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 >