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Health

Health

5 Health challenges deserving of that coronavirus-level emphasis

“Failure to plan is planning to fail.” The coronavirus pandemic taught countries this silver lining lesson, albeit at a cost for some. It would be thus unwise as a country not to carry over these teachings to other health endeavours. This is especially true for Nigeria, which has had an interesting half year in the health sector as it related to the novel virus. And come to think of it, is coronavirus the only health challenge Nigeria is facing? NO!

Health

Lack of Compliance to Minimum Requirements by Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in Nigeria

A picture of 34,173 Primary Healthcare Centres catering for a population of over 200 million is pretty bad. But what if we told you that of that sum, only 6000 were functional? Or that only 57% of the sum can boast of five hours of electricity; that’s not even one-quarter of a day! The Good Governance Team with support from the Heinrich Böll Stiftung unearthed these findings in a report.  The recent document highlights the poor state of infrastructure, human resources, and service provision at PHCs across the country.

Health

Healthcare Delivery Under Kerosene Lanterns and Candles!

Nigerians adapt to terrible conditions; a quintessential function of man- resilience. But should you also get accustomed to performing surgery under a candle light, for instance? Sounds like a hyperbole? It isn’t. In a shocking revelation, Dataphyte found that over 43 per cent of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria have no power. And for those connected to the grid, supply of electricity is often less than 5 hours per day. As a result, some PHCs resort to alternatives, unsafe substitutes like kerosene lamps and candles.

Health

Bringing Healthcare Closer to the People

It takes a Nigerian an average of 21.3 minutes to receive a health consultation. According to the 2019 General Household Survey, this commute time is even greater in rural communities with a 22.4-minute estimate. Beyond this time lag, a real discrepancy in the healthcare infrastructure of the Giant of Africa lies.

Health

Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme

The hallmark of any developed nation committed to protecting the wellbeing of its citizens is ensuring there is inclusive and affordable access to health care services. In Nigeria, however, a vast number of individuals, particularly in rural communities, don’t have access to health facilities. They consequently die from preventable deaths. And the deterrent to healthcare use remains, cost.

Health

Access to Health in Nigeria: Indicators, Investments and Insights Across 5 States – Policy Brief

Nigeria’s health system remains among the worst-performing globally. In 2019, the Legatum Institute ranked Nigeria 162 out of 167 countries in terms of health performance. Nigeria’s recent move to lower-middle-income country status is causing development partners to exit the health sector. One plausible reason for this stagnation is underperformance in the country’s primary health care (PHC).

Health

Women in 45 Countries Experiencing Traumatic Births: Covid-19 Threatens Maternal Health in African Countries

Maternal mortality, which is the death of women during pregnancy or childbirth particularly from obstetric complications, has been a long-standing public health challenge for many African countries. In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, new evidence has emerged from Open Democracy that shows a link to the rising number of maternal deaths. These links, while indirect, are having a devastating impact on thousands as access to life-saving services have been interfered with.

Health

Sixty Percent of NorthEast Nigeria Lack Drinking Water Sources – 2018 DHS

The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey has revealed that 60 percent of the Northeast population of Nigeria, lack improved sources of drinking water. At the national level, as much as 42 percent of Nigeria’s rural dwellers and 28 percent of residents of urban areas lacked an improved source of drinking water as of 2018.

Health

With Funding Shortfall, Experts Urge FG To Increase Allocation To Family Planning in COVID-19 Pandemic

The Federal Government has been urged to prioritise family planning and close funding gaps in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution came at a webinar tagged, “Securing the Funding Gap for Family Planning in the Face of COVID-19”. The webinar held on Friday, June 3, 2020, was organised by Premium Times Centre For Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in collaboration with Partnership for Advocacy in Child & Family and Development Research (PACFaH) and Development Research Projects Centre (dRPC).

Health

Reasons 50 Million Persons With Mental Disturbance Lack Care In Nigeria.

Most Nigerians have a superficial perception of mental health. The majority consider mental disorders as physical manifestations of violence and extreme irrational behaviour. They less understand it as a mental condition that may affect only the mood or an individual. Or the thinking process and behaviour of a person. This uneducated outlook poses the first and major barrier to diagnosis and therapy.

Health

Nigeria Accounts for 25% of the World’s Malaria Patients Despite Billions of Dollars in International Aid

55 million cases of malaria are reported yearly at health facilities across the country, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) 2018 Malaria Report. By implication, more than one in every four Nigerians seeks treatment for Malaria in a hospital every year. Malaria is Nigeria’s deadliest disease and it causes about 300,000 deaths annually in the country, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control revealed. Malaria also accounts for 60% of outpatient visits to health facilities, 30% childhood death, and 11% of maternal deaths in Nigeria estimated at 4,500 cases.

Health

Over 25 Million Nigerians Excluded Due To Disability

With an estimated 25 million disabled persons in Nigeria, about one in every eight Nigerians live with at least one form of disability. Most common of these disabilities are visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, intellectual impairment, and communication impairment. Disabilities could be caused by preventable diseases, congenital malformation, birth-related incidents, physical injury and psychological dysfunction. Although statistics are scanty about the demographic distribution of disability in Nigeria, available literature suggests that there are significantly more disabled women than men in the country and that due to the insurgency in the North-East, the region hosts the highest number of people with disability in the country.