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Tag: Prof. Isaac Adewole

  • Reps summon Ministers over Queens College epidemic 

    Reps summon Ministers over Queens College epidemic 

    The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole  and his Education counterpart,  Malam Adamu Adamu  over the outbreak of an epidemic in Queens College, Lagos that led to the death of three students.

    The two Ministers were expected to explain steps taken by the Federal Government to remedy the situation.

    However, House Committees on Health and Education services have been mandated to investigate the death of the three students.

    The school was shut down after two students, Vivian Osuinyi and Bithia Itulua allegedly died of diarrhoea, between Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24, 2017.

    While 14 year old orphan, Praise Sodipo also died days later, many of students were hospitalized.

    The cause of the epidemic was linked to a contamination of the source of water supply in the school.

    The lawmakers also condemned threat of expulsion of any student whose parents make remarks on the issue on social media by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu.

    Adamu had, through a circular directed parents and students of the school to stop making comments on the incident, especially on social media or face expulsion from the school.

    Sponsor of the motion, Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, who raised a motion of urgent public importance expressed disappointment over the handling of the issue by the Education Minister.

    “Rather than take action that would bring succour to students and their worried parents, the Minister chose a high handed approach to the matter,” he noted.

    He also condemned the insistence of the former Principal of the school that there was no disease outbreak as well as the remark of the Vice-Principal of the school, that the management of the college ought to be commended for taking care of over 2000 girls with only a few affected during the epidemic outbreak.

    The House Leader said the school should be investigated on how N663m allocated to it in the 2016 budget and N776m in 2017 were utilized.

    The joint committee was expected to obtain the action plan by the two Ministries to forestall a re-occurrence of a disease outbreak in the school.

  • Meningitis: FG sets up emergency centre

    Meningitis: FG sets up emergency centre

    Meningitis Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been established by the federal government to coordinate outbreak, control and response activities to the disease. This is coming as the outbreak has claimed 438 lives nationwide.

    The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, who disclosed this, assured that the government was prepared to tackle the recent outbreak in the northern part of the country. He added that efforts have been deployed to halt the transmission, treat cases and prevent future occurrences.

    In an interview with The Nation on Sunday, the minister emphasised that “Our activities are focused on three key areas including surveillance to rapidly detect and report all new cases of the disease, provide effective treatment for everyone with the disease and to rapidly vaccinate at-risk populations to prevent further spread.”

    He said the ministry has deployed staff to affected states to work with state Ministries of Health and primary health care boards to search for, document and report all new cases in affected wards and LGAs.  This is along with increasing the testing of suspected cases by ramping up laboratory capacity at the national level and also in many states to increase case confirmation.

    Drugs are also being provided to treat new cases while 500,000 doses of the Men C vaccine have been supplied to Zamfara State which is the epicentre of the outbreak.

    Explaining why over 200 casualties were recorded, he said, “A certain strain- the serogroup A – is commonly experienced. But this year, we have observed a large increase in a different serogroup that requires different control approaches, specifically a different type of vaccine to control.”

    He added that other factors that contributed to the high mortality rate were delay by patients in seeking medical attention despite symptoms such as fever and neck stiffness, self-medication especially with indiscriminate use of antibiotics for feverish symptoms and shortage of appropriate Men C vaccine in the country to commence immediate reactive mass vaccination campaign at the early peak of cases.

    Prof Adewole observed that “Although outbreaks due to the serotype C have occurred in the past, never has it been this widespread and caused this level of fatalities. The commoner serotype is the A type, for which we conducted a large scale campaign in 2015 to eliminate it.”

    When the C serotype outbreak occurred in Zamfara State, the reserved stock of C were deployed to reduce the spread of the disease. However, as more cases developed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was approached and it released 500,000 doses of the vaccine while the United Kingdom has given another 800,000.

    On new measures the ministry is taken to ensure the outbreak is contained, he said, “The lessons learnt in the past were ploughed in current planning, thus the effective reduction of the A type. However with new lessons now, we have already begun future interventions, which will be more holistic and more robust. We are already planning to use broader based vaccines with larger number of antigens; we will also review the vaccination schedules, inter-country coordination, cross border collaboration, etc. The future should be more secured.”

    He emphasised that the federal government through the ministry is working with states to ensure they are adequately prepared in outbreak cases, adding, “One of the pillars of this administration is the revitalization of the Primary Health Care system. This will ensure there are facilities and personnel available for early case detection and treatment. We are also working with traditional and religious rulers to sensitize their communities to be better aware of the disease and preventive measures.”

    On what the ministry was doing to ensure such outbreaks are prevented in future, he said, “The ministry takes the work of protecting the Nigerian public very seriously. We are strengthening the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, which is the parastatal responsible for a strong surveillance system as well as designing effective disease prevention, and control mechanisms to keep Nigerians safe, strong and healthy.”

  • Meningitis: Reps invite Health Minister

    Meningitis: Reps invite Health Minister

    The House of Representatives on Thursday resolved the investigate Federal Government’s handling of the recent outbreak of Meningitis in parts of the country.

    It has mandated its Committee on Healthcare Services to invite the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to brief it on the ministry’s efforts combating the scourge.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent Need to Curb the Scourge of Meningitis in Nigeria’’ sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC).

    The committee was also mandated to ensure there was no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks.

    Moving the motion earlier, Oghuma had expressed sadness with the developing, saying that the disease was ravaging parts of the country unchecked.

    He said that the scourge had so far killed no fewer than 230 persons, with numerous others hospitalised.

    The lawmaker condoled with families of victims of the disease and said that the extent of the spread of the scourge would have been minimised if adequate proactive measures were taken.

    Oghuma said “the outbreak being an annual phenomenon, the Federal Ministry of Health ought to have been proactive to anticipate and put in plans to address it.

    “This ravaging scourge of meningitis may not be over unless measures are taken to curb the spread,’’ he added.

  • Reps to meet minister over resurgence of lassa fever

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to meet the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, ‎over recent resurgence of Lassa fever in some parts of the country.

    The resolution followed a motion by Sergius Ogun (Edo-PDP) on the need to investigate the resurgence of the fever in Nigeria.

    Ogun said one of the important areas of focus for any government was the health sector.

    This, according to him, is because of its importance to citizens and the dangers that disease and ill-health pose to the safety and security of the populace.

    He expressed concern that in recent times, one of the virulent forms of fever plaguing the nation was Lassa, similar to the Ebola Virus Disease.

    “We are aware that the first case of Lassa fever reported in Nigeria was in 2015 and between August 2015 and May 2016, 273 cases, including 149 deaths were recorded by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” the lawmaker said.

    “We are also aware of a report published on Monday, January 16, 2017 by the Technical Assistant on Communication for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, urging Nigerians to be at alert.

    “This is because Lassa fever is on the rise again with 19 cases and five deaths reported between 2016 and 2017 in seven states.”

     

    NAN

     

  • FG inaugurates committee on ‎$500m grant

    The Federal Government has inaugurated a committee to supervise the 500 million dollars grant disbursement to the 36 states of the federation and FCT to address maternal and child health challenges in the country.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, inaugurated the committee during a retreat organised by the federal programme management unit of the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) Programme for Results (PforR) on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “The fund is ‎expected to address five disbursement linked indicators which are increasing utilisation of high impact reproductive and child health and nutrition interventions.

    “Increasing quality of high impact reproductive and child health and nutrition interventions, improving monitoring and evaluation and data utilisation

    “Increasing utilisation and quality of reproductive‎ and child health and nutrition, in addition to increasing transparency in management and budgeting of primary health centres,” he said.

    Adewole said that the ministry would not interfere with the activities of the agent in any way.

    He charged the agent to serve to the best of its ability as an independent and credible assessor of the performance of the programme implementation at state and federal levels.

    “We promise support but not interference, we will allow you to do your work.

    “We need to utilise this resources properly, we have to show results and we have to pay for results. If there are no results there will be no further payment,” he said.

    The National Programme Manager, SOMLforR, Dr Ibrahim Kana, said that the IVA are like referees who will ensure there is a level playing field.

    Kana reiterated that the disbursement-linked indicators are tied to future disbursements for states.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that SOMLPforR was launched in response to the poor health outcome in the country, particularly for mothers and children.

    The ceremonial launch of SOML Programme for Results (PforR) took place in Abuja in July 2016.

    The minister said at the event that it was part of federal government’s efforts geared towards achieving the Universal Health Coverage

  • FG gives NAFDAC two weeks ultimatum to register SMEs

    The Federal Government on Tuesday directed the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to register all Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) exhibitors at the ongoing 1st Nigeria Food Safety and Investment Forum within two weeks.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, gave the order at the forum organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forum is designed to enhance food safety and foster international business cooperation.

    Adewole also ordered that all the SMEs should be given 50 per cent rebate certification registration by NAFDAC.

    He also mandated the agency to compile the list of the affected SMEs exhibitors who were finding it difficult getting certification and ensure that the process was concluded within the next two weeks.

    The minister, however, said food borne diseases impedes socio-economic development by straining healthcare systems and arming national economies, tourism and trades.

    “Food safety incidents have had negative effects on public health, trades and livelihoods and on countries’ economies,” NAN quoted the minister as saying at the forum.

    “People are consequently exposed to significant risks of food contamination.

    “Unsafe foods containing harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites are indicated in over 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer.

    “An estimate shows that about 600 million people accounting for one in 10 globally fall ill after eating contaminated food.

    “And about 420,000 die every year; in addition, children under five years old carry 40 per cent of the food-borne disease burden with 125,000 deaths every year.”

  • FG orders investigation of claims to HIV cure

    The Federal Government has mandated the National Institute for Medical Research and the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, to do proper study of the two claims to HIV cure in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, disclosed this on Monday at the Federal Government Town Hall meeting for the North Central Zone held in Ilorin, Kwara State.

    A Nigeria university don, Prof. Maduike Ezeibe, recently claimed to have found a cure for the virus.

    The minister, who was responding to questions on the position of government to the claims, said getting a cure would be of public health interest.

    He said Nigeria has about three million people infected with HIV, the second highest number in the world after South Africa.

    The minister, however, said there were modalities recognised globally for disclosure of cure which must be followed.

    “What we need to do is to make sure that things are done properly,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the minister as saying at the meeting.

    “The process to undertake is the animal experiment to be sure it is efficacious and safe before moving to human.

    “At the appointed time when we have the results, we shall come public.”

  • N12bn earmarked for hospitals’ decongestion in 2017 Budget

    N12bn earmarked for hospitals’ decongestion in 2017 Budget

    The Federal Government made a commitment of N12 billion to decongest national hospitals and other tertiary teaching hospitals in the country.

    Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this on Monday in Abuja at the sideline of the Public Presentation of the 2017 Budget Proposals tagged “Budget of Recovery and Growth”.

    He said in the 2017 Budget, about N51 billion was proposed for health infrastructure development, part of which would be dedicated to implementing the new National Health Policy.

    He said that the policy would focus on strengthening primary healthcare centres and encouraging states to strengthen secondary healthcare centres while the Federal Government focused on the tertiary teaching hospitals in the country.

    “In the last 12 months, we have seen the rehabilitation of close to 3,000 of primary healthcare centres. This was done from both internal funding and funding from development partners.

    “In 2017, we intend to continue to support primary care. In addition to this, we intend to take more people away from tertiary hospitals.

    ” Many Nigerians go to tertiary hospitals for any kind of ailment, be it a headache, fever, diarrhoea they go to national hospitals. That is not where they ought to go.

    “They should go to the primary healthcare facility close to them. So we will de-congest the tertiary hospitals so that they can attend to serious cases such as cancer, heart disease among others,” he said.

    Adewole said that the ministry planned to leverage and partner with the private sector to get more funding for the sector, especially in the development of tertiary teaching hospitals.

    “The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority will help us pull more money from the private sector so that we can grow this N12 billion.

    “The N12 billion is not up to what we need; but with the private sector, we can achieve our goals for the year,” he said.

    “We have the human resources; we just need to upgrade the facility and give doctors space to achieve specialisation,” he said.

    With this done, he says Nigeria will stop losing money to medical tourism which is one of the focus of the Federal Government in 2017.

  • Uyo collapsed building: FG medical experts arrive Akwa Ibom 

    Uyo collapsed building: FG medical experts arrive Akwa Ibom 

    The Federal Government has sent a 10 member team of experts who are majored in neuro surgeon to Akwa Ibom to compliment the efforts of medical personnel already on the ground.

    The team arrived University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, Monday.

    Speaking with reporters on arrival at UUTH, the leader of the team and a consultant orthopedic Surgeon from University of Lagos, Prof. Suleiman Giwa, said that the team was put together on the instruction of the Minister for Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole to come and render helping hands.

    The special team of experts, he said, consists of two Neuro Surgeon, three Orthopaedic Surgeons, three plastic surgeon and two specially trained Operating room Nurses.

    He explained that they were in the state to offer necessary assistance and support needed for the victims of the collapsed church building.

    His words: “The unfortunate incident as you are aware did not affect only the people of Akwa Ibom but all Nigerians and the Health Minister in his wisdom decided that we should raise a team of experts to come to Uyo and render a helping hands and bring succor to the weak, the sick and those who are in dare need of complicated surgery.”

    Prof. Giwa said that team will visit all the hospitals where the victims of the tragedy were admitted and also examine them and offer useful medical suggestions where necessary to ensure that those who are sick get back to their normal life.

    Prof. Giwa said: “As we are here in Akwa Ibom, we did not come empty handed we came with drugs and other medical supports to make our coming easier, and we are prepared for the task ahead.

    “We have visited the University Teaching Hospital and we are now at the Ibom specialist Hospital, so far most of the patients we saw are responding to treatment which is gladdening ”.

    On his part, UUTH’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Etete Peters Peters thanked the Federal Government delegation for coming to Akwa Ibom at the most appropriate time and not leaving the state alone in time of sorrow.

     

  • FG to build more VVF hospitals

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said Federal Government is planning to build three more Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) hospitals in the country to make treatment accessible to the poor and vulnerable.

    Adewole told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday that poverty and lack of accessible healthcare were major causes of VVF in the country.

    He said VVF mostly affected the poor, younger women and those abandoned by their husbands.

    “There are thousands of Nigerian women with VVF, and it is only poor people that will have it. The rich won’t have it because it is an indication of lack of care during delivery.

    “About 85.7 per cent of the poor have no health coverage and no one to look after them.

    “The rich ones are taken care of properly. No rich one will have VVF, even when they have it or there is a mistake, they will quickly repair it because they have the money, ” he said.

    Adewole said federal government, through its Rapid Results Initiative launched in October, would be performing 10,150 free VVF surgeries in partnership with International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons.