The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has activated an emergency task force to contain a diphtheria outbreak among children in parts of Katsina and Kano States. This is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. It said the ministry constituted the task force in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the affected states and international partners. It said the measure was aimed at strengthening…
Author: Newsdesk
Gov. Alex Otti of Abia says the rising cases of cancer, brain tumour, stroke and tuberculosis among Abia youths pose a serious concern to him. Otti expressed the concern at the August edition of his monthly media chat, held at the Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, on Thursday night. He described the trend as one of the issues that “has continued to keep me awake all night”. He said there was an urgent need to identify factors contributing to the increase in serious health conditions among Abia youths. The governor, therefore, directed the Commissioner for Health to intensify public health education, with…
The Orile Agege General Hospital, Lagos, says it is committed to promoting the holistic wellbeing of children through its annual Back-to-School medical outreach programme. The Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Temitope Bakare, stated this at the fifth edition of the week-long health intervention held at the hospital. The programme, which began on Aug. 24, has the theme: “The Way Forward: Total Wellness”. Bakare said the programme aims to provide comprehensive healthcare services to children at no cost. She said the 2026 edition targets 3,000 children aged five to 15 years within and outside the hospital…
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the Federal Government to urgently implement a retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers. According to the association, this will serve as a palliative measure for healthcare workforce shortages and migration. The President of the NMA, Prof. Afekhide-Ernest Omoti, made the demand at a news conference in Abuja on Friday to wrap up the association’s 2026 National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held in Abuja. Omoti said the NEC reiterated its concern over the delay in implementing the retirement age of 65 years for clinical health workers. He said that at a…
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has called for increased access to land for women to realise their agricultural potential. The State Programme Coordinator (SPC), Chief Sunday Ituma, made the call in Abakaliki during the programme’s celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Ituma said the programme invited traditional rulers and state legislators to the occasion to brainstorm on ways of evolving policies that would ensure greater land access for women. “The programme understands the challenges faced by women in their farming endeavours, and these include access to land, funds and inputs,…
Over 1,500 indigent residents of Arandun community with various ailments benefited from a free medical outreach in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara. The two-day medical outreach, held on Thursday and Friday, was organized by the Yusuf Popoola Foundation, a non-governmental organization. Medical interventions included dental care, Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) treatment, general screening, pediatrics, and other basic health checks, with free drugs and referrals. Speaking to newsmen in Arandun, the outreach coordinator, Dr. Raodat Olawuyi, said the initiative was driven by a personal commitment to give back to the community. “There was a time I came home and…
The Federal Government stated that cancer patients should not be sent home when they still require hospital-based care, emphasizing that treatment should continue even when a cure is no longer achievable. Dr. Uchechukwu Nwokwu, National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, made this point in an interview with reporters on Friday in Abuja. Nwokwu explained that if a health facility cannot provide further curative treatment, it should not automatically discharge the patient without arrangements for continued care at another suitable facility. He added that patients should be referred promptly…
The Federal Government has endorsed the proposed National Forest Association of Nigeria, stating it will promote coordination, investment, and sustainable development in the sector. Assistant Director at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Felicia Udeh, made this known at a national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Friday to consider and adopt the association’s draft constitution. Udeh described the meeting as a significant milestone toward establishing a stronger, more sustainable forest sector. She noted that Nigeria’s forest resources are under considerable pressure, citing World Bank data indicating that forest coverage was 23.2 percent of the land area in 2023. According…
The FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has rescued two people from a collapsed building in Kubwa. Nkechi Isa, the department’s Head of Media and Public Relations, announced this in a statement on Friday in Abuja. Isa said that the trapped ground-floor residents were rescued following a swift response to an 11:38 a.m. distress call. She explained that the single-storey residential building, consisting of six flats located at Kubwa 2/2 by Yellow Page, partially caved in around 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Emergency responders safely extracted both victims from the rubble of the building’s collapsed right segment. “Other tenants were out for…
The Federal Government has inaugurated the second International Border Animal Quarantine Facility at Jaba-Jaba, a Nigerian-Cameroon border community in Maiha Local Government Area, Adamawa. During the inauguration on Friday, the Minister of Livestock Development, Mr. Idi Mukhtar, described the facility as a major milestone in the government’s efforts to strengthen animal health and livestock development nationwide. Constructed under the World Bank-assisted Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, the minister noted that this is Nigeria’s second such facility, after the one at Nfum in Cross River’s Etung Local Government Area. He explained that the facility will screen cattle, sheep, and…