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Tag: Healthcare

  • Medical experts canvass healthcare revolution

    Medical experts canvass healthcare revolution

    Medical experts have urged  public and private sector institutions to work together for a paradigm shift in the health sector. This, according to them, will improve its  quality and practice and provide easy access to international standard.

    This was the position of speakers at the Doctors’ Forum, organised by The Bridge Clinic and Pathcare Laboratories in Lagos. The main bowl of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island where the event was held, was filled to capacity, with who is who in the medical world.

    The participants argued that when the sector experiences a radical change, there would be an increase in the patronage of indigenous medical facilities, which would conserve the forex used for foreign medical tourism. This will  be ploughed back into developing medical infrastructure and manpower in the country.

    The programme which focused on Addressing the fallout of Medical Tourism in Nigeria, had a  panel anchored by Founder/Medical Director, First Cardiology Consultants, Dr Yemi Johnson; and Clinical Director, St. Nicholas Hospital, Dr Ebun Bamgboye. The discussion was moderated by the Managing Director, The Bridge Clinic, Dr Richardson Ajayi, with Chief (Dr) Oluyomi Abayomi Finnih, Chief Medical Director, Finnih Medical Centre as the Chairman.

    Dr Bamgboye, speaking on ‘Nephrology and the success recorded in Renal transplant in Nigeria,’ said Nigerians spend at least $1 billion yearly on medical treatment in various countries of the world. “India is attractive because of its experience in high technology especially in diagnostics and also for the relatively lower cost of treating patients. Nigerians visit India for cancer, spinal cord, plastic and neuro-surgeries as well as fertility and transplant tourism. The problems associated with renal transplant in Africa include manpower, facilities, literacy level, poverty, lack of access to transplantation centres, lack of dialysis facilities and other infrastructure, quality and safety issues.”

    According to Dr Johnson, Nigeria needs to upgrade its health infrastructure as a nation and also invests in health education and training for its medical professionals. “Patients who go abroad for cardiovascular- related diseases such as routine health check, hypertension, heart failure, stroke, arrhythmias, angina, coronary artery diseases, vascular heart disease and so on; do so because of the poor infrastructure and non-availability of high-tech equipment, shortage of manpower and medical supplies. This is occasioned by the registration of products which is cumbersome and expensive and government policies were confusing and oftentimes counter-productive.

    “Medical tourism started with patients from the developed world seeking high quality, less expensive medical care in less developed countries” he noted.

    The convener, Dr Ajayi said that for Nigeria’s healthcare to be fit for purpose more needed to be done in the areas of implementing quality management systems, patients’ satisfaction surveys, effective consequence management and patient reported objective measures. He said Nigeria would only thrive when the right policies and personnel are in place to run the healthcare system and that a lot needs to be done to improve the health structures and institutions, especially in the area of standards and quality.

    During the interactive session, many speakers emphasised the need for adequate budgetary provision for healthcare. They spoke about increasing the availability of funds with low interest rates for private practitioners to enable them source for latest medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment.

    There was a general consensus that Medical Centres of Excellence is the future of healthcare in Nigeria, and can at best be achieved within the private sector or in partnership with the government. These centres will also provide adequate capability development and exposure to cutting edge innovations, procedures and technologies for medical professionals.

    Dr Finnih, while expressing gratitude to all stakeholders who have contributed to the breakthrough in the medical sector, praised private entrepreneurs who provide technical support with well trained and qualified medical personnel.

    While rounding up the programme, Chairman, Pathcare Laboratories, Prof Ibironke Akinsete said the medical experts are well equipped to address the problem, adding, “we can come up with technical support to make healthcare in Nigeria fit for purpose.”

    The forum brings together experts in the medical profession, both within and outside the country, to share experiences, discuss modern advances in medical science and proffer solutions to Nigeria’s healthcare system. The Doctors’ Forum is organised by Pathcare Laboratories, the only internationally ISO 15189 Accredited Pathology Laboratory in Nigeria, in collaboration with The Bridge Clinic, Nigeria’s foremost fertility clinic.

    Managing Director of Pathcare Laboratories, Mrs Pamela Ajayi said Nigeria has all it takes to emerge as one of the best countries with medical novelty, only if there are deliberate efforts on all fronts to achieve same. “The road may be turtous as we experienced with Pathcare Laboratories before obtaining the internationally ISO 15189 Accreditation, but then it’s was done, so also it can for the health sector,” she said.

  • GlaxoSmithKline focuses on consumer healthcare products

    Nigeria’s healthcare  consumer company,GlaxoSmithKline, said it will concentrate its efforts in broadening its range of health-care products. It also said it will widen the distribution of its products to boost sales.

    The company said it is taking the step to cushion the impact of its depleted revenue arising from the challenging economy last year and the disposal of its drinks business which also resulted in a cut of its intake.

    GlaxoSmithKline said in a statement that it will now focus on its Over The Counter (OTC), Oral Health care and pharmaceutical business with the aim of driving improved margins and sustainable growth in Nigeria. Profit after tax for the year 2016 of N4.2billion represented a 335 per cent growth compared to 2015 on the back of profits from the divested drinks business of N1.8billion and N2.4billion  (including the effect of tax credit) from continuing operations,  although turnover was 21 per cent lower than 2015, the company said in a statement.

     

  • ‘Future is bright for Nigeria’s healthcare industry’

    ‘Future is bright for Nigeria’s healthcare industry’

    Pascal Briere is the President of Biogaran, a subsidiary of France-based Servier Group, which recently announced the takeover of the over the 41-year-old Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited (Swipha). In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, Briere speaks on the prospects of the deal as well as strategic plan to turnaround the fortunes of the ailing company. Excerpts:

    Why are you in Nigeria?

    I’m very glad to announce to you that we have just acquired vast majority shares in Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited (Swispha). We now own 95 per cent of the shares of Swispha and the closing of the deal was concluded few days ago. So it’s a very important day in the history of Swispha in Nigeria as well as for Servier, the holding company of our Group as well as Biogaran.

    As the new owner, what will you do differently?

    We have a plan here, which we have been working on in the last few months and we’ve most of the taskforce here with me, which are people from Biogaran. Our plan is threefold. The first one is to restart the company. The company is operating below installed capacity, frankly speaking. The sales have sharply decreased. They’re making losses; they’ve big debts and so on. So we first need to reshuffle and restart the company, which is almost on hold. We really need to do basic things during the first few months very quickly, which is to resume sales, look at the inventories, import active ingredients and raw materials necessary to manufacture here, resume production. This is because the factory has been running at a very low pace and we need to restart adequate promotion to physicians, pharmacists and patients. They’re very basic things but also very difficult. It therefore calls for preparation including hiring the right missing people because the current CEO will resign. He is 65 years old and so we’ve to find a new CEO. That’s the first step.

    Then the second fold is to develop a strategy plan for the next three-five years. The strategy plan will be based on strategy for root to the market, promotion to physicians and other categories, size of the sale force and portfolio management. So within the next three months, we will start work in earnest on portfolio management in order to enhance the quality of Swispha.

    The third is to develop production and production installations here. We will check what kind of products we can bring in or manufacture here according to pharmaceutical technology we have here, which is standard technology, state-of-the-art technology. Swispha invested over $5million in the factory to get ISO and WHO approval. So we need to build on the assets to ensure quality. These are threefold strategy. So we will go on a step by step basis because it’s a risky business. To do business in Nigeria isn’t that easy everybody knows.

    You just told us why you’re investing in Nigeria. Could you tell us the share of your equity in dollar or naira term?

    The amount we have spent I’ll keep it confidential. I can’t disclose. But why we’re investing in Nigeria is very simple. You’ve 185million population here in Nigeria and the access to medicine is increasing every year. You’re facing decrease in the Nigerian economy and there is tough time for people if you consider the cash crunch, forex scarcity. But I’m pretty sure the economy will resume fully if not next year or sooner because Nigeria is a very rich country. You have access to raw materials, enormous resources, the population is very dynamic, very energetic and Nigerians are entrepreneurial people. So we trust in Nigeria because there are so many people are optimistic that the economy will resume for sure one day and we’re prepared to suffer tough times. We know this will not be a straight-line and there will be many ups and downs. But that’s life. So we’re not scared about this. What is most important thing is to note that our company, our shareholding structure as a foundation enables us to have a long-lasting strategy here and to consider what the others consider risky as a huge opportunity. We’re prepared to invest again and again to develop the local content. But this special shareholding enables our company to invest in some risky countries like Nigeria and there are not so many people I know that are investing in the country. So I’m very glad to be one of those that are investing in Nigeria. We want to make Swispha a big company in Nigeria and there‘s a room for that. There‘s no reason why we can’t succeed and this is because the country has entrepreneurial knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry, and Swispha has even been able to get ISO 90001 and the WHO approval. So there are skills here and we’re going to take up those skills.

    Are you also going to change the personnel and what would be the local content component of your products now?

    First and foremost, Swispha is a subsidiary of French Group but it will remain a Nigerian company belonging to a European Group and benefiting from European standards and French know-how. That’s very key. So, the people in Swispha will be mostly the vast majority of Nigerians. We’re not going to bring in thousand expatriates not even one. We’re going to use Nigerian people with close working relationship with the taskforce at Biogaran based on expertise and know-how. The taskforce working in collaboration with the staff on ground would help to develop the standards.

    To the second leg of your question, as far as the products are concerned, none of the active ingredients used in the pharmaceutical sector is produced here and even across the West African subregion. As we speak, there is no chemical production factory for active ingredients here in Nigeria or even in the subregion. All the active ingredients being used are imported. Okay. If you talk of local content, it’s mainly for aluminium, packaging and all that. All the active ingredients we’re going to use will be imported. There are say 50 different technologies in the pharmaceutical industry and hopefully, we have some here. But I can tell you for a fact that no factory has every technology domiciled in one single place. No.

    Interestingly, Swispha has two assets. The first one is the brand, which is fantastic and well-known, and it’s associated with reputation of quality and the second is the factory, which is certified by NAFDAC, WHO. So we want to have more production. We’re going to participate with the Nigerian community and bring in new jobs, new capabilities and try to operate our factory at 100 per cent capacity. It’s currently operating at 30-40% capacity. But we want to bring it up to operate at full capacity.

    The pharmaceutical ecosystem in Nigeria does not have comparative advantage unlike its counterparts abroad in terms of factors of production like cost, research and development and all that. What are you going to do to bridge some of these gaps?

    Nigerians know that at the market, there are different prices for products. So I won’t address the problem in terms of competiveness. I will address the problem in terms of quality. Because if you have different products at different prices in the market, the unknown brands to the best well known brands, there is a good reason for that. And the reason behind is quality. So we are not going to be the lowest price company. It’s not good for us. It’s not in our DNA. Swispha’s DNA is to ensure that people that are taking our drugs are taking quality products. Of course, quality product has a cost. But this cost must be affordable to most of the people. A product that has no cost very often is of low quality. I understand there are no incentives for pharmaceutical industries but there may be some advantage for the Nigerian manufacturer of products. And I understand the government is looking to set up a plan I have heard, to enable more funding for the pharmaceutical industry to have more streamlined process for access to forex and so on. This would considerably help because that’s the reason why the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry is having a competitive disadvantage compared to those that are getting easy access to forex and active ingredients and so on.

    There are opportunities in pharmaceutical exports but that is nonexistent in Nigeria. Based your experience in pharma business, is it an area you want to explore?

    First of all, our focus will be Nigeria. We want to be able to make our products reach everybody in the country to make them aware of Swispha before we can consider reaching out to other parts of West Africa and also to reach French-speaking countries as well. We already have a strong Nigerian base. It’s a long term plan. We know NAFDAC is keen on seeing some Nigerian products exported to foreign companies. That’s part of the future of Swispha. But first, let’s get the Nigerian market on track. We need to keep our plans very modest and stay quiet and calm and not to make mistakes. It’s a very different country and I don’t trust we can rollout European strategies here that would not be that efficient I guess. So let’s listen, let’s be held by time and let’s do it calm and quiet but very determined.

    Talk about cautious optimism…

    Absolutely yeah.

    Still talking about long-term plan, you can count how many pharmaceutical businesses are quoted on the Stock Exchange. Is it something you want to consider for the future?

    No, it’s not part of the culture of our company. It’s not compatible with us. Our approach usually is to adopt long-lasting strategies in the countries we operate. We would rather reinvest our dividends in developing the market more to have global reach. If we have earnings and dividends then it better to reinvest such in the business. It’s fully incompatible with being quoted at the Stock Exchange.

    Do you think the regulatory framework existing is okay or are there gaps you think the government can address?

    It’s a very important question because we’re in an industry which is very highly regulated. We have the rules of the market which deals with pharmaceutical products. The contact we have at the highest level in NAFDAC makes us rather confident that the system in place is quite effective. We see that the system doesn’t have too much encumbrances. But we do expect more support from the authorities to enable us to do business. There are some countries that are very tough with regulations and you cannot rely on yourself to do anything as you’re always at the mercy of the authorities. You have some people on the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria that are regulated, they follow regulation and all. That’s okay. It’s a pure normal game. And then you have a market that is almost unregulated, where you find that some counterfeit products coming in without approval. And that is a concern for the authorities and for the industry because we’re competing with people who obviously don’t play by the rules. But it’s a game at the end. So we need to play by the rules of the game. If we don’t want to play by the rules, we cannot come in. But I’m certain that regulation will increase in the next few years. The thing is that the more we can be able to supply the market, the less issues we will have with counterfeit products in the market. The first is to produce and then trust that the government will be efficient in their job.

    Having said that, the problem of overregulation of the economy is difficult without access to forex, which is tremendously complicated right now. It’s best to have a free market for forex. It’s important to rejuvenate the economy. It’s free economy. We need to say that. Regulation in the economy seems not to be that difficult to do business here. In France, we have a very much regulated economy. Everything is regulated. Taxes are enormously high, 57% of the GDP is made from taxes. So we’re used to that kind of thing. I feel that here is more a liberal economy and we are okay with that. But the main issue is access to forex and the interest rate. The interest rate is around 20-25% for a company. It’s impossible. You need to have deep pockets and we don’t have that and most of the pharmaceutical industries don’t have deep pockets.

    In terms of practice how deep enough do you think is the pharma business in Nigeria and what do you hope to bring to bear in the sector as one of the major players?

    Our hope is to remain the major player here. We have very serious players here among the Nigerian-owned companies the likes of Emzor, May & Baker: they are serious people. They are among those leading the market here. They have very specialised products. The future of pharmaceutical industry here is very bright. For us, the primary healthcare business is mainly what we’re going to address. And considering the increase in the middle class there will be more people that have access to medicare. And we intend to play that role. Specifically, we want to be the one that is providing Nigerian people quality products for primary care and we want people to see Swispha as a mark of quality in terms of our products. Ours may not be the best product in pricing but will definitely be the best in terms of quality. That’s very important.

  • Ada App: New approach to healthcare delivery

    There is a new App simply called Ada that assists in monitoring one’s health. According to the founders, Ada is more than just an app. Ada is a virtual health companion on the go. Designed by a dedicated team of doctors and computer scientists, Ada gives you the best symptom assessment available. Building up a detailed picture of your health over time, Ada provides you with an accurate understanding of what is going on and helps you decide on next steps to take.

    It is described as a smart assessment because it checks symptoms wherever and whenever you want. All one needs do is just answer simple, personalised questions about your health without complicated medical language. Ada asks you all that is needed to really get to the bottom of what is bothering you.

    It has the benefits for users as it allows one to set up multiple profiles in order to manage the health of their family members as well. All the health information for each user is stored in one place: previous assessments, current and past medications, allergies etc that can be easily shared with a doctor or other health professional.

    The team behind Ada App said it pre-briefed doctors as it affords one to book a video consultation with a doctor of one’s choice, at a time that suits. To help the doctor make the best diagnosis, Ada pre-briefs the doctor by analysing all the information one provides it while using.

    It is also a digital health record that is available in the pocket, secure and always up to date.

    Ada Digital Health co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Claire Novorol said: “As a doctor and a mother, I understand the pressures and the worries of both. Doctors have to diagnose patients in minimal time with maximum efficiency; mothers constantly worry about the health of their loved ones, whether their children or their parents. That’s exactly why we created Ada. Our technology gives reassurance to the whole family about their health, whilst also being useful for doctors by pre-informing them for good decisions. I will encourage people to download Ada App and inform it about your allergies, medications and other health information to keep an overview of your health situation. Ada is now the top free medical app in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.”

    She clarified: “Rather than being a direct replacement for medical consultation, Ada is a complementary service that aims to reduce workload on general practitioners by collecting and collating healthcare information from patients in order to save precious time in consultations which are usually hurried due to time pressure. Ada is available on the App Store in 90 countries and on Android devices. Download the Ada app for Free here: https://app.adjust.com/svpw78. For more information and contact details at www.ada.com.”

    It is also functional for doctors and specialists because earlier and better diagnosis through the world’s most sophisticated decision support system is guaranteed. It is a convenient way to work from the comfort of home or any location with a stable internet connection. And it is efficient yet more thorough consultations via patient pre-assessment and automatic documentation is assured.

  • NYSC DG pledges enhanced healthcare for rural dwellers

    The National Youth Service Corps will continue to live up to its responsibility of providing qualitative free healthcare services to the rural dwellers and the less-privileged in the society. Its Director General, Brig Gen. Zakari Kazaure, reaffirmed this in Ibadan during the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD), observed in all the states of the federation.

    This, he said, is in line with the best practices the world over when responsible agencies of government under the corporate social responsibility gives all encompassing assistance and render life-touching services to its host communities. NYSC helmsman, who was represented by a Deputy Director, Mrs. Adetokunbo Idowu, disclosed the encouragement received from the critical stakeholders of the scheme encouraged the management to give all what it takes for the programme to succeed.

    Kazaure was of the opinion that if all sectors can support the scheme in its bid to make life more meaningful to the less privileged and those in the rural communities, Nigeria will be moving nearer to the target of health for all under Vision 2020 projection. He said that the scheme has deployed corps medical and allied professionals to the rural areas nationwide to bridge the gap of accessing quality healthcare by the populace majority of who live in rural areas.

    The Director General expressed confidence that the program, which was flagged off last year, has received tremendous supports and assistance from well-meaning Nigerians and corporate entities. The NYSC boss boasted the scheme has qualified and competent professionals in most of the medical fields, having been tested and trusted to deliver the policy thrust of the HIRD programme.

    Oyo State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akin-Moses, reported than since the inception of the programme last year, over ten thousand beneficiaries have accessed the free medical services in the state.

  • ‘Rivers govt promoting access to quality healthcare’

    ‘Rivers govt promoting access to quality healthcare’

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s wife, Justice Suzzette, has stated that access to quality healthcare being promoted by the Wike-administration will improve life expectancy in the state.

    Declaring open the 2016 Week of the Medical Women’s  Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Rivers State Chapter on Tuesday, Justice Nyesom-Wike noted that the Rivers State Government gives priority attention to the health of the masses.

    She urged the people of the state to adopt healthy lifestyles which will promote their physical and mental well-being.

    The wife of the Rivers State Governor noted that several non communicable diseases would easily be prevented if people adopt positive lifestyles.

    She said: “We must regulate what we eat, so that we leave healthily and prolong our lives. I commend MWAN for focusing on the health of the people as part of their 2016.

    “We shall continue to partner with female medical doctors to improve the health of the people of the state.”

    Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo noted that developments in the heath sector have been sustained by the Wike administration since May 29, 2015.

    In his address, Rivers State Health Commissioner, Dr Theophilus Odagme said that the State Government is expanding the Brathwaithe Memorial Hospital to create more access to tertiary healthcare in the state.

    He called on resident doctors and the management of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital to resolve their differences so that the doctors can suspend their strike.

    In a lecture titled: “Healthcare financing in a poor resource setting—a tool for universal health coverage”,  Regional Community Health Manager of Shell in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Akinwunmi Fajola noted that community health financing will assist more people access to quality health services.

  • Nigeria’s healthcare mature for long-term investments, says expert

    Nigeria’s healthcare mature for long-term investments, says expert

    Foreign investors will find Nigeria’s healthcare sector attractive, The Bridge Clinic Managing Director, Dr Richardson Ajayi, has said.

    He spoke at the fourth yearly Africa Hospital Expansion Summit in Accra, Ghana.

    Ajayi, who gave a keynote speech, told participants the sector has shown significant growth in the past five years.

    He listed the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), reduction in out-bound medical tourism because of the difficulties in obtaining foreign exchange and the increasing access to health insurance as key drivers of the sector.

    He said the sector lacked the requisite systems to support short-term investments.

    Ajayi said: “Investors expect a return on their investments, and most prefer the return sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, healthcare in our region is not mature enough for this type of investment strategy. Healthcare in our region is still at the nascent stage, and the systems, such as supporting government policies as well as the organised ecosystem, are not yet in place to create the platform for growth.”

    He called for a different approach that would ensure that investments made the required developmental impact while delivering adequate returns to the investors.

    Ajayi added: “Healthcare investments have to be considered from a developmental and long-term perspective. Investments with a focus on immediate earnings, such as earnings before interests, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) may institute a profit-driven culture which runs in the face of providing care and the right balance must be struck. A more favourable structure will be for investors to look into making equity investments with a focus on long-term growth rather than a quick exit.”

    Ajayi highlighted the challenges hindering investments in health care to include the predominance of sole proprietorship, patients’poor medical decisions that come with a dwindling disposable income, poor customer service, and inadequate skills.

    He called on the investors to be aware of these issues, saying they actually create the  opportunities in the sector.

    He also called on the government to provide the enabling environment that would facilitate investment in the sector.

    In his words: “There is a need to influence government policies to develop a more protectionist attitude to healthcare investments with effective regulation, consumer protection and promoting the climate for effective litigation of healthcare facilities that are not providing the right level of care.”

    Ajayi said effective regulation was necessary for investments as it guaranteed patient protection and a level-playing field for service providers by ensuring that only such were allowed to compete in the market.

    He informed the participants that it was difficult to run a medical lab business in Europe, North America and South Africa without implementing some quality management systems, such as ISO 15189, to ensure that the results from the lab were accurate.

    According to him, “it costs more to run quality assured than non-quality assured tests but the non-quality player will offer his services at a lower cost and, therefore, have a market advantage over the quality-focused provider.”

    Dignitaries at the event include the Ghanaian Minister of Health, Hon Alexander Segbefia, who gave the opening address.

  • How healthcare intervention projects are changing lives in Enugu, Niger

    How healthcare intervention projects are changing lives in Enugu, Niger

    Chikere Omeke lives in Enugu with his family. Those close to him needed no prophet to know that he had some problems on his mind. His wife was expecting their second child and Omeke, a vulcanizer, was worried because he did not have the money to take his wife to a good hospital.

    But that was before a friend told him about the newly renovated hospital in town. The hospital had recently been renovated and fitted with modern facilities by mobile network giant, MTN. The project is part of MTN Foundation’s contribution to maternal healthcare in Nigeria.

    “I feel very happy and excited about the facilities, because this hospital is very nice and people are coming every day. Everyone appreciates this effort and the hospital because they are really trying,” Omehe said after cuddling the new arrival to his family.

    Another resident of Enugu, Chinwendu Omeke, described the facilities at the hospital as very ‘nice’. Omeke, a mother of three, hailed the MTN for its intervention project.

    “This place is very nice and I appreciate the government and MTN for taking care of the patients, especially the pregnant women. I am very happy.”

    There is no gainsaying the fact that the worsening economy has adversely affected maternal healthcare services in the country. The case is even worse in rural communities where access to modern health facilities is in most cases almost zero.

    Despite years of concerted efforts by government and independent health groups, the problems of antenatal bookings, obstetric admissions and hospital deliveries in rural communities persist.

    A recent study shows that maternal mortality increased from 6-4 to 111 per 1000 deliveries; prenatal mortality from 52-8 to 83-3 per 1000 births, caesarean section rate by 7-1 per cent and anaemia in pregnancy by 2-3 per cent.

    That was the case in Lapai, Niger State, until the MTN Foundation stepped in with its MTN Foundation’s Maternal Ward Support project. The project is aimed at renovating 24 maternal centres in the six beneficiary states selected for the project.

    According to the project director, “it is in continuation of our effort to complement the national objective of reducing maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria.”

    Talatu Alfa is a nurse at the Lapai General Hospital. She is also the second-in-command of the hospital’s maternity ward. Talatu, a midwife with 10 years experience, has seen enough at the hospital to know the difference between what obtained prior to MTN’s intervention and now.

    She said: “Maternal health in Lapai is fair. The problem we had was because most of the pregnant women went to other health facilities to have their delivery and along the line, they develop some complications and are rushed back to the General Hospital.

    “Some cases get to us at very critical stages, but we have always tried our best to address the situation. For instance, last year, there was a case of a woman whose baby weighed 5.5kg, who was referred to us almost at the point of death. But we thank God that we were able to perform a successful surgery on her and both the mother and the child were saved. The woman had a beautiful baby girl.”

    Speaking on the intervention by MTN, Talatu said: “MTN has tried a lot and by God’s grace, we will put in more effort to make the things work well and reduce the maternal mortality rate in Lapai. We thank them for this gesture and wish for more of this kind on world class facilities.

    “My advice to pregnant women is that they should always come for antenatal, and it has been made easy now. They don’t have to come every day but from time to time. And when they do this, they check their body, the baby, the blood sample and see whether the blood level will be safe for successful delivery. All other vital checks will also be done only if they come for antenatal early and at regular intervals.”

    Lending his voice to the call, Dr. Ezenwanka Solomon Chinedu, the Principal Medical Officer, Head of Hospital Services of the General Hospital Lapai, described the maternal situation in Lapai as not too different from other parts of the state before now.

    He said the story is gradually improving since he arrived at the hospital. “The story has been improving. For some months now, we have not recorded any maternal death as against the case before. Though most of them that died had gone to quacks in the system before coming here, so that when they are messed up, they are rushed here. Some die within 20-30 minutes of their arrival. That is why we have engaged in serious advocacy to change the situation.”

    The doctor blamed the high rate of maternal deaths on cultural and spiritual beliefs of the people.

    “Some of them believe that in cases of Eclampsia, which involves convulsion in pregnant women, that it could be spiritual. So, instead of them to come at that first incident, the women would be given all sorts of concoction, given some marks in the name of remedy. But when they discover that the patient is not improving, the families then bring them to the hospital. Unfortunately, sometime it could be fatal, particularly when it has taken too long.

    “My advice to pregnant women is that once they miss their period and confirm that they are pregnant, they should come and register for antenatal. The trend we have noticed before now is that pregnant women wait till about eight months into their pregnancy before they come to register and that most times increases their risk exposure. Early antenatal services will guide them on how best to manage their pregnancy to maximise the possibilities of a safe delivery.”

    Dr Chinedu, who has 15 years experience under his belt, hailed MTN Foundation for helping to reduce the high mortality rate in the country.

    “I believe it will go a long way in reducing the already very high maternal mortality that obtains in Nigeria. As you are aware, we rank second behind India worldwide. But with this MTN’s intervention now, my perception, especially in Lapai, is that healthcare will greatly improve.”

    Speaking on the importance of the projects, Alhaji Muhammadu Danlami, Director, MTN Foundation, said the goal of the project is to renovate and equip maternal wards in at least 24 hospitals across the six states of the country.

    According to him, four hospitals—the General Hospital, Lapai; General Hospital, Suleja; General Hospital, Mokwa, and the General Hospital, New Bussa benefitted in the latest round.

    “Other states to benefit from this scheme are Abia, Cross River, Oyo, Kaduna and Sokoto. For each of the 24 hospitals, their maternal ward will be equipped with the following: 20 hospital beds with cardiac rest, 20 standard hospital mattresses, 20 standard hospital bed pillows, 10 four-way foldable ward screens, 20 metal bedside cupboards, 20 visitors’ chairs, 10 drip stands, 20 hydraulic over-bed tables, 10 height – adjustable baby cots and 2 baby incubators,” he said.

  • Fidson Healthcare to open N9b WHO factory

    Fidson Healthcare to open N9b WHO factory

    •Govt urged to prioritise drug manufacturing

    Fidson Healthcare Plc at the weekend took select journalists on a tour of its newly completed World Health Organisation (WHO)-standard manufacturing factory with a call on the government to prioritise domestic manufacturing of drugs.

    Glistering in the daylight sun of Ota, Ogun State, the new plant, arguably the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Africa, is one of the few that had been shortlisted for WHO certification in Nigeria. The new plant is equipped to produce six distinct product lines-tablets, capsules, oral liquids, creams and ointments, dry powder and intravenous infusions to meet Nigeria and regional medicine needs.

    Operations, Fidson Healthcare Plc Director, Mr Abiola Adebayo, who led the tour, said the factory had gulped N9 billion, with the funding generated through debts and internally generated revenue.

    He said the plant was completed about eight months ago, but it could not start operations immediately because of issues of foreign exchange (forex), which has impeded raw materials sourcing.

    He urged the government to treat medicine as part of national security by implementing policies that will encourage the growth and sustainable development of Nigerian domestic pharmaceutical industry.

    According to him, the government should ensure a stable operating environment that would encourage long-term investments in the healthcare sector while also prioritising local manufacturers in its healthcare policies and transactions.

    He said in spite of the National Drug Policy that stipulates that 70 per cent of the drugs purchased by the government should be from the local industry, many local manufacturers are still not receiving the support of the government, a situation that is compounded by non-payment for supplies by the government.

    He called for a review of the present regulatory environment and regional agreements with a view to protecting the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, noting that the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) as it is now, places Nigerian domestic manufacturing in jeopardy.

    According to him, the major issue with the current CET implementation on medicines is the reduction of import duty tariff on finished pharmaceutical products to zero per cent compared with five to 20 per cent duty on raw and packaging materials respectively, thus encouraging importation to the detriment of local manufacturing.

    He said government can protect the local industry by invoking the Import Adjustment Tax of the CET while working on a medium to long-term review of the agreement, adding that Nigeria constitutes 72 per cent of local pharmaceutical industry in the ECOWAS region.

    “We need to take a stand to ensure local pharmaceuticals survive,” Adebayo said.

    Noting that the company had to provide its own infrastructure such as power, water and road in addition to numerous community development initiatives, Adebayo said government should consider the state of Nigerian infrastructure to support domestic manufacturers, who see the operation of Nigerian pharmaceutical industry as a patriotic duty.

    “We need to be protected, we need to be patronised, we need to be paid, we have the quality and we have the same global standards,” Adebayo said.

  • ‘Effective healthcare crucial to survival of mothers, babies’

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), MamaYe, has called for effective healthcare planning to save the lives of mothers and babies.

    Its country director Dr Tunde Segun called for evidence-based plan of action to ensure good health for mothers and their babies in Nigeria and Africa.

    Speaking during a  training organised by MamaYe on investigative reporting of maternal newborn health (MNH) for reporters in Kadunna, Dr Segun said the public and private sector should put maternal and newborns’ health on the spotlight.

    He said maternal and newborn health (MNH) scorecards can be used to influence health strategies and planning during health sector review meetings.

    For him, budgetary allocation to health should be increased to strengthen mother and newborn health.

    “However, the little allocated should be well accounted for and properly utilised,” Segun said.

    He said there was need for the strengthening of maternal death reviews (MDRs), in facilities or in communities focused on action-oriented responses.

    Segun said promoting transparency through publicly accessible mother and newborn health (MNH) evidence, news, success stories, government commitments is a measure for knowing the state of mother and baby.

    He said  accountability mechanisms should be strengthened, that is, for broader inclusiveness, at national and sub-national levels to track progress and improve quality of care.

    He said: “Evidence for action (E4A) advocacy and accountability was delivered through a campaign known as MamaYe, through which E4A will build and join together a coalition of supporters to achieve a shared goal of saving the lives of mothers and babies in Nigeria and regionally”.

    The campaign, he said, was a public call to action encouraging everyone to play their role in the survival of mothers and babies.

    The focus, he said, should be on survival than mortality, adding that people’s expectations should be raised on the issue.

    Besides, evidence should be used to celebrate success, spur action and promote accountability.

    He said it was possible to protect the life of mother and baby.

    Segun said more women and newborns now survive childbirth than ever because they are accessing treatment at safe facilities, which deliver higher quality of care due to adequate and equitably distributed human resources, drugs, supplies and equipment.