Tag: Health - Page 6 - African News Today

Reps Order Probe Of FG’s Abandoned N97bn Cancer Centre

25Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Order Probe Of FG’s Abandoned N97bn Cancer Centre

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the National Cancer Control Plan established by President Muhammadu Buhari administration, to determine why fewer Nigerians with cancer cannot access treatment at the special centres. The House particularly mandated its committees on Health Institutions and Health Care Services to “investigate the Federal Government’s implementation of the National Cancer Control Plan 2018-2022 to ensure its implementation.” The committees are also to “ascertain the status of all radiotherapy cancer treatment centres in the country to come up with a workable plan to subsidise treatment for cancer patients.” These resolutions were sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion moved at the plenary on Wednesday, which was titled, ‘Call for Feder...

Red Cross Raises Alarm Over Safety of Health Workers, Seeks Police Partnership

20Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Security

Red Cross Raises Alarm Over Safety of Health Workers, Seeks Police Partnership

The Nigerian Red Cross Society in Enugu has established a partnership with the State Command of the Nigeria Police Force to tackle issues of violence against health workers, health facilities, and vehicles to ensure safe access to delivery of health care in the State. This partnership was established during a high-level courtesy visit the Red Cross paid to the Commissioner of Police in the State. Expressing his delight with the peaceful collaboration that has been existing between the Red Cross and the Command, the Branch Secretary of the Red Cross Hon. Tony Udegbu, stated that the collaborative effort has led to several joint operations that have in no small measure alleviated human suffering in the State. Read Also: FG Can’t Use Bond To Keep Us In Nigeria, Doctors Reply Ngige ...

COVID-19: Nigerian Government Vows To Bar Unvaccinated Workers From Offices By December

20Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, Labour, News, Nigeria

COVID-19: Nigerian Government Vows To Bar Unvaccinated Workers From Offices By December

The Nigerian government has maintained that unvaccinated workers won’t be allowed to access their offices as from December 1 if they are unable to show proof of their vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee PSC on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Boss Mustapha, announced this Friday in Abuja during the national flag-off of the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign. He said, “All federal government employees are, therefore, reminded that December 1, 2021 remains the deadline for all to show evidence of being vaccinated or a PCR negative test result done 72 hours before being allowed into their offices. Read Also: US Secretary Of State Visits Nigeria, To Meet Buhari Over COVID-19 Pandemic, Insecurity “I,...

FG Can’t Use Bond To Keep Us In Nigeria, Doctors Reply Ngige

14Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria

FG Can’t Use Bond To Keep Us In Nigeria, Doctors Reply Ngige

Doctors in Nigeria have rejected a proposal by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, for physicians trained in Nigeria to work in the country for at least nine years before being allowed to migrate. This is just as Sunday PUNCH observed that the number of Nigerian doctors practising in the United Kingdom had hit 8, 983 as of Saturday and is likely to hit 9,000 this week. Ngige had during the 2022 budget defence of his ministry at the House of Representatives earlier in the week lamented the effect of brain drain on the health sector in relation to the low cost of medical education in the country. According to the minister, medical workers trained by the government should be made to sign a bond that would make them serve the country for at least nine years before t...

Vaccination Not Compulsory For Civil Servants – FG

15Oct

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

Vaccination Not Compulsory For Civil Servants – FG

Federal Government has explained that taking the COVID-19 vaccine is a choice and not a compulsory exercise, even though it is expected that every Nigerian should get vaccinated against the dreaded COVID-19 virus. The explanation came against the backdrop of criticisms that followed media reports that effective December 1, 2021, federal civil servants would be expected to present their vaccine cards or risk not being allowed into their workplaces. Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, at a press conference, yesterday, in Abuja, however, clarified that federal civil servants were not under obligation to take the vaccine, but that they must show negative COVID-19 PCR test. “The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), on W...

COVID: FG Removes South Africa, Brazil, Turkey From Travel Restriction List

14Oct

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

COVID: FG Removes South Africa, Brazil, Turkey From Travel Restriction List

The federal government says it has taken South Africa, Brazil and Turkey off the list of countries from which travellers are restricted from entering Nigeria. Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential steering committee (PSC) on COVID-19, disclosed this on Wednesday at a media briefing in Abuja. The federal government had, in June, added South Africa to the list of countries from which travellers are restricted from entering Nigeria — over the high infection rates recorded in the affected countries. Speaking at the briefing, Mustapha also said a revised protocol for international travel will be released within the next 24 hours. Read Also: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After Six Months – New Study “Over several months, four countries were placed on high level...

FG Stopped Residency Payment After Strike Suspension – NARD

12Oct

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Labour, News, Nigeria

FG Stopped Residency Payment After Strike Suspension – NARD

A fresh crisis may be brewing between the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors and the Federal Government as the association accused the government of already deviating from the understanding reached before it suspended its strike last week. This was as the association also accused the government of causing confusion among its members and suspending the payment of the Medical Residency Training Funds The National President of NARD, Dr Dare Ishaya, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja on Monday. But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said there was no truth in the claim Reports last week said that the association, after interventions by the Nigerian Medical Association, suspended its industrial action with the aim of holding a meeting of th...

No Plans To Return Overseas For Another Surgery – Tinubu

9Oct

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria

No Plans To Return Overseas For Another Surgery – Tinubu

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, says he underwent surgery on his right knee as well as rigorous post-surgery physiotherapy on the said knee during his medical trip abroad. Tinubu according to a statement on Friday, claimed that he had no other surgical procedures “and contemplates none in the future.” The APC chieftain returned to Nigeria on Friday after spending months overseas for medical care. In the released by his media office on Friday, Tinubu said he was back and “fully committed to doing his modest part of advancing the cause of progressive democratic good governance throughout our beloved nation”. “His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, returned to the country, landing in Lagos Friday evening, Octob...

FG Allocates N5.9tn To Education, Health, Defence, Infrastructure

9Oct

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Economy, Nigeria, Security

FG Allocates N5.9tn To Education, Health, Defence, Infrastructure

The Federal Government has allocated the sum of N5.93tn to critical sectors of the economy including defence, health, education and infrastructure. According to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the Federal Government prioritised defence and infrastructure sectors in the 2022 budget by allocating N2.41tn and N1.45tn to these sectors respectively, which represent N15 per cent and N8.9 per cent of the total budget. Ahmed disclosed this at the “Public Presentation and Breakdown of the Highlights of the 2022 Appropriation Bill’’ held in Abuja on Friday. She noted that the N2.14tn allocated to the defence and security sectors includes recurrent and capital expenditure for the Military, Police, Intelligence and Para-Miltary. Some of the projects tha...

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After Six Months – New Study

6Oct

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Drops After Six Months – New Study

A study has revealed that the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech SE vaccine drops in preventing infection by the coronavirus to 47% from 88% six months after the second dose, Reuters reports. This was disclosed according to data published on Monday that the United States health agencies considered when taking decisions on the need for booster shots. The data, which was published in the Lancet medical journal, had been previously issued in August ahead of peer review. Also, the vaccine's effectiveness showed that the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing hospitalisation and death remained high at 90% for at least six months, even against the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The data suggests that the drop is due to decreasing efficacy, rather than more conta...