FG Chides Traditional Medicine Practitioners on Ethical Standard

FG Chides Traditional Medicine Practitioners on Ethical Standard The Federal Government has cautioned the traditional medicine practitioners in the country on ethical standard. The Federal Government gave this charge in Abuja Monday when the Executive and members of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP) paid a solidarity visit to President Goodluck Jonathan. The Minister of Health, Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu who received the members of NANTMP on behalf of the President said that though Government has created an enabling environment to encourage herbal medicine practice in the country, they should not comprise standard. He warned that Government would not fail to use the big stick if any practitioner does not observe ethics of the profession. He assured that Government is not resting on its oars to making sure that herbal medicine in Nigeria was taken to the next level and at par with any herbal medicine in the world adding that Nigeria will soon start exporting herbal medicine provided they are verified by NIPRD and registered and certified okay by NAFDAC. On the issue of exporting herbal products, to chart the way forward, he said that there is going to be a multi-sectoral approach pointing out Government will soon put a body in place to drive that process He stressed that Government will involve conventional doctors who are doing herbal medicine, Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), NAFDAC, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment would be part of the process. On the issue of efficacy and safety of the herbal products, Prof.Chukwu told the Traditional Medicine Practitioners not to leave anything to chance by making sure that the products have the necessary ingredients and to take the issue of storage of the medicine seriously by ensuring that they are not contaminated. He added that they should comply strictly with standard guidelines and the issue of dosage should be strictly adhered to. He reaffirmed that Government is determined more than ever before without sentiment or prejudice to encourage herbal medicine practice in Nigeria. Speaking earlier, the National President, National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), Chief Prof.Dr.T.O.Omon Oleabhele said that the purpose of their visit was to declare their support to the efforts of the President in his bid to transform the country. He noted that traditional medicine practice in Nigeria never had it so good like what it is witnessing in this present dispensation adding that they are proud of Mr. President for his transformation agenda which the country has recorded tremendous progress in various spheres of the economy. He observed that despite the security challenges currently facing the country, Mr. Present was not daunted; he has remained focused in steering the affairs of the country. He commended the giant strides recorded in the health sector adding that for the first time in the history of Nigeria, a committee for the promotion and export of traditional medicine was constituted and inaugurated in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC has also been directed by the Federal Government to go beyond listing of herbal products hence a Committee for the verification of claims of traditional medicine was inaugurated. He added that a modern laboratory for the verification of claims of traditional medicine was commissioned at NIPRD by Mr. President and a curriculum for the study of traditional medicine in Nigerian Universities was established and has since submitted its report to the Minister of Health. While pledging their support to the ongoing efforts by government to fight terrorism in the country, they solicited government to provide them with a piece of land in the Federal Capital Territory to build a befitting secretariat for traditional doctors, provision of buses, fast tracking of the passage of the bill on traditional medicine into law as well as establishment of the National Council on Traditional Medicine in Nigeria.

Nigeria And Norway Sign MOU to Improve Maternal And Child Health

Nigeria And Norway Sign MOU to Improve Maternal And Child Health The Federal Government of Nigeria, the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation and Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI) have signed a tripartite agreement to the tune of 650 Million US Dollars to meet the funding gap to improve maternal and child health in Nigeria. The Minister of Health, Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu who signed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria said that the Federal Government remain committed to meeting the health specific Millennium Development Goals by 2015. He said that despite Nigeria has mainstreamed MDGs targets into various National Initiatives and strategies in order to fast track the attainment of MDGs, more efforts continue to be required to attain the goals by the end of 2015 He explained that the development of the Harmonized Country Plan of Priority Interventions for 2014-2015(HCPPI), is one of such initiatives to step up efforts in this regard. He said that through this plan, Government aim to save an additional 420,000 maternal and children’s lives by 2015 at a total cost of $650 million US Dollars as identified in the Harmonized Country Plan. He added that Government has estimated funding gap of $420 million Dollars. Prof.Chukwu noted that the tripartite agreement signed represents one of the many efforts to meet the resource gap adding that the impact on the target group is the reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths in three selected states of Kaduna, Kano and Katsina by 40% by 2015. He said that this translates to approximately 2,961 maternal and 19,825 neonatal additional lives saved. He decried that there remains a significant funding gap to be met in order to drastically reduce maternal and under 5 mortality in Nigeria. He said that that the three main objectives of the project are to strengthen national coordination, strengthen state coordination and implement a comprehensive maternal and neonatal health strategy in three of the highest burden northern states of kaduna, Kano and Katsina. Earlier, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria Rolf Ree in his remarks said that the signing of the agreement is part of the Norwegian commitment to reduce maternal and child deaths in Nigeria. While assuring his country’s continued collaboration with Nigeria, he said that the signing of the MOU is his country’s intervention to scale up availability of contraceptive commodities for family planning and other he in Nigeria.

Prof. Chukwu Applauds Japan For Assisting Nigeria to Eradicate Polio

Prof. Chukwu Applauds Japan For Assisting Nigeria to Eradicate Polio Minister of Health Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu has commended the Japanese Government for assisting Nigeria to interrupt polio. The Minister gave the commendation in Abuja today when the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria Mr.Ryuichi Shoji paid him a courtesy visit. He described Japan as a reliable ally which has shown interest in economic development of Nigeria adding that it has over the years helped Nigeria financed polio campaign through the provision of loan facilities. He maintained that Nigeria has not relented in her efforts to eradicate polio this year. He said: “We will meet the target this year; we are not resting on our oars to eradicate polio this year”, said Prof.Chukwu. Earlier, Mr.Ryuichi Shoji the Japanese Ambassador said the purpose of his visit was to fix a date for the signing of grant that Japan will give Nigeria to the tune of 85 Million dollars for the eradication of polio. He explained that the loan facility was coming on the heels of a recently reached agreement between the Government of Nigeria and the Government of Japan for the purpose of implementing polio eradication in the country. He said that the loan would be extended in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of Japan, to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He added that the loan would be made available by a loan agreement to be concluded between the Government of Nigeria and JICA. He stressed that the terms and conditions of the loan as well as the procedures for its utilization would be governed by the said loan agreement, within the scope of the present understanding, the repayment period of the loan would be 14 years after the grace of 6 years, at low interest of 0.2% per annum. He disclosed that the disbursement period would be 4 years after the date of coming into force of the said loan agreement. The signing of the loan agreement has been fixed for Tuesday 27th May, 2014 in Abuja.

Japan Extends 85 Million US Dollars Loan to Nigeria to Eradicate Polio

Japan Extends 85 Million US Dollars Loan to Nigeria to Eradicate Polio The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Japan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a loan facility to the tune of 85 Million US Dollars to be given to Nigeria to eradicate polio. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja Monday, the Minister of Health, Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu said that the signing ceremony of the Japanese loan Aid for polio Eradication Project in Nigeria signifies an important milestone in the fight against polio in Nigeria. He explained that the objective of the polio eradication Project is to optimize the immunization of children under 5 years against polio by procuring oral polio vaccines, and thereby contributing to the eradication of polio in the whole country. He said that the Japanese loan Aid is part of the international support to the national polio eradication Programme to ensure vaccine availability for the polio campaigns from June, 2014 adding that will serve as a guarantee for the procurement of the vaccines for polio campaign by UNICEF. He also added that it will ensure timely delivery and availability of the polio vaccines for the national polio immunisation campaigns. He expressed optimism that Nigeria has recorded significant achievements in 2013 in the eradication of poliomyelitis with at least 58% reduction in the number of Wild Polio Virus1 (WPV1) cases compared to 2012. He noted that there has also been a 50% reduction in the number of infected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 2013 compared to 2012 with the geographical restriction of cases to only two local governments in one state out of the 36 states of the Nigerian Federation. He said that so far in 2014, only 3 cases of WPV1 have been recorded compared to 2013, adding that this represents 86% reduction in incidence. Prof.Chukwu expressed hope that with the loan aid from Japan and with the support of other international partners as well as national stakeholders; polio transmission will be interrupted this year. He reaffirmed that the Federal Government is committed to interrupting polio transmission in Nigeria in 2014. He said: “We shall do all within our powers to ensure that we meet the target of the polio eradication project in Nigeria.” He thanked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for guaranteeing the buy-down of the loan noting that the foundation remains a major contributor to the polio eradication effort in Nigeria and indeed globally. In his keynote address, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr.Ryuichi Shoji said that his country’s financial contribution to Nigeria will build a robust bridge for Nigerian people that lead to the goal of polio eradication in Nigeria. He stressed that the Government of Japan has been a faithful partner of Nigeria over 14 years and provided assistance in the fight against polio since Japanese fiscal year 2000. He said that until now, remarkable progress has been made, and Nigeria stands at a final stage in the fight against polio. He observed that when polio is finally eradicated in Nigeria, beneficiaries would not be limited to the people of Nigeria pointing out that as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of polio. Continuing, he said WHO has recently certified in March 2014 that 11 countries in South-East Asia are polio free after three years without reporting a single new case. He also said that a WHO statement issued in May 2014 indicates that there are still three countries namely Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan that are being plagued by the polio virus. He said that the global situation concerning polio spread requires an urgent action stressing that the polio eradication project in Nigeria will constitute an important step towards the world free of polio. Also in her goodwill message, the Country Representative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Mairo Mandara said that the Foundation has been working with the Japanese partners for many months to extend the loan facility to Nigeria that would narrow the funding gap for the polio eradication programme. She stressed that the loan is also intended to be useful tool for the Federal Government of Nigeria to help improve immunization coverage rates in areas that need additional support to stop transmission. She assured that after Nigeria has executed the loan agreement, the Foundation will commit to repay the loan to Japan with interest on behalf of Nigeria if the required immunization rates are met by Nigeria.