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Tag: Isaac Adewole

  • Abductors release ex-minister Adewole’s son

    Abductors of Dayo Adewole, the son of immediate past Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, have released him.

    Oyo State Police Command’s spokesman Olugbenga Fadeyi confirmed Dayo’s freedom from his captors last night.

    He said the minister’s son had been reunited with other members of his family.

    The police high command in the state and their zonal leadership had swung into action when news about the abduction of the former minister’s son got to town yesterday.

    Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Leye Oyebade led other senior police officers to Dayo’s farm at Iroko, near Fiditi in Afijio Local Government Area, where he was abducted by four gunmen on Tuesday evening.

    The AIG was quoted to have said that the hoodlums behind the dastardly act had nowhere to hide.

    Read Also: Adewole consoles murdered health worker’s family

    Oyebade was accompanied by Oyo State Police Commissioner Shina Olukolu and other senior officers of the command to assess the situation and map out strategy to free the victim and arrest the abductors.

    Dayo, who was singled out in the midst of his workers by the kidnappers, is a graduate of Agriculture and he opted for mechanised farming, unlike many idle youths waiting for white collar jobs.

    It was not clear last night if a ransom was paid to secure Dayo’s freedom from his captors.

    Fadeyi earlier gave an update on the abduction of the former minister’s son.

    He said: “…Dayo Adewole was abducted by four gunmen around 6:30 p.m at Iroko. The Area Commander in Moniya, Ibdan, and other patrol teams had been alerted and are giving the armed men a hot chase…”

     

     

  • Ex-minister’s son abducted at gunpoint

    Some unknown gunmen on Tuesday evening abducted Dayo Adewole, who is the son of the immediate past Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.

    The military, the police, security agents and local hunters were already on the trail of the kidnappers as at press time.

    The ex-minister has, however, been forced to cut short his trip abroad.

    The abductors were yet to contact the family on their motive and the condition of their victim.

    According to a source, Dayo was ambushed at gunpoint on his farm in Iroko, near Fiditi in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State at about 6pm.

    Although there were some employees with Dayo, the abductors went for him as a prime target.

    It was gathered that the kidnappers later took Dayo away to an unknown destination.

    A source said: “The villagers were alerted by the staff who survived the ordeal. Local hunters were mobilized by the Oniroko of Iroko.

    “The hunters were said to have located the car of the abductors along the road to Iware village near Iroko.

    Read Also: Kogi to get $1.6m FG grant for healthcare delivery —Minister

    “But they are yet to locate Dayo’s whereabouts. It was suspected that the kidnappers might have changed their vehicle following persistent announcement on radio after Oniroko had raised the alarm on air.”

    Findings confirmed that the military, the police and security agencies have joined forces with the villagers to search for Dayo.

    A top official of the Federal Ministry of Health said: “We are in sad mood over the abduction. Dayo was a graduate of agriculture and he opted for farming.

    “He has been managing his farm peacefully in Iroko until he was abducted by some gunmen on Tuesday.”

    Responding to a question, the official said: “The ex-minister left for abroad last Thursday for recess but he is on his way back. He has cut short his trip.

    “The military, the police and other security agencies are on top of the situation.”

  • Primary, secondary health centres have collapsed, says minister

    The Federal Government on Tuesday said primary and secondary healthcare centres in the country have collapsed.

    Health Minister Professor Isaac Adewole stated this on the floor of the Senate.

    He listed 14 states that failed to indicate interest in the basic healthcare provision fund created to enhance primary healthcare services.

    The minister was invited to brief the Senate on the poor state of teaching hospitals in the country.

    Adewole told the lawmakers that the collapse of primary and secondary healthcare centres was responsible for avoidable pressure on the teaching hospitals.

    Nigerians, the minister said, had lost confidence in primary and secondary healthcare centres due to their collapse.

    He said teaching hospitals were not expected to treat malaria but to handle complicated health challenges.

    Adewole stressed the need for the country to invest in primary health centres to function effectively and dissuade people from going to teaching hospitals.

    The minister said 14 states had not keyed into the basic healthcare provision fund initiative.

    They are: Kebbi, Jigawa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Gombe, Rivers, Borno, Zamfara, Ondo, Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Ogun and Sokoto.

    Read Also: June 12 Day: Nigeria is safe, says minister

    He described the approval of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund as a game changer in the Health sector.

    Adewole, who noted that the states had abandoned healthcare to the extent that everything is handled by the Federal Government, insisted that “we cannot succeed with this”.

    The minister said 22 other states had complied with the conditions required to benefit from the scheme.

    He added: “We have, through your (National Assembly) support, some funds. You approved it to enable us provide healthcare basic fund. It is a game changer. We have spent almost a year developing the guideline and, over the last weeks, we have started a rollout. As at the last count, 22 states have registered for the basic healthcare provision fund.

    “What we have done with the fund is to structure it in a way that money will flow from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the primary healthcare facilities, bypassing all obstacles.

    “Last week, we succeeded in moving out funds from the CBN to the agencies, and from the agencies, it will go to the primary healthcare. As of today, 14 states are yet to show interest in the basic healthcare provision fund.

    “Because senators represent the entire country, I want to quickly seek your permission to tell you the states. It is unfortunate because this is a game changer.

    “These funds provide free ante-natal care, free delivery, take care of malaria, screen for tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes.”

    Adewole also said: “We have 22 teaching hospitals in the country, 20 Federal Medical Centres and 17 specialist hospitals all over Nigeria under the direct purview of the Federal Government. Most states also have teaching hospitals to provide tertiary care.”

    “The teaching hospitals, by design, constitute the apex of healthcare in any country. For us in Nigeria, they represent the topmost and, by design, they are expected to receive referrals and manage complicated cases.

    “For them to function effectively, they depend on functional primary healthcare, functional secondary healthcare centres. When these two levels of care are functioning, 90 per cent of ailments can be taken care of by the primary and secondary health care levels.”

    “In other words, only 10 per cent of Nigerians who require care will need to go tertiary health institutions. The PHCs handle 70 per cent and secondary health institutions 20 per cent.

    “However, over the last couple of years, we have a major challenge. The healthcare system can be described as a pyramid; the pyramid has PHCs at the base, secondary at the middle, while the tertiary at the top.

    “We can also liken the healthcare system to a building. The primary healthcare is the foundation, the secondary is the wall and the tertiary is the roof.

    “The problem we had is that the foundation is bad: the wall is weak and we are only concerned about the roof. Under the Ibrahim Babangida administration, the then Minister of Health, (the late) Prof Olikoya Ransome-Kuti, invested and concentrated a lot of attention on the PHCs because it is the foundation and is also in keeping with the declaration in 1978 that countries should invest in PHCs because it is the healthcare that is the closest to the people.

    “However, for some other reasons, this effort collapsed after a few years. When the Olusegun Obasanjo administration came, there was a lot of concern for the tertiary and it invested in the tertiary. But that is like investing in the roof when there are no walls and no foundation.

    “When this administration came, we did a quick diagnostics and said that for the health system in Nigeria to function properly, we needed to restructure the pyramid.

    “This pyramid, which is at the top, must be put on the base. What we found is that Nigerians have no confidence in the primary and secondary. Everybody would go to the tertiary.

    “When we are training, you cannot enter the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospitals without a referral letter; you must be referred from a primary or secondary. But because the primary and secondary have collapsed, people just walk into the tertiary health centres.

    “Somebody had malaria and could not be admitted because there is no bed. The teaching hospitals are not expected to take care of malaria. In fact, they are expected to take care of complicated cases.

    “What we have done through your support, and I must publicly commend you and the Senate for approving the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, it is a game changer.”

     

  • HIV/AIDS: FG restates commitment to remove barriers on access to treatment

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has renewed the commitment of the Federal Government to remove barriers for  seamless access to HIV and AIDS interventions toward halting the spread of infection in Nigeria.

    The minister made this known in Abuja during the dissemination meeting of Alere HIV Combo Rapid Test Kit 2018 Evaluation Report and inauguration of operational guidelines for HIV self-testing in Nigeria.

    Adewole said, “we need to establish the link between testing and treatment,’’ adding that the goal could be achieved by removing all the barriers and charges relating to the condition.

    “All those charges must disappear.

    “Whatever names we call it, we need to remove them; if we do not remove them when people tested positive they may find it difficult to move forward toward treatment.

    “There is going to be a meeting today to look at how to re-strategise it and go beyond the rhetoric of banning service charges.

    Read Also: JOHESU had no agreement with FG – Adewole

    “We are working on modalities to empower civil society organisations and people living with HIV and AIDS to act as monitors so that where these service charges were being collected they (People Living With HIV and AIDS) will act as feedback mechanism,’’ he said.

    The minister renewed the commitment of government toward eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV.

    “Our goal is that no Nigerian child should be born with HIV in this century, it has happened in many settings, we can replicate it forward.’’

    The minister said the operational guideline for the delivery of HIV self-testing in Nigeria 2018 was developed for effective implementation of HIV self-Testing in Nigeria.

    He added that the guidelines outline the principles for HIV Self -Testing delivery approaches and packages, quality assurance and coordination for HIV self- testing in Nigeria.

    NAN

  • Minister commends APIN over success in fight against HIV/AIDS

    The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has stated that the nation has achieved huge success in the fight against HIV/AIDS and commended the APIN Public Health Initiatives in the role the organisation has played in achieving the said success.

    The Minister was speaking at the public presentation of the book, Turning the Tide: AIDS in Nigeria, produced by APIN which was held in Abuja on Thursday. The minister said the contribution of numerous prevention strategies and availability of drugs have led to changes in the narratives of the epidemic.

    “We have achieved tremendous success in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The contribution of highly anti-retroviral drugs and numerous prevention strategies resulted in phenomenal changes in the narrative. Even though a definitive cure has yet to be found, people living with HIV who have access to the drugs can now live normal life, Adewole said.

    He added that the disease could now be managed like any other chronic disease; adding that the nation has witnessed a significant reduction in the prevalence even far lower than was recorded at the beginning of various interventions.

    Read also: Masari inaugurates health promotion campaigns in Katsina

    “Four weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the result of the largest HIV related population based survey. That result is something we are now celebrating. The prevalence rise from 1.8 per cent in 1991 to its peak of 5.8 per cent in 2001 and it began to decline. Today, 1.9 million people in Nigeria are infected, the Minister stated.

    In his opening remarks, the chief executive officer of APIN, Dr. Prosper Okonkwo, said the book launch was a day of gladness and joy for the organisation. He added that the book launch was a culmination of three years of serious work to produce the book.

    He said after the first book written 13 years ago and with noticeable improvement in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and the increasing drop in the prevalence of the disease, the organisation felt the need to write another book.

    With more than a decade of massive scale up of comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme in Nigeria with domestic and international funding mainly from the US government, Global Fund, philanthropic foundations and other bilateral and multilateral donors, the national programme has enough accomplishments worth documenting in another book, Okonkwo stated.

     

  • FG warns Nigerian students seeking to study medicine in Ukrane

    The Federal Government has warned Nigerians seeking to study medicine in Ukraine to be sure of the institution first before enrolling.

    The country in the last two years had recorded high rate of failure among foreign-trained doctors who sat for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). Most of the students involved were said to have studied in Ukraine.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole in a press statement made available to Journalists in Abuja pointed out that the Ukrainian Ministry of Health said it cannot guarantee the quality of education of a university in the Eastern European country.

    Read also: Medical council convicts Kebbi based medical doctor for misconduct

    “The Federal Government had recently been notified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health that it could not guarantee the quality of education delivered to both Ukrainian and foreign students by the Odessa National Medical University.

    “The decision by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health was based on the result of an International Monitoring Study of Quality of Higher Medical Education conducted in Ukrainian Medical Universities dated March 25, from which the Odessa Medical University exempted itself.

     

  • FG restates commitment to food sufficiency

    Professor  Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensure that Nigeria achieves self-sufficiency in food production.

    Adewole said this on Monday during a factory visit to Erisco Foods Ltd. in Lagos.

    He said that President Muhammadu Buhari insisted that the bulk of the 235 million dollars approved for Nutrition projects should be used to finance companies that would boost food production.

    “We are not going to importation of food for Nigerians because we want Nigerians to feed themselves. A company like Erisco Foods stands to benefit from this project,” he said.

    The minister commended the company for its ingenuity and passion to deepen employment and patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products.

    Read Also: How food processing can create jobs

    He urged the company to ensure hygiene, standards, quality and safety in its production, saying the government would continue to support its efforts to contribute to economic development.

    The minister, however, urged the company to seek partnerships with various Nutrition departments of universities to strengthen its innovations.

    Adewole also advised Erisco Foods to extend the marketing of its brands beyond Nigeria, adding that the company’s range of Ready to Eat Jollof Rice with meat and Ready to Eat Spaghetti with meat had a lot of potential.

    “I have tasted the products and I can say that they are good. The Ready to Eat brands are safe for Nigerians to consume.

    “In fact, I have recommended the company to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for support because Nigeria’s economy will boom if Erisco Foods booms,” he said.

    The minister urged Nigerians to continue to support locally produced goods towards boosting employment and economic growth.

    Also, Chief Eric Umeofia, Chief Executive Officer, Erisco Foods, commended the government for its support to manufacturers and deepening local content in the economy.

    Umeofia said that the minister’s visit was a new dawn for the company, and pledged to continue to uphold quality and best practices in their production.

     

  • ‘Nigeria, fourth country with highest HIV/AIDS victims’

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Thursday said Nigeria had been ranked the 4th country with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS.

    Adewole disclosed this during the presidential unveiling of the 2018 Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) result at the Banquet Hall of Aso Rock, Presidential villa.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the goal of the survey was to examine the distribution of HIV disease and commodities in Nigeria and assess the coverage.

    Also to ascertain the impact of HIV services on the population level and to measure HIV related risk behaviours using a nationally representative sample.

    The survey was conducted within nine months as it commenced June through December 2018 in the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

    The result of the survey presented stated that HIV prevalence estimates varied across Nigeria with the highest prevalence in South South zone and the lowest prevalence in North West zone.

    The survey presented for each geopolitical zone in the country for prevalence among persons age 15-64 years reads: North Central 2.1 per cent; North East 1.1 per cent; North West 0.6 per cent; South East 1.9 per cent; South-South 3.1 per cent, and South West 1.2 per cent.

    Also, it was reported that almost half of people living with HIV in Nigeria achieved viral suppression.

    Adewole said this improvement was possible due to the huge committee the present administration had channelled towards the eradication of the disease.

    He said that South Africa, India and Mozambique were ranked ahead of Nigeria with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS.

    According to him, the results of this survey will guide and inform government policies, strategies and programmes on HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C.

    “I want to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari, public and private organisations, the U.S. Government that supported the survey and Nigerians for their cooperation during the survey.

    “I want to also seize this opportunity to pay tribute to those who died during the process of the survey.

    “Nigeria has moved from being the second country with the highest number of people living with AIDS which was ranked in 2014 with 3.1 million infected people but now fourth country with about 1.9 million people living with the scourge.

    “From the 1.9 million Nigerians, over 1 million are currently on the live saving treatment,” he said.

    Dr Sani Aliyu, the Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), said that the generated survey would be taken to state governors who would be advised to latch on it to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their states.

    He said the survey was the best in the world because of the non-interference policy employed and the use of better quality laboratories.

    According to him, NAIIS is the largest HIV/AIDS specific single country survey ever done in the world which is truly representative of the entire population.

    He noted that the U.S had also assisted the organisation in its goal of eradicating AIDS in the country as it supported Nigeria with $70 million to undertake the survey.

    “We will ensure that we focus our efforts on ensuring those infected with HIV achieve viral suppression, minimising the risk of HIV transmission and moving Nigeria closer to controlling the HIV epidemic.

    “We truly appreciate the effort of organisations which have supported this survey and made it a reality, we look forward to more collaboration to ensure we achieve 2030 target of eradicating the epidemic.

    “I appreciate Mr President for adequate funding of the survey which was done in the most efficient manner and it is the largest survey done in nine months.

    “Also, we thank the United States of America for assisting us to ensure our goals are achieved,” he said.

    Aliyu assured that the survey would provide programme managers and policy makers with a more detailed and specific understanding of HIV epidemic in the country.

    He said this would guide the scale up of treatment and prevention services across all age groups.

    Mr Michel Sidibe, the Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), commended NAIIS for a job well done, noting that the result of the survey will be a game changer for Nigeria.

     

  • World Cancer Day: Obaseki lauds Buhari on care for patients

    Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has commended the efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government at prioritizing care for cancer patients.

    Obaseki gave the commendation on Monday in Benin City, in commemoration of the World Cancer Day, a day set aside by the World Health Organisation to draw global attention to the disease, review progress on treatment and management options with global stakeholders.

    Emphasising the need for people to go for regular checks  to detect the cells early, the governor said: “Under president Buhari, we now have the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (Establishment) Act, 2017.

    “The Act provides the much-needed national direction in cancer research, control and treatment and guides scientific improvements to cancer prevention, treatment and care, coordinates and liaises between the wide range of groups and health care providers with an interest in cancer.”

    He added that few weeks ago, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, inspected the ongoing installation of three new cancer machines at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, as part of efforts to bring cancer treatment closer to sufferers across the country.

    Read Also: Obaseki hails legacy of Ambrose Alli

    The governor further said that he is “aware of plans by the federal government to establish similar centres in other geo-political zones in the country to bring the treatment facilities closer to the people and check capital flight occasioned by medical tourism.”

    Obaseki explained that the Federal Government inaugurated a radiotherapy centre with new multilevel linear accelerator equipment for cancer treatment in 2017 at the National Hospital Abuja, and urged Nigerians to re-elect president Buhari so that all parts of the country can benefit from his initiatives in health and other sectors of the country.

    According to the WHO in its 2018 publication, “cancer is now responsible for almost one in six deaths globally. On World Cancer Day (4 February) WHO highlights that cancer no longer needs to be a death sentence, as the capacity exists to reduce its burden and improve the survival and quality of life of people living with the disease.”

    The global body added in “In May 2017, Member States came together around priority actions to ensure cancer care for all. World Health Assembly resolution WHA A70/A/CONF./9″Cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach” lays out a clear road map to realise the potential for prevention, early diagnosis, prompt treatment and palliative care for people with cancer.

    “Since adoption of the resolution, Member States are taking action on its recommendations. Governments are enacting evidence-based risk-reducing strategies such as imposing higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol, promoting healthy diets and physical activity, and advocating for access to HPV vaccination. Approximately 30-50% of cancers can be prevented if these policies are maximally implemented.”

  • 40% of cancer cases can be prevented in Nigeria — Health Minister

    Health Minister  Isaac Adewole has said 40 per cent of cancer cases can be prevented in Nigeria, if people can change their sedentary lifestyles.

    Speaking yesterday at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos where he had gone to inspect a  new cancer treatment centre at the hospital  said that cancer prevention could be achieved when people change their lifestyles, especially the way they move around, sleep, eat, what they drink and majorly, staying away from tobacco.

    He said government invested in the cancer treatment centre so that Nigerians could be treated in the country  instead of  travelling out for treatment.

    “Also, the best place to treat patients is when they are among their people and seeing their relations every day,” he said.

    “So, we are trying to achieve that and save people’s money because it will be cheaper than travelling outside.

    “We noticed that treatment is beyond the modalities that will offer.

    “Three modalities for cancer treatment are chemotheraphy, radiation and surgery because most cancer cases are always presented late.

    read also: Human resources, drugs, vaccines are critical – Adewole

    “Improving awareness on cancer treatment will make people to come early for treatment and reduce late presentation of cancer cases,” Adewole said.

    He also said that the plan was to replicate the centre in many health institutions across the country .

    “LUTH has a first class of Biomedical Centre which we planned to support other centres.

    “I know LUTH will manage the machine properly which means abandoned and broken equipment will be a thing of the past.

    “There will also be long time maintenance contract that will enable us to manage the cancer machine.

    “The cancer treatment centre is almost ready, so by February, this centre will start operation fully for the benefits of the patients,” Adewole said.

    According to the minister, apart from the Cancer Treatment Centre, Federal Ministry of Health had on Tuesday flagged off  the basic healthcare provision fund.

    “The main reason is to provide resource from the Federal down to all the state facilities and also to the local government level.

    “We will also be providing some free basic services to the people such as immunisation services, delivery services, tuberculosis services, checking of blood pressure, urine test and treatment of under five children.

    “We will also be partnering with the state governments by making sure that the state provides infrastructure, while the Federal Government provides money to maintain it.