilling its mandate of providing quality healthcare services to citizens. She enjoined hospitals, laboratories, pharmacy stores and health management organisations in the country to exploit the opportunities provided by the platform to further bring succour to their clients.

    Her position aligned with the views and experiences of people – both doctors and patients – who have used the service and provided testimonials and endorsements for the telehealth platform. An elated Charles Odibo, a public relations expert who compered at the ceremony, also applauded the innovation as a platform that is set to take Nigeria’s healthcare delivery to its next level where citizens will be empowered with access to healthcare delivery at the best convenience possible, instead of spending time agonising in hospitals. “Doctorcare247 is about accessing healthcare anytime and anywhere. It is about giving convenience and access to medical practitioners 24 hours in a day and seven days a week. It is exciting because you can easily reach a pharmacy, a doctor, even a laboratory from your phone. This will help the overall healthcare of the country,” he enthused.

    Thanks to the rising popularity of telehealth, which has contributed to the widespread use of apps by clinicians and their patients, a transformation in the delivery of health information and services is fast taking place around the world – a development Doctorcare247 seeks to bring to the fingertips of all Nigerians. In the United States, for example, the platform has triggered a swift shift in the country’s healthcare landscape. Studies suggest that two-thirds of health IT executives in the US believe that the use of mobile technology will substantially or dramatically impact the delivery of healthcare in the future and that the use of mobile devices by physicians to view patient information or access non-protected health information is widespread, and the percentage of clinicians using apps to actively engage in direct patient care has grown in the past years.

    With about 169 million mobile phone subscribers and penetration rate of more than 84 per cent, Chibundu believes Nigeria is Africa’s undisputed largest mobile phone market and a goldmine waiting to be tapped. “The Nigerian digital health space is largely virgin. Government is currently pushing technology and healthcare policies that are aimed at ensuring Nigeria takes advantage of global trends to align and enhance local efforts for desired benefits to Nigerians. Our initiative through Doctorcare247 is to complement efforts of government at building capacity that supports universal healthcare for all, albeit driven by technology.

    “We hereby enjoin all stakeholders in the healthcare space: medical practitioners, corporate organisations, government and individuals to embrace this new and convenient cost-effective solution that would provide opportunity for prompt access to deserving healthcare services. Hospitals and healthcare providers can conveniently extend their services to patients beyond the walls of their locations, using our virtual platform,” Chibundu said.

    To further drive the platform’s acceptability among the populace, a popular Nollywood actress, Roselyn Meurer, was unveiled as Doctorcare247’s brand ambassador. The Doctorcare247 founder said she possesses the right profile and personality that fit “what we are doing here and what we look to achieve.” As the brand ambassador, Meurer promised to use her huge followership on her social media handles and her presence in the film industry to propagate the gospel of Doctorcare247 to all Nigerians “because I am also passionate about any platform that brings access and convenience to healthcare delivery in my country.”

     

  • Chamber seeks improved healthcare delivery through ICT

    To improve healthcare delivery, there is the need for investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has said.

    Its President, Oluwatoyin Akomolafe, said incorporating ICT into healthcare would improve the quality of health care, safety, and efficiency of public health service delivery.

    He also said it would also improve the public health information infrastructure, support health care in the community and at home, while also facilitating clinical and consumer decision-making.

    Akomolafe, who spoke at the inauguration of the chamber’s Healthcare Sector Group in Lagos, added that incorporating ICT tools into the healthcare delivery system would boost skills and knowledge.

    The NACC Healthcare Sector Group was inaugurated at its Breakfast Meeting in Lagos. The meeting themed “Improving quality outcomes through health information” was sponsored by Flying Doctors Nigeria and Zenith Carex Limited.

    The Healthcare Sector Group is expected to provide a platform for engagement by member-companies within the same industry.

    It would also provide the needed platform for member companies to collaborate, undertake sector-focused advocacy and grow together with support from the secretariat.

    Akomolafe, represented by the Chamber’s National Treasurer, Dr. Ikenna Nwaosu, noted that the traditional way of solving health problems was outdated hence the need to leverage on ICT to improve healthcare delivery system.

    He said lack of adequate funding worsened the crisis in the health care sector in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. He, however, said access to ICT tolls would change the narrative.

    “With the significant growth in Internet access in urban areas, health-care workers can adopt its usage for communication, access to relevant health-care information, and international collaboration.

    “ICT can improve the quality of care patients receive by averting medical errors, improving communication and boosting efficiency,” he stated.

    Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National President, Dr. Francis Faduyile, observed that the healthcare system was mostly paper-based, with manually operated documentation system.

    He noted that the system was sub-optimal, as healthcare providers lacked the right computing skills proportional to their responsibilities.

    He observed that patient information and direct clinical examination in most health institutions were still being drawn from paper–based records, which is slow and cumbersome.

    Faduyile listed other challenges associated with the analogue healthcare system to include lack of uniformity and standards, inaccessibility, and inaccuracy.

    He, therefore, said there was the need for advocacy, especially among health providers to adopt health information technology to drive health care.

    He also said there was a need for collaboration among agencies and professional associations in the sector to ensure the deployment of ICT in healthcare.

    Flying Doctors Nigeria founder Dr. Ola Brown highlighted the pillars of healthcare reform to include primary care expansion, healthcare financing, maternal/child health and centralisation of tertiary care.

    Brown identified logistics as one of the most important aspects of healthcare, adding that air ambulances would help address this challenge.

     

  • Chamber seeks improved healthcare delivery through ICT

    To improve healthcare delivery, there is the need for investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has said.

    Its President, Oluwatoyin Akomolafe, said incorporating ICT into healthcare would improve the quality of health care, safety, and efficiency of public health service delivery.

    He also said it would also improve the public health information infrastructure, support health care in the community and at home, while also facilitating clinical and consumer decision-making.

    Akomolafe, who spoke at the inauguration of the chamber’s Healthcare Sector Group in Lagos, added that incorporating ICT tools into the healthcare delivery system would boost skills and knowledge.

    The NACC Healthcare Sector Group was inaugurated at its Breakfast Meeting in Lagos. The meeting themed “Improving quality outcomes through health information” was sponsored by Flying Doctors Nigeria and Zenith Carex Limited.

    The Healthcare Sector Group is expected to provide a platform for engagement by member-companies within the same industry.

    Read also: Chamber seeks foreign tech for business growth

    It would also provide the needed platform for member companies to collaborate, undertake sector-focused advocacy and grow together with support from the secretariat.

    Akomolafe, represented by the Chamber’s National Treasurer, Dr. Ikenna Nwaosu, noted that the traditional way of solving health problems was outdated hence the need to leverage on ICT to improve healthcare delivery system.

    He said lack of adequate funding worsened the crisis in the health care sector in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. He, however, said access to ICT tolls would change the narrative.

    “With the significant growth in Internet access in urban areas, health-care workers can adopt its usage for communication, access to relevant health-care information, and international collaboration.

    “ICT can improve the quality of care patients receive by averting medical errors, improving communication and boosting efficiency,” he stated.

    Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National President, Dr. Francis Faduyile, observed that the healthcare system was mostly paper-based, with manually operated documentation system.

    He noted that the system was sub-optimal, as healthcare providers lacked the right computing skills proportional to their responsibilities.

    He observed that patient information and direct clinical examination in most health institutions were still being drawn from paper–based records, which is slow and cumbersome.

    Faduyile listed other challenges associated with the analogue healthcare system to include lack of uniformity and standards, inaccessibility, and inaccuracy.

    He, therefore, said there was the need for advocacy, especially among health providers to adopt health information technology to drive health care.

    He also said there was a need for collaboration among agencies and professional associations in the sector to ensure the deployment of ICT in healthcare.

    Flying Doctors Nigeria founder Dr. Ola Brown highlighted the pillars of healthcare reform to include primary care expansion, healthcare financing, maternal/child health and centralisation of tertiary care.

    Brown identified logistics as one of the most important aspects of healthcare, adding that air ambulances would help address this challenge.

     

  • My vision for healthcare delivery, by Ohuabunwa

    Ahead of his inauguration, the newly-elected president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, has unveiled a seven-point agenda on how he will improve healthcare delivery, reports ADEKUNLE YUSUF

    The new president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Sam Ohuabunwa, has promised to improve the health sector.

    At his maiden briefing in Lagos to herald his inauguration, the industrialist unveiled a seven-point agenda.

    To achieve this, Ohuabunwa, a pharmacist, said top on his list is the provision of a framework for healthcare.

    The PSN chief also said he would integrate pharmaceutical care and actualise take-off of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) for proper drug distribution to reduce adulterated and fake drugs in the market.

    On drug and substance abuse, he said the problem would stop when pharmacists were allowed to take the custody of drugs as it is done globally and educated Nigerians on the effects drugs abuse.

    “We can all agree that our country will fare better if, we (pharmacists), take control of drugs and medicines as it is done in civilised climes of the world.The carefree attitudes with which drugs have been handled have resulted in the hydra-headed monster of drugs and substance abuse, and we are struggling to take control. If nothing drastic is done, our security indices, which is frightening, may worsen and the entire security fabric of our nation may collapse,” he warned.

    The industrialist added that he would boost ehance pharmacists welfare and let their voices count on drug-related issues.

    ”We shall protect and fence the profession. As you know, every service you can get from many sources no longer attracts respect.  If people can access medicines anywhere, anyhow, in the market, on the street, on the road, then the role and significance of a pharmacist is diluted.  So, our desire is to protect the profession and create an environment that will ensure that the way drugs are distributed and handled gives opportunity for both the empowerment of pharmacists and gives integrity to medicines.

    “I know we’ve been speaking about this for a long time and I’m happy that the government has provided some guidelines for drug distribution to limit the availability of drugs in wrong hands. I will work with PCN and other relevant bodies to ensure that the guidelines are properly implemented.”

    Also integral to his agenda are issues of equity and fair play as well as proper remuneration of pharmacists in the public and private sectors. He promised to  solve the rivalry problem in the setor, which he said, would bring about improvement in healthcare delivery. “Look at hospital pharmacy; it is marginalised. When I was a young pharmacist, the difference between what I earned and what my young medical doctor colleague earned was so small.  It was because they were just one grade above us, because they spent one year more on education.

    “Now, the number of years in training is becoming similar, but the gap in income has widened. I believe this is because we have not appropriately made our case to the right quarters. There are agencies of government mandated with fixing of salaries and we need to show what the job profile of a pharmacist is and its relativity to other healthcare and non-healthcare workers and professions,” he said.

    The former Neimeth boss also promised to push for the signing into law of the Pharmacy Bill, which has been passed by the National Assembly, but awaiting presidential assent. According to him, the bill is not for pharmacists alone, but all Nigerians because it promises to revolutionise and strengthen all aspects of pharmacy and healthcare.

    Displeased by the hardships young pharmacy graduates go through in getting internship placements, Ohuabunwa said his administration would address the difficulties by bridging the gap to ease internship placement for new pharmacy graduates.”I will also focus on improving the lot of young pharmacists. When I finished from the university, things were much easier for young pharmacy graduates. I’m pained to see what young pharmacists go through. They suffer to get internship placement. I will use every contact I have to ensure that internship placement becomes automatic.

    “It is all about forward planning. We need to identify the number of internship centres we have in the country and also how many pharmacists we are producing per annum. If the internship opportunities are not adequate, how can we expand them?  We can expand these opportunities both in government and in the private sector,” he said.

    On local production of drugs, the PSN president said his administration would support local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and active ingredients, which would lead to achieving medicines security, adding that the country would gain by boosting local production of pharmaceutical products.

    He decried the reliance on the importation of pharmaceutical products. He said with more than 150 drug manufacturing plants, the country can achieve her national drug security aspiration if drugs are manufactured locally.

    “We shall also look into how to improve the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry sector. I came from that sector and I know that in 1995, we were saying that 50 per cent of essential drugs should be made locally by 2000. Up till today, that is not our reality.  In fact, we are going down. We are barely producing 25 to 30 per cent of our drug needs locally. I will work with the industry and the academia to tackle this challenge.

    “It is not just that about 75 per cent of drugs needed by Nigerians are imported; even the quantum of local input into the drugs manufactured locally is low. We import virtually everything. We need to work with the industry and involve our researchers and academic pharmacists in the process to grow the industry.  We can give them specific assignments that the industry can fund. I believe money can be raised to enable us to conduct problem-solving research. That way the academic pharmacists will have more work to do and will be better rewarded,” he said.

  • ‘Lagos proactive in healthcare delivery’

    The Lagos State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Global Partnership Programme (GPP), Canada, is establishing a bio-containment and bio-safety laboratory, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Jide Idris has said.

    At the Annual Ministerial Report, he said the lab would be sited at the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba.

    He said the project was a fall-out from the successful containment of the Ebola outbreak of 2004 by the government.

    Idris said on completion, the facility would afford the state the opportunity to promptly diagnose diseases of public health importance during routine surveillance and outbreaks of emerging-highly pathogenic infectious diseases or incidents of environmental toxicity towards effective clinical management.

    In addition, bio-samples would be stored in the bio-bank section of the laboratry for medical research and international collaboration to fast-track research and discovery.

    Idris added that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode January last year approved the deal. GPP Canada funded the design and construction. Installation is expected to be completed before the end of next month.

    Idris said scientists were being deployed from the ministries of Health and Science and Technology, Health Service Commission, LASUTH and Primary Health Care Board to work at the lab. The ministry with the Global Emerging Diseases Treatment (GET) consortium would train officers on bio-safety, bio-banking, bio-security and bio-containment.

    Others include training of personnel, maintenance of the laboratory, community engagement, environmental impact assessment and other ancillary activities, were being addressed to ensure the inauguration of the lab in July.

    Idris explained that Epidemiology (disease surveillance) unit is prepared for any outbreak. Yellow fever outbreak simulation exercise for assessing health emergency preparedness in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of the Federal Ministry of Health and West Africa Health Organisation was also done to ensure the preparedness of the state in response to such,” Idris added.

    Idris said the ministry was proactive in ensuring that every one was attended to in the various health facilities within the state, including physically-challenged, adding: “Language will never be a barrier to assessing health care within the state.”

    This is because, for instance, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has set up a language bank comprising identified staff with abilities to communicate in other languages to help facilitate caregivers/patients communications in the hospital.

    He said in an attempt to reduce patients-waiting time to the barest minimum and go paperless, the Hospital commenced a pilot implementation of Electronic Health Records System (EHR) in partnership with SBSC Nigeria Limited at the Family Medicine and Physiotherapy Departments. The introduction of Advanced Biomechanical Rehabilitation by the Physiotherapy department and Paediatric unit continues to bring about rapid, significant recovery in our patients with Cerebral palsy and there is an ongoing research to support this scientifically.

    According to him, LASUTH is internationally recognised as a driving force for quality and excellence as we were awarded the World Quality Award 2017 in Platinum category by the Business Initiative Directions (BID) for the third time in a row.

    ‘’LASUTH was nominated for the awards of Tertiary Healthcare Provider of the year by the Global Health Project last year,” he said.

    The commissioner called on the citizenry to avail themselves of free blood at the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Services (LSBTS) .

    Idris said a total of 11,075 people were recruited into public health facilities, of which LSBTS accounted for 7,682 (69.4 percent) donors. The voluntary donors were engaged through mobile drives, fixed donor centres and blood mobile and the donor clinics of public hospitals. There were 1442 walk-in voluntary blood donors from the General Hospital, Lagos and Alimosho Donor Centres. This constitutes 13 percent of the total voluntary donors. In the last three years, 106,778 units of blood were collected from the public hospitals from replacement and donors from antenatal clinics, while 125,548 units of blood were got from registered private blood banks. This gives a total of 232,326 units of blood collected in Lagos.

    He added that 234,140units of blood were screened for private and public blood banks in the last three years, of which 221,481were released for use.  Five percent of these units were discarded due to transfusion transmissible infections (TTI’s). 3,378 units of blood prepared as blood components (Red Cell Concentrate 3378, Fresh Frozen Plasma 3378 and Platelets1, 102), 91 percent used.

    The commissioner said there were more accredited private blood banks. He added that during the years under review, 20 new private blood banks were registered and eight dropped  for their inability to maintain the criteria. Ninety accredited private blood banks were being regularly monitored by LSBTS.

    Idris assured that crooks and fake practitioners, and facilities would be dealt with, adding that the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) was on top of its game.

    He said: “Development of e-HEFAMAA, a project done in collaboration with PharmAccess Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Technology, to bring all activities and interactions of the agency with its numerous stakeholders online and enhance the ease of clients’ transactions and processes with the agency, has already been done.

    “This involves: The use of GPRS mapping to identify all Health Facilities (both Public and Private) in the state including the hard to reach areas. The use of SafeCare Primary and Secondary Scoring Tools to assess Health Facilities (both public and private) for the empanelment in the upcoming Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS). The new HEFAMAA handbook was developed for providers.”

    Idris assured that positioning of HEFAMAA for effectiveness is pragmatic, as e-HEFAMAA Platform was developed to facilitate ease of operations and engender good customer service for its stakeholders. The process is on-going to migrate to the gov.ng in line with government policies. GIS Mapping of the Registered Healthcare Facilities in Lagos State has been concluded and is available on the e-HEFAMAA. Inspection tools for both primary and secondary healthcare facilities have been finalised and tested.The tool has already been uploaded on the Ministry’s website and on the agency’s electronic platform (e-HEFAMAA) for ease of access by the providers. HEFAMAA Handbook has been finalised for the use of the providers and other relevant stakeholders. Outsourcing of HEFAMAA’s operational functions has commenced,” Idris announced.

    And on affordability of healthcare, Idris said state insurance policy was the way to go, as health financing should be sustainable.

    “At this juncture it is necessary to give you a summary of the progress made with respect to the preliminary activities and initiatives necessary for the successful implementation of this programme.

    ‘’For the take off of this state Health Insurance Scheme, the following studies have been conducted: Fiscal space Analysis; actuarial Studies for the scheme’s benefits package; Health Financing Governance Assessment; Development of Documents; Business Process Manual has been finalised. Provider Payment Guidelines has been concluded; Tariffs has been concluded; Standard Treatment Guidelines developed;  Drug Formulary is ready;  Benefit Package finalised and ready for us; and  Operational Guidelines has been reviewed and finally approved.”

    He explaned that empanelment guidelines for providers have been developed; LASHEF Guidelines have been developed and forwarded to the Accountant-General for alignment and opening of the Lagos State Health Fund Account; Service Contracts completed, explaining that, the General Manager for LASHMA has been engaged and commenced work on May 2, 2017, “She is an integral part of the preparatory activities and policy decision-making in the scheme’s implementation. Nominees for board membership have been obtained from the relevant bodies as stipulated in the law and ready for presentation for the approval of the governor. Recruitment of key directors of the agency by the consulting firm has been concluded and the process for their engagement is almost finalised. Office space for the agency has now been secured and the procurement process for equipping and furnishing ongoing,” Idris added.

     

  • Healthcare Delivery: NMA honors Gaidam for excellence

    Healthcare Delivery: NMA honors Gaidam for excellence

    In recognition of his milestone achievement in the health sector of the state, Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Monday got the conferment of an award of Excellence from the The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Yobe State Chapter.

    According to the organizers of the award ceremony, Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam is poles apart from other states of the federation in the area of healthcare delivery in the state through his deliberate reforms and programs in the sector.

    The award was presented to the governor by the National President of NMA, Prof. Mike Ogrima on behalf of the state chapter of the association at an elaborate ceremony held at the State Cultural Centre Damaturu which was full to capacity.

    Prof. Ogrima who was represented by NMA’s Second Vice President, Dr. Adamu Alhassan Umar, a son of the soil from Yobe State attested to the fact that significant progress has been made in the state especially in the health sector.

    the  NMA president, tagged  Gov. Gaidam as a ‘pillar of support for the health sector’, said doctors in the country are impressed with  the ‘monumental achievements’ of the governor in all key sectors of the economy, especially in healthcare.

    “Generations yet unborn will benefit from the massive investments your administration has made in creating a peaceful atmosphere in the state and the gigantic legacies you will leave behind after your tenure in office. NMA is proud of all the robust measures you have taken to improve healthcare delivery in the state”, Prof. Ogrima said.

    The  State Chairman of the NMA, who is also the deputy chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Yobe University Teaching Hospital (YSUTH) Dr. Adamu Abdullahi said his association conferred the award on the governor after careful consideration of all the interventions that he has made so far in the state’s healthcare sector.

    He said Yobe today is a much better place because of the concerted commitment of the governor to making qualitative healthcare accessible and affordable to the people.

    He called on the governor also invest heavily in the human resource of the state and the welfare of medical and health worker, as according to him, “the situation is green but His Excellency, you can make it greener”.

    State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Muhammad Bellow Kawuwa  who chronicled the various health interventions of the governor in the state described the situation as hitherto  “comatose and dysfunctional” and was characterized by “dilapidated infrastructure, old and obsolete equipment. and acutely inadequate manpower”.

    “The health indices in the state at the take-off of the administration were worrisome and disturbing. We were ranked amongst the worst in maternal and child care”, he said.

    Dr. Bello Kawuwa noted that the reverse in the trend   began when   Gov. Gaidam came to power and assumed a new urgency and declared an emergency in the health sector in May 2013.

    “The declaration of emergency in the sector was followed by massive capital investments.  The renovation, rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of health facilities ensued across the state”, he said.

    The commissioner said the health sector is now better poised to deliver quality care to patients, not just in the state but other parts of the country as well.

    While expressing appreciation for the award conferred on him, Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam said he will continue to push the boundaries in healthcare in the state.

    “Let me place on record that the inadequacies that characterized the health sector in our State which included gross lack of infrastructural facilities and human resources, funding gaps, lack of adequate equipment, furniture, and other working materials, etc. was the reason why we declared a State of emergency in the health sector in 2013.

    “This culminated in our administration taking far reaching and holistic measures to address the multiple challenges facing the sector”, the governor said.

    The governor, who reviewed all the milestones reached by his administration in improving healthcare through massive rehabilitation of health facilities, setting up the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital and the College of Medical Sciences at the Yobe State University as well as massive recruitment of healthcare personnel, amongst others, said the challenege facing the sector now is “attitudinal change”.

    “I wish to emphasize that considering the attention our administration has accorded the health sector , our problems should no longer be viewed from the perspective of lack of facilities, but rather on the need for attitudinal change.

    “Therefore, I wish to appeal to all our health workers to resolve to work with dedication to enable us achieve significant progress in delivering services to our people. This way we can look forward to a time when all sorts of ailments can be satisfactorily treated here at home in keeping with our vision of making Yobe a center of medical tourism in Nigeria, In-sha Allah.  This is my charge and challenge to you all,” he said.

    The Nation recalled that the governor was just last week conferred with an Honorary Membership of   the Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) in Sokoto for rejuvenating the healthcare services in Yobe State.

  • FG seeks partnership for improved healthcare delivery

    FG seeks partnership for improved healthcare delivery

    The Federal Government on Tuesday sought partnership with stakeholders to boost the country’s healthcare delivery system.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made the call when he received national officers of Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) in Abuja.

    Adewole stressed the need for an effective synergy among all stakeholders in the health sector to provide efficient and quality health service to citizens.

    He charged the association to marshal an efficient way of monitoring the quality of services being provided by various health and medical facilities in the country.

    On the part of government, the minister said the “inverted health pyramid system’’ would be reversed and restore the pyramid system for the benefit of larger population.

    Adewole regretted that only about 15 per cent of Nigerians currently access healthcare under the inverted pyramid system, hence the need to take healthcare services to the door steps of rural communities.

    According to him, government will make sure that primary healthcare is made accessible to majority of Nigerians under the planned reversal policy.

    To achieve this, the minister emphasised that the APC-led administration under President Muhammadu Buahri would establish 10,000 additional primary healthcare centres to cover all the electoral wards in the country.

    He explained that secondary (general hospitals) and tertiary (teaching hospitals) would only serve as referral centres and stop being over burdened with treating primary ailments.

    The Chairman of HMCAN, Dr Kolawole Owoka, had earlier pledged to support federal government quest to deliver improved healthcare services to citizens.

    “It is time government gets closure to the people using quality healthcare services,’’ Owoka said.

    He noted that Nigerians were ready to pay for quality health services if they can access them at affordable rates.

    The chairman expressed optimism that the government plan of providing affordable and accessible healthcare service was achievable within two years.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that HMCAN comprised members of the various health care managers working with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services in the country.

     

  • Tips on healthcare delivery amid insurgency

    Tips on healthcare delivery amid insurgency

    Insurgency has created constraints for healthcare delivery in the North. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA seeks experts’s views on options for health officers in the discharge of their duties.

    Healthcare delivery has suffered terrible set back in the North because of insurgency, but experts have now suggested  ways out of the problem.

    According to the Association of Medical Officers of Health Nigeria (AMOHN) primary health services in the crises-ridden part of the North have largely shut down, with high mortality rates recorded and vaccination programmes severely hit. According to the association, the grave consequences on national health are apparent and members should not give up in discharging their duties.

    Medical officers of Health are the heads of Primary Health Care departments in the 774 local governments, nationwide.

    According to the association, reports from some of their members  in those states revealed that the sick are forced to trek long distances to receive medical attention in designated places (mostly put up by international health aides) and vaccination programmes for children are compromised. Violence by Boko Haram militants has raged since 2009, but has been particularly ferocious in recent months. Worst hit by the attacks are villages in remote, rural areas near Borno’s border with Cameroon. This is in spite of the government imposing emergency rule on these states, in May last year.

    The association has organised a two-day conference to strengthen the capacity of medical officers in their response to the implementation of PHC activities in the face of security challenge. It has as its theme,Primary Healthcare: The bedrock of a healthy nation.

    According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 6000 children are among the internally displaced persons in camps in the town of Mubi in Adamawa State, one of the states under the attack of Boko Haram.

    A source, www.cracong.org revealed that in the attempt to escape, some children managed to wade through to safety, while many others were not so lucky as they either died in the process,  ensnared in the bush or are among the thousands of displaced persons currently trapped at the border between Nigeria and Cameroon Republic.

    “Hundreds of children had to grapple with the inclement condition of the bush which included sleeping in the mosquito infested environment, staying for long hours without food or water and trekking long distances and the overbearing heat occasioned by intense sunshine during the afternoon hours which usually resulted in dehydration. Some of the children who were not strong enough to endure the tortuous journey to safety gave up the ghost just as other who fell ill had to be carried or were left with their parents in the bush.

    “About five children aged between  and five years died while we were wading through the thick bush path and mountains on our way to freedom. Due to sympathy, I helped carry a two-year-old child belonging to one pregnant woman for many hours in the bush. But circumstances made me to drop the child when his heavily pregnant mother was forced by the stormy and rough journey to make an impromptu delivery,” said a witness.

    “Some of the children died of hunger while others got dehydrated. Since we set out into the bush, one of the children yearned endlessly for food and water and up till the time he died, the child was yearning for water and food. When we stopped to rest following long hours of trekking, the boy suddenly stopped talking and we thought that he had fallen asleep only to realise that he has given up the ghost as thirst and hunger overwhelmed him. Even as an adult, I never thought I would come out of that predicament alive as I never felt so close to death,” he added.

    State Coordinator, Lagos State, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Sunday Abidoye while giving tips to the members on: ‘Implementation of Primary Health Care activities in Security compromised areas’,  said: “Security has been defined as state of being safe from threats, especially from danger and attack. Conversely, insecurity has been described as not being safe from danger or attack. Hence a security challenging environment is an environment where it is difficult to say you are sure of your safety or you are free from being attacked. Such an environment is characterised by constant fear and panic for one’s safety. Insecurity leads to destruction of public health infrastructure such as Primary health Care centres, maternity centres and health posts alongside other infrastructures needed for the effective delivery of Primary Health care services. Health facilities burnt down and looted by insurgents. This also affects access to PHC services.”

    Dr Abidoye said the medical officers should not shy away from the effects of security challenges on PHC such as people not having access to basic health services, because of attacks on health personnel and health centres, or health centres being touched, destroyed and/or closed down due to insecurity. Health centres becoming inactive; maternal and infant mortality rates increasing; women dying from obstetric complications and lack of health services and children dying from mostly preventable diseases before their fifth birthday.

    Dr Abidoye said one thing common to the countries that are still polio endemic, in polio eradication initiative globally- Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria (PAN) is insecurity.

    “Presently Nigeria has six wild polio virus (WPVs) and all are in the Northern part of the country where much of the insecurity dwells. Circulating Vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) is a mark of poor routine immunisation in a community. Nigeria also has 21 cases of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2), 38 per cent are in Kano State while 62 are in Borno State. These are areas routine PHC activities are disturbed due to insecurity,” said Dr Abidoye.

    Dr Abidoye told the participants that: “Your area of specialisation as public health doctors is the first level of contact of individuals, the family and community with the national health system bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work, and constitutes the first element of a continuing health care process. Primary healthcare is essential health based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain.

    “In the crises-stricken Northern Nigeria, the need to establish a reservoir of healthcare workers (HCWs) with the competence to intervene in the treatment of the citizens in the region cannot be overemphasised. The fact that crises-laden societies fuel the spread of polio, HIV/AIDS and other vices is well documented. With the Borno State HIV prevalence at five per cent and the state bordering three countries, there is need to scale up HIV services including PMTCT.

    Dr Abidoye encouraged the participants on ways to sustain PHC in security challenged environments by having detailed security assessment to determine accessible areas. ‘Hit and run’ out reaches (possible components of the PHC package).  Going to displaced peoples’ camps. Organise regular outreaches with full compliments of PHC package. The involvement of local people to support activities. Regular contact with security personnel to reach safe areas.  Free services in safe areas to attract clients. Health camps in safe areas surrounding inaccessible areas, a concept called ‘firewalling’.  Health camps in major transit points for displaced people. Health camps include UNICEF supported centres for management of malnourished children.

    To strengthen the capacity of Medical officers in their response to the implementation of PHC activities in the face of security challenge, Dr Abidoye said they should engage others: “Use of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other humanitarian agencies like Red Cross and Red Crescent; the various conflicting forces to give healthcare to those on their own side of the conflict. Campaign on warring forces to respect the neutrality of health services and stop attacking health workers and government health centres to intensify measures to improve security and ensure the safety and protection of health workers.

    The AMOHN President, Dr Segun Ayodele, said government should explore additional ways of funding Primary Health Care, as the primary health centres nationwide are grossly underfunded by the third tier of government- the local government which is the weakest level of government with about one quater of the National revenue, “hence we call on all stakeholders, including government, health professionals, community leaders, funders, partners, the Media, education sector and all other health related sectors to build alliances for the sake of re-positioning our primary health care for improving the health of the people”, he said.

    Dr Ayodele said the passage of the National Health Bill into Law will also be significant in the funding of PHC.  ”The National Health Bill was conceived as a bold attempt to address the underfunding of primary healthcare through the creation of primary health care fund. It is rather unfortunate that this bill is yet to see the light of the day due to political bickering. I hereby appeal to our politicians to see reason why the national health bill should be passed and accented to without any further delay. Despite beautiful policies of government, implementation and lack of political will have been the bane of primary healthcare in the country,” he stated.

    He noted that most PHCs nationwide lack adequate technical manpower, infrastructural facilities are grossly inadequate and the ones available are largely dilapidated. “And since the inauguration of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria in 2005, the scheme has covered only about 4.2 per cent of the citizenry. There is need to rebuild the foundation of our health care in Nigeria,” stated Dr Ayodele.

    Dr Ayodele said peace is a veritable tool in ending security challenges. “Health facilities burnt down and looted by insurgents affect  access to PHC services. Effects of  Security challenges on PHC are many. Insecurity leads to destruction of public health infrastructure such as Primary health Care centres, maternity centres and health posts alongside other infrastructures needed for the effective delivery of Primary Health care services. Insurgents may kidnap health workers to go and administer treatments for them. Killing of health workers.  Fleeing of health workers from insecure areas. Only few may be left behind leading to lack of health workers. Training may be affected. Standard of health care delivery may fall.

  • ‘Healthcare delivery improving’

    General Electric (GE) has said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the Federal Government five years ago to transform the healthcare delivery system, among other sectors, is yielding results.

    According to its President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Lazarus Angbazo, the organisation’s programme has changed the face health care, especially in the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.

    Angbazo, who  spoke with journalists on the Progress Report on GE’s landmark Country-to-Company agreement in Lagos, said healthcare is one of the five focus areas in the MoU.

    He said the company has trained no fewer than 300 clinicians in seven hospitals across five states in the country, adding that hospital administrators were also trained.

    He said specialists facilities were provided to improve on treatment, adding that technology were deployed to the rural areas for early detection of complication during pregnancy.

    This, he said, has helped to reduce the incidence of maternal and infant deaths, adding that Nigeria, is still behind in world ranking among countries making progress to attain MDGs 4 and 5.

    Angbazo said the company has developed a financial scheme which is business plan to help medical experts in the areas have additional infrastructure.

    This is another public-private-partnership (PPP),” he said.

    He said human capita development was needed to sustain capacity utilisation.