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Tag: Minister of Health

  • Osun state to benefit from health services worth N916 million – Minister

    Osun state is to benefit from health services worth 916 million over the next nine months, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has said.

    Besides, the minister kicked off the national roll-out of enrollment of clients for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in Osun state.

    Governor  Adegboyega Oyetola assured the minister and its partners that the state will put to use all the components of HUWE Programme and ensure its implementation.

    The BHCPF is a major component to the implementation of the National Health  signed  into law in 2014, which laid the foundation for the country’s  goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

    Flagging off the enrollment, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole said under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund Programme aka ‘Huwe’ which in Ebira language means ‘Life’, described  the role of Primary Health Care as the bedrock of the health system. 

    The programme covered under the HUWE programme are Antenatal care, child delivery care (including caesarian section) and free immunization for pregnant women; Free immunization, treatment for malaria, measles, pneumonia, dysentery and malnutrition for children below five years; and Free family planning services, treatment for malaria, and screening for diabetes and hypertension for all adults.

    To underline this fact, the minister said the roll out will be coming up in Niger, Katsina and Abia, with immediate roll out in the other 17 States and the FCT who have indicated interest

    He was therefore glad that the country will be able to deliver on the administration’s programme of using the primary health care as the bedrock of the health system .

    He said, “role of Primary Health Care as the bedrock of the health system. Our approach is consistent with broader national goals as espoused in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and laid the foundation for what we are launching today.

    “As a Government, we are mindful that our success depends on our ability to transform non-renewable (and often volatile) natural capital into productive wealth by investing more in human capital. 

    “Yet slow progress on poverty reduction, health outcomes, literacy, and governance challenges threaten our development. As you may know, 70% of total health expenditure in Nigeria is borne out of pocket. This is far higher than the globally acceptable rate of 30-40% and remains a barrier to accessing care. Our Administration is committed to reversing this ugly situation and promoting shared prosperity.

    With the flag off of the Huwe, I am convinced that we will turn the tide on this.”

    He also added, “I am positive that Huwe will help reverse the poor health indices in the country.  I am also hopeful that death during childbirth will be a thing of the past; and our children will no longer have to die as a result of vaccine preventable diseases or other common ailments. Also, access to health care will not be limited because of not having money to pay.

    “To ensure equity in the disbursement of funds, we have allocated resources per State based on the incidence of poverty and also on a per capita basis. This guarantees that the BHCPF will help reduce inequality in use and access of services particularly by the most vulnerable. 

    “Consequently, residents of the State of Osun will benefit from services worth N916m over the next 9 months. 

    This sum will cover the payment for the management of two hundred and seventy thousand (270,000) women with normal deliveries, Seven hundred and sixty three thousand (763,000) under 5-childhood illnesses or five hundred and seventy two thousand (572,000) cases of malaria. 

    In addition, Three hundred and thirty two public sector facilities will become truly functional as a result of the program.”

    He posited that he envision  “a new Nigeria where every pregnant woman is assured of being alive to see a live baby, every child born is assured of a long healthy life and every one of us will age gracefully.”

    In his remark, Osun governor, Adegboyega Oyetola who is one of the four governors to earlier signify interest in the programme, said that his administration will always do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of the people. 

    Besides, Oyetola stressed that  said that ” a cardinal objective of my administration is the provision of healthcare, which should be adequate, qualitative and equitable.  In line with this, we have commenced the revitalization of Nine General Hospitals and 332 healthcare centres, one in each Ward. “

    He also assured that the state ensure the all-embracing programme involved include making available drugs and modern equipment, training and re-training of personnel and powering of activities at the health facilities by modern technology.

    “Part of our drive for equitable health provision is the Health Insurance Scheme whose implementation shall start this month. Under the Scheme, government shall contribute its counterpart funds while also taking care of the vulnerable in the society. Workers’ Unions are expected to play their own role as stakeholders. We are positive that the implementation of this holistic approach shall deliver quality and adequate healthcare to our people,” he added

    The Senior Technical Advisor to the minister on the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, Dr Oyebanji  Filani, said  both public and private facilities would benefit from the fund, adding that the facilities would receive the money in two ways.

    Officer in Charge of World Health Organisation Nigeria office , Dr Clement Peter said the fund would help make the state healthier, and make  a difference in the country’s poor health indices

  • 71 percent of TB patients are affected by catastrophic cost, says FG

    A survey conducted by the federal government in collaboration with her partners in 2017 showed that 71 percent of TB patients and their households are affected negatively by the catastrophic cost due to tuberculosis (TB).

    This was revealed by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, during a press briefing to commemorate the World Tuberculosis Day and the official launch of the report of the catastrophic cost survey yesterday in Abuja.

    The Minister of Health, who was represented by Dr. Felix Ogenyi, Director of General Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, said that: “A worrisome trend is that of funding. The catastrophic cost survey conducted in 2017 showed that 71% of TB patients and their household are affected negatively by the catastrophic cost due to TB.”

    The report defines catastrophic cost as the total costs (indirect and direct combined) exceeding a given threshold (e.g. 20%) of the household’s annual income, and also as ‘dissaving’ (such as loans taken, property or livestock sale) incurred by patients to face health costs associated with the TB disease (Working definition adopted by the WHO Task force, March, 2015).

    “Our National TB treatment coverage for 2018 was 25%. This implies that out at the estimated 418,000 new TB cases, only 106,533 TB cases were notified in 2018 leaving over 300,000 cases undiagnosed.

    “Similarly, the current proportion of health facilities in the country with TB services is barely 26%.

    “Let me add that the access to TB diagnostic services is also a challenge. The current LGA coverage of Gene Xpert (which is the first-line test for diagnosis of TB) is 41%,” he said.

    He further added that: “To address these challenges, our President, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, participated in the first-ever United Nations high level meeting (UNHLM) on TB that was held in New York, United States in September 2018.

    “The President, along with other leaders, made a firm commitment towards eradicating TB in the world.

    “To further demonstrate government’s determination to END TB, we have developed an action plan for translating the UNHLM commitments on TB into action.

    “The Government of Nigeria is therefore committed to enhancing available services alongside expansion of TB diagnostics and treatment services to improve access in line with our Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.”

    “Our plan going forward is to: Rapidly expand TB treatment and diagnostic services in both public and private health facilities; ensure capacity development of health care workers on diagnosis and management of TB;

    “Strengthen intra-facility linkage for TB services by ensuring every OPDs attendees are screened for TB in all health facilities; Create an increased demand for TB services through awareness campaigns on TB in health facilities, schools and communities; Ensure improved social protection packages for TB patients and families and ensure a more robust engagement of professional associations and Civil Society Organizations,” he said.

    Dr. Adebola Lawanson, the National Coordinator for the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), said that: “TB is no more a disease that should be confined to the health care facilities alone. We see that social exclusion is one of the greatest problems we have for those who have TB.

    Read also: 1.6 million people die of Tuberculosis, says Fed Govt

    “Stigmatization against people with TB is one major risk factor that we have found out that is also leading to the spread of the disease.

    “A lot of people with the disease shy away from coming out to access the health care facilities. It is a social disease that must be tackled head-on to make sure that people with it are no more stigmatized.

    “The federal government wants Nigerians to be healthy.

    “With the support of our partners, these drugs and facilities are made available to ensure that people access them, and don’t expend a lot of their resources, in fact, they don’t expend any of their resources in taking care of themselves because service have been provided free of charge.”

    TB is curable; Diagnosis and TB treatment are available free of charge in oil DOTS centres notion-wide; Persistent cough for two or more weeks could be TB; Toll-free help-line for TB is 08002255282.

  • 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.

     

  • Genital mutilation: Minister expresses shock over involvement of medical personnel 

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has described as shocking the involvement of medical personnel in the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

    Over 200 million women and girls globally are affected by the FGM, with three million  new cases recorded annually.

    Nigeria, it was also learnt accounts for 20million of the global record.

    Speaking yesterday at the Advocacy /Stakeholders meeting on curbing medicalization of the FGM and sanction of erring medical personnel in Nigeria, Adewole said it was shocking to discover the involvement of medical personnel in the act.

    The minister, who was represented by Dr Kayode Afolabi, Director, Head of the Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health, said the involvement of medical personnel in the promotion of the FGM under whatever disguise was unacceptable.

    He said, “The medicalization of the FGM in Nigeria is actually shocking. Nigeria bears at least 10% of the burden of the FGM globally. Out of 200 million woman with the FGM, Nigeria accounts for 20million.  “25% in Nigeria have the FGM that is really very shocking to hear, therefore the FGM is a human right problem,” he said.

    The minister added: “ I was also shocked to realize that 12.718% of the FGM is actually done by health professionals in Nigeria. To me, it is unacceptable that medical personal are enticed to it because it helps their pockets, but that is not a justification.”

    He noted that government has been working with partners to address the issue at all levels by developing clinical protocol on how to manage and sensitize health professionals against medicalization of the FGM.

    He was of the opinion that with the ongoing efforts, the FGM would be eradicated very soon by 2019.

    “The import of why we are here is for you to go back and talk to your workers, to create awareness, talk to the nurses, midwives, doctors and other health professionals to be aware that the medicalization of the FGM is not acceptable in the country”, the minister said

  • High fertility rate a problem for Nigeria – Osinbajo

    With over 180 million population, the country’s fertility rate poses a problem, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said.

    Osinbajo who spoke in Abuja Tuesday at the opening of the 5th National Family Planning Conference in Abuja, warned that the nation risks having additional 68 million people by 2030.

    The Vice President who was represented by Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said “if Nigeria’s prevailing annual population growth rate 3.2 percent persists, we will have an additional 68 million people by 2030, and will be the third most populous country in the world by 2050.”

    Read Also:Osinbajo challenges lecturers, administrators on state of education

    He explained that apart from Federal Government’s economic policies aimed at making lives comfortable to the nation’s population, the administration is committed to making family planning commodities available to those who need them.

    The nation, he noted failed to plan for its future when it raked in fortunes from oil and other revenue sources in recent past.

    “In the absence of basic social safety nets, and pro-poor policymaking, tens of millions of our people were left stranded, observing the statistics of economic growth from a distance, completely untouched by it…The sad reality is that for most of our history as a country, periods of economic growth have somehow managed to leave out the majority of our population.

    “Between 2011 and 2015 when Nigeria enjoyed some of the highest revenues in history, and overtook South Africa to become the largest economy in Africa, there was no commensurate impact in poverty alleviation and improvement of wellbeing,” the Vice president said.

    Speaking on the theme of the conference: Investment, Innovation and Inclusiveness, he said: “This is how I see the three “I’s”: Investment, innovation and inclusiveness are three very critical keys for unlocking the very beneficial contributions of family planning to Nigeria’s ambition of reaping all of its potential demographic dividend.

    “This demographic dividend is of course the catch-all term for the benefits and potential realizable from attaining the optimal age structure in a population. In the case of Nigeria, this optimal age structure would mean a combination of declining fertility and a simultaneous rise in the working age population.  Our main challenge, evidently, is with our current fertility rates.”

    He said investing in family planning has been proven to be smart, cost-effective, and life-saving; and is especially critical in a country like Nigeria with a very young and rapidly growing population.

    He added that estimated 63 percent of Nigeria’s population is below 25 years; with a significant segment of the population being sexually active and needing education and guidance to wisely navigate the issues of equality, choice and contraception.

    He argued further that achieving the SDGs and Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 depends significantly on how well sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people are prioritized.

    He said the nation must clearly insist on including young people at the very heart of its policies and its deployment of resources to achieve these policies.

    While urging participants at the conference to develop evidence-based approaches to population management, Osinbajo noted that time was no longer waiting for the nation. “We must act and move fast, because our challenges themselves are not simply sitting and waiting around to be solved. They are evolving and adapting in increasingly complicated forms, and our responses and solutions must keep up.

    “Family planning and population management generally are not just life-saving interventions but actually critical tools for economic and social development.”

    The three day conference has representatives of local and international organizations working on family planning, experts from medical field, government delegations among others.

     

  • Suspended NHIS Boss drags Ministers, NHIS to court

    Professor Usman Yusuf, the embattled Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has dragged two ministers and NHIS to a Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging his suspension from office.

    In the suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1220/2018, Yusuf instituted legal action against the Honourable Minister of Health, and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as well as the NHIS.

    The six-page summons was filed by Chief Uchechukwu Obi (SAN) of Alliance Law Firm, Abuja, on behalf of the plaintiff.

    According to the document made available to the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, the respondents are expected to cause appearance within 21 days after the service of the summons on them, inclusive of the day of service.

    The summons read in part thus: “The plaintiff prayed whether the Governing Council of the NHIS has the powers under the provision of the NHIS Act, particularly Sections 6 and 7 of the Act, to suspend or remove from office the plaintiff who was appointed by the President.

    “Whether the Governing Council of NHIS has the powers under the provision of NHIS Act to discipline the plaintiff or to investigate allegations made against him as purported by their internal memorandum dated Oct.19, 2018.

    “Whether the Hon. Minister of Health under the NHIS Act Section 47 of the Act is equipped with the statutory powers to authorise the suspension from office of the ES of NHIS without the approval of the President.

    “Whether the decision of the Governing Council to suspend the ES of the NHIS taken by 4 out of 11 members of the Council can be said to be a decision of the council in accordance with the NHIS Act.

    Read Also: Buhari orders NHIS boss to proceed on administrative leave

    “Whether the Governing Council can appoint the General Manager, Legal Department, or any other employee of the scheme to oversee the affairs of the scheme in acting capacity without the approval of the President,’’ among others.

    Yusuf therefore prayed the court to determine all the aforementioned questions in his favour and consequently sought for the following reliefs:

    “A declaration that the Governing Council of NHIS lacks powers under the provisions of the NHIS Act to suspend or remove the plaintiff who was appointed by the President for a five year term.

    “A declaration that the members of the council lacks the powers under the provision of the NHIS Act to discipline, or set up the machinery to discipline the plaintiff or investigate allegations made against him as purported by the internal memorandum dated October 19.

    “A declaration that the internal memorandum dated October 19 which was purportedly issued by the council and signed on their behalf by its Chairman in which it purported to have suspended the plaintiff as the ES of NHIS is ultra Vires, null and void and of no effect.

    “An order of court setting aside and cancelling the purported suspension of the plaintiff from office as the ES of NHIS.

    “An order of court reinstating the plaintiff as the ES of the NHIS.

    “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their members, servants, employees, agents, officers or any person from disturbing, obstructing the plaintiff from carrying on his official duties as the ES of the NHIS,’’ among others.

    A copy of the summons was stamped received by the NHIS head office in Abuja on Oct. 30.

    The case is yet to be assigned for date for mention to be fixed.

    News Agency Of Nigeria recalls that Yusuf was first suspended by the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, on July 6, 2017, over alleged maladministration, but was recalled by the Presidency on Feb. 6, 2018.

    Again, the Governing Council of NHIS led by Mrs Ifenne Enyanatu, later slammed an indefinite suspension on Yusuf on Oct. 18 over similar allegations of fraud.

    The latest action prompted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, to advise members of boards and governing councils at a retreat that they do not have powers to suspend or meet disciplinary actions on chief executives without recourse to due diligence.

    On Tuesday (Oct. 31), the Presidency asked Yusuf to proceed on administrative leave to allow unfettered investigations of the allegations leveled against him.

    It appointed Mr Ben Omogo, Director, Administration Office in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of Federation to oversee the affairs of the scheme.

    The government also instituted a 7-man panel led by Dr Hassan Bukar, and Mrs Jummai Idako from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as Secretary, to probe and report their findings within two weeks for appropriate action.

  • Adewole consoles murdered health worker’s family

    Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has commiserated with the family of Hauwa Liman, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian worker murdered by Boko Haram.

    Prof Adewole, who described the murder as callous and unfortunate, said the health workers should not be a target in any conflict zone as they are recognised as humanitarian service providers.

    He prayed for the repose of her soul and called on Boko Haram to follow the rules of International engagement which respect the right of humanitarian workers in conflict zones.

     

     

     

     

  • FG to carry out survey on diabetes, hypertension incident – Minister

    ….Says PHCs will soon commence screening, treatment

     

    The Federal Government has planned to carry out a survey on diabetes and hypertension, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has announced.

    The survey, which Adewole said will be carried out this year, is to help determine the number of people affected with such diseases.

    Read AlsoHypertension killing more people than any other condition – Prof. Omotoso

    Besides, the minister also announced that Primary Health Centres (PHCs) will soon be conducting screening and treatment of patients of such diseases.

    In a statement signed by Boade Akinola (Mrs.) Director, Media and Public Relations the minister noted that it was important to know the number of people with the problems so as to provide healthcare for them.

    He was quoted to have spoken in Abuja, while declaring open, 4th Pan- African Diabetic Foot Study Group Conference and the Advance Course on Diabetic Foot/ Podiatry organized by the Pan-African Diabetic Foot Study Group in collaboration with World Diabetes Foundation and Mark Anumah Medical Mission.

    He said, “We want to know how many people have the problem so that government can provide care for them appropriately.

    “We will go beyond screening of diabetes at the teaching hospitals but we want to mainstream it in our primary healthcare centers”.

    “As we are implementing the basic healthcare provision funds in PHC in this year’s budget, we want to offer care to Nigerians in the Primary healthcare level, where the large number of population received medical care”, Adewole said.

    The Minister said that situation where everyone goes to teaching hospitals would not help the Nigerian health system.

    In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, Prof. Oladipo Ladipo, President, Association of Reproductive Health said that Nigeria had the largest population in Africa and indirectly has the large number of diabetic patients in Sub-Sahara Africa.

    He said Nigerian Doctors, Nurses, Orthopedic Surgeon must work together to ensure the diabetic foot was reduced to the barest minimum.

    Prof. Ladipo said that more than 120 delegates converged from various parts of Africa to discuss way forward on diabetic foot /podiatry. He emphasized that Nigeria must develop another way to manage non- communicable diseases.

    In her presentation, the Chairperson, Local Organizing Committee, Prof. Felicia Anumah of University of Abuja Teaching Hospital said that diabetic had become pandemic and would lead to increase of diabetic foot.

    She said the disease is silent until it sets up complications, is has high economic cost and difficult to manage when the case is presented lately.

    “50 percent of the patients present their cases when the only option is amputation” She said.

    She called on general public to always visit healthcare providers for checkup if there is any pain in the feet.

     

     

  • Women, children,to get lowest basic health, nutrition services

    The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that Nigeria women, children and adolescents access basic health and nutrition services at lowest cost, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has said.

    The Minister, in a statement signed by Mrs. Boade Akinola, Director, Media and Publicity made the commitment at a forum put together by the Government of Nigeria, the Global Financing Facility (GFF) and Partners, to co- finance efforts towards improving the health and Nutrition of the poorest Women, children and Adolescent in the country.

    Read Also:Improving efficiency of health insurance

    ‘The GFF has created a new sense of awareness that we must put our money on the table for these essential investments in our people and use them in even smarter ways and that is something that has not been done before,” he said.

    The Minister explained that Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa was facing big challenges.

    Nigeria he further said is the single largest contributor to the global infant and child mortality rates annually, something he said was unacceptable.

    The Minister regretted that, those challenges had hugely outpaced government spending on health and nutrition, coupled with government spending in recent years being unable to reach those who needed them most and doing little to reduce high and impoverishing out –of-pocket spending on health by poor Nigerians.

    To this end, Adewole maintained that the grant from the GFF would co finance early implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) with funds mobilised from the government and other contributors, starting in three states: Abia, Niger and Osun.

    Following the start-up phase, the Minister revealed that Nigerian Government would provide most of the financing for the scale-up to the remaining 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    Also speaking, the Director of the GFF, Mariam Claeson, said that Nigeria’s commitment to sustainably financing health and nutrition was a beacon for other countries as they worked closely with the GFF to make sure the investment they made lasted for years to come.

    ‘’The Government on Nigeria will make an enormous difference in the lives of millions of Nigerians by making a lasting investment in the health and nutrition of women, children and adolescents, the foundation of the society and the economy’’

    In his remarks, the World Bank Country Manager for Nigeria, Rachid Benmessaoud, said that the Government of Nigeria, with the support of the GFF, the World Bank and other partners were catalysing REALCHANGE for the people of Nigeria. ‘’This investment in human capital will pay dividends in lives saved and improved and help build a stronger and more prosperous economy’’

    In the long run, the BHCPF’s success will be underpinned by the use of the Government of Nigeria’s own resources to purchase services instead of inputs; the buying of services from both public and private providers; the establishment of a system of accreditation to improve quality of care; the financing of a rigorous system of verification that helps ensure value for money; the creation of robust payment systems and the demonstration of long-term government commitment to using public funds to subsidise the cost of services for the poor , amongst others.

    The GFF is investing a total of US$47 Million in Nigeria, linked to US$350 million in funding from the International Development Association and the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, which had focused on scaling-up health services in North East, Nigeria and accelerating nutrition results for women, children and adolescents in the country.

    The Global Financing Facility is a multi-stakeholder partnership that is helping countries tackle the greatest health and nutrition issues affecting women, children and adolescents. GFF is supported by Governments of Canada, UK, Denmark, Japan, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Norway.

     

  • Nigeria joins global efforts to eradicate Rhesus disease

    Minister of Health Prof Isaac Adewole will deliver a keynote address at a symposium meant for the eradication of Rhesus disease.

    The event, organised by Rhesus Solution Initiative (RSI), will hold on August 15 at the Sickle Cell Foundation Centre, near Lagos University Teaching hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos.

    Prof Adewole will be joined by some experts on Rhesus disease from Canada, Italy and Denmark for a day symposium.

    The theme of the symposium is “Fifty years of Rhesus Disease Prophylaxis; Aligning with the Global efforts.”

    RSI Founder/President Mrs Olufunmilayo Banire, in a statement, said the event is supported by Columbia University in United States, Hospital for the sick children, Canada, and Consortium for Universal Rhesus Disease Elimination (CURhE), among others.

    The event, she said, is modeled after other celebrations of 50 years of Rhesus Disease Prophylaxis in USA, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Canada.

    “The Nigerian version is, most importantly, to assess our country’s present level of awareness, prevention and management of Rhesus Incompatibility and its associated conditions with the view to finding the most effective and efficient ways of eliminating Rhesus Disease,” she said.

    Among the guests expected to make presentations are Profs Alvin Zipursky, Angela Okolo, and Isaac Odame from Canada, CURhE’s Dr Lamidi Audu, representatives of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine (NISONM), Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Nigeria (SOGON), Kedrion Biopharma (Italy) and Eldon Biologicals (Denmark).

    According to Mrs Banire, 5.9 million females are estimated to be Rhesus Negative, adding that “from about 49.5million women in reproductive age, approximately three million are Rhesus Negative while 435,449 babies out of an estimated annual birth of about 7.3 million, may be at risk of Rhesus Disease, a situation that leaves mothers with psychological and physiological trauma.

    Whereas, this condition is preventable with awareness and vaccine called Anti D immunoglobulin after every pregnancy which unfortunately is scarce and unaffordable. But with conscientious efforts of all concerned, we can eliminate Rhesus Disease in our country and the world. It is by this that we can contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 to ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well- being for all at all ages’.”

    RSI, established on May 12, 2007 is a foremost charity organisation centered on Rhesus incompatibility and its associated conditions through Awareness, Counselling, Intervention, Training, Advocacy and Research (ACITAR).

    The NGO focuses primarily on women and children.