Child Spacing Essential Pillar of Safe Motherhood- Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

DetailsCategory: News Published on Friday, 07 June 2013 06:57 Written by Regina Hits: 479 Minister of Health, Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu has described family planning/child spacing as an essential pillar of safe motherhood. The Minister stated this in Abuja today at a Press Briefing to commemorate the National Safe Motherhood Day with the theme: Safe motherhood “A must for every pregnant woman”. The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Fatima Bamidele said that Nigeria has been making concerted and systematic efforts to make pregnancy safer since the launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in 1987 stressing that these efforts cumulated in the reduction of maternal mortality ratio in the country from 1000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 545 per 100,000 live births in 2008. He said that in the last decade and in line with the global clarion call to ensure safe motherhood, the Government of Nigeria articulated effective policies, guideline and interventions, which are harmonized within the National Strategic Health Development Plan(NSHDP 2010-2015). He said that in addition to the procurement of contraceptives, the Ministry procured and distributed Emergency Obstetrics drugs namely Magnesium Sulphate and Misoprostol as well as provide technical support to states in terms of building the capacity of critical mass of health workers on Maternal and Child Health interventions. Prof. Chukwu said that at the first Global Summit on Family planning, which was held on 11th July, 2012 the Government of Nigeria increased its commitments to the family planning programme by 300% and has committed $8.35m annually for the next 4 years. He added that this additional resources would also be committed to providing essential life saving medicines for women and children in Nigeria as part of Mr. President’s commitment to the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. He stressed that in order to ensure skilled care as well as addressing the human resources crisis at the Primary Healthcare level; the government established the Midwives Service Scheme in 2009 adding that to date about 4000 midwives and 1000 Community Health Extension Workers have been mobilized and deployed to Primary Healthcare Facilities in the country. He said that consolidating on the gains from the Midwives Service Scheme, the Government of Nigeria through the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE P) would improve supply in commodities, maternal and child health drugs, equipment and refurbishment of infrastructure at service delivery points. He added that more midwives and Community Health Extension Workers would be recruited and also plans are underway to scale up the number of midwives from 1500 to 2500 by 2014.

FG and Korean Government Join Forces to Combat NTDs

DetailsCategory: News Published on Wednesday, 26 June 2013 13:53 Written by Super User Hits: 475 Worried by the dangers pose by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, the federal government has entered into partnership with the South Korea to share experiences and map out modalities to combat the diseases. Speaking at the Africa-Korea partnership in pharmaceutical and Health innovation for NTDs workshop in Abuja, yesterday, the Minister of Health, Professor Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu, said that Nigeria has a lot to learn from South Korea in the area of pharmaceuticals. He regretted that most of the drugs used in Nigeria were imported and called on the Korean investors to invest in Nigeria in the area of pharmaceutical industries in order to boost drug production in the country, stressing: “Our country has a large market and conducive place for investment. Chukwu, however, charged the participants at the workshop to bring out reliable outcome that will transform the health of Nigerians, assuring that “the outcome will be properly put to use. He said that HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and NTDs such as dengue, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and leishmaniasis, cause 32% of the burden of ill health in Africa, and seriously impact on health outcomes in every region of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one billion people approximately one-sixth of the world's population suffer from at least one NTD. NTDs, apart from the diseases of the poor, have not been given much attention; they tend to thrive in developing regions of the world, where water quality, sanitation, and access to health care are substandard. While NTDs rarely lead to death, they can cause significant disability that persists for a lifetime. They can cause fatigue, blindness, and disfigurement. Sufferers miss school, are unable to work, or are too embarrassed to seek medical care. By diminishing quality of life and opportunities to succeed, NTDs can reinforce the cycle of poverty among the world's disadvantaged populations. Speaking, the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Jong-Hyun Choi, stressed that the importance of public health cannot be overemphasized and challenged the Nigerian government to take proper ownership of its public health. He noted that Korea had overcome the NTDs and was willing to share experiences and ideas to enable Africa and Nigeria in particular handle such problems. He said that the Korean government was ready to work with the Nigerian government to enable the citizens of both countries live more prosperous, safe and enjoy good life. •Next >