Health

Health Workers Decry 4-Month Unpaid Salaries, Blame National Health Agencies and Sydani Group

Published

2 weeks ago

November 15, 2023

Doctors, nurses and Community Health Extension Workers under the Expanded Midwives Service Scheme has criticized the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and Sydani Group over alleged four-month unpaid salary arrears.

The eMSS was instituted by the Federal Government through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency as part of efforts to improve maternal and child health in the country.

Sydani Group, however, offers technical support to NPHCDA.

Speaking with our correspondent, Dr Nafisa Muhammad, who works at the Primary Health Care Centre in Dije Bala and Madalla, Niger State, said she resigned from her former place of work to take up the new employment with eMSS but has not been paid for four months.

“In the appointment letter, it stated that our appointment was to take effect from July 1st, 2023 to July 1st, 2024, and we were asked to resign from our previous place of work to take up the new appointment which we all did.

“Few days to the end of June, we were sent a message to hold on with resuming work till further notice, meanwhile, we had resigned from our previous work place. We were later sent a message to assume duty on August 1st, which we did. It’s been four months now, and we have not received any form of payment from them, it has been one excuse or the other, and it is exhausting.

“Most of us were posted to a place far from our residential areas, we spend nothing less than N4,000 for transportation daily. This is really hard on us considering the economic crisis in the country, this has made most of us to resort into loans and other means of survival,” she said.

Health

10 Babies Die in Abuja IDP Camp Because of Malnutrition

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2023

Azi Elizabeth

Ten babies have died of malnutrition in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp Waru of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The women leader of the camp, Mrs Fatima Mohammed, said this in an interview yesterday in Abuja.

Mrs Fatima said the figure was recorded since the formation of the camp in 2013 to date.

She said the issue of malnutrition among infants and children remains a source serious of concern to many families in the camp.

“A nursing mother died recently in this camp.

“One of our major problems in this camp is lack of good medical facilities, potable drinking water and toilet facilities.

“Due to the deteriorating condition of our toilets here many of our women contacted toilet infections, some have even chronic infections to the extent that they could not bear children,” she said.

While calling for assistance from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the women leader said their situation required urgent attention. (NAN)

Health

Nigerians in North America Donate Millions in Medical Equipment to Cross River State PHCs”

Published

3 days ago

November 27, 2023

Azi Elizabeth

A group of compassionate Nigerians residing in North America, operating under the sponsorship of the Ekoi Association of North America, has generously contributed medical equipment valued at millions of dollars to three Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in different local government areas of Cross River State.

The donation, part of the association’s medical outreach in Ogoja LGA of the State, includes complete hospital beddings, refrigerators, blood sugar testing machines, and blood pressure testing equipment, among other essential items.

The three PHCs benefiting from this medical equipment donation are the Ikom Primary Healthcare Centre in Ikom, the Ogoja Healthcare Centre in Egbe, Ogoja, and the Yakurr Primary Healthcare Centre in Ugep, Yakurr LGA of Cross River State.

The presentation of the medical equipment was carried out by the association’s president, Prof. Tony Agbeh. He emphasized that the initiative aims to contribute to the state’s development, reflecting the group’s commitment to making a positive impact.”

He said that the Ekoi sons and daughters in diaspora were of the view that the equipment would aid the medical practitioners in delivering medical healthcare to those seeking medical attention..

Represented by his personal aide, Mr. Sonnie Okem, the association president decried the deteriorating state of medical facilities in the state, adding that their contribution stood as an intervention to cushion the effect of medical needs of indigent rural dwellers.

The association president urged officers in charge of the health facilities to use the equipment and assist those with medical challenges that they can tackle with the equipment, urging the sick to take advantage by accessing the facilities.

Receiving the items at Ogoja Health Centre, Egbe, representative of the Primary Health Care Coordinators, Mrs. Mary Egede, the community chairman, Mr. Joseph Egbe, the Clan Head of Egbe community, Buturo Thomas Agbeh, and the officer in charge of Health Centre Egbe, Mrs Fatima Offum, lauded the association for the show of love.

Health

Antimicrobial Resistance More Deadly In Children Than HIV, TB, Malaria, Says WHO

Published

1 week ago

November 23, 2023

Bobola Richard

As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes more to child mortality than HIV, TB or Malaria in Nigeria.

The World Health Organization representative and head of mission in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi who stated this yesterday in Abuja, also said the GDP loss attributable to AMR in developing countries like Nigeria had been forecast to be at 5-7 percent.

He said; “In Nigeria alone, in 2019, there were 64,500 deaths attributable and 263,400 deaths associated with AMR from pathogens such as S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, E.coli, Staph aureus, etc. AMR remained at the top of list as biggest contributor in overall and child mortality in Nigeria than HIV, TB or Malaria.”

Kazadi stressed the need for urgent action towards the main causes of AMR, which he said include; “Misuse and abuse of antimicrobial medicines, lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; poor infection prevention and control practices; inadequate use of vaccines to decrease infections; inadequate laboratory capacity including equipment and reagents to guide proper treatment; poor waste disposal practices; and the presence of antimicrobials in food-animal production and crop protection as well as the environment and water bodies.”

He assured the WHO’s commitment to support accelerated efforts required to achieve the six strategic objectives of National Action Plan -2.0 to minimize the impact of AMR with Ministries, Departments and Agencies and all AMR stakeholders in line with RD/AFRO-call for action based on AMR regional strategy.