Health
Lagos, Experts, Parents Unite to Address Disability in Children
By Dipo Olowookere
A consensus has been reached on how to address disability in children as also work on how to make life more meaningful for children living in disabilities.
At the first ‘Stakeholders Summit on Disability’ organized by the office of the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Social Development, stakeholders, including parents and experts, agreed to take concerted efforts against disabilities in children.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, while speaking at the summit themed ‘Ability in Disability: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine,’ stated that early intervention of disability in the affected children would help a lot in giving hope of a meaningful life to those children.
As a result of that, he said the concept of early intervention was targeted at parents and guardians of the target children.
Represented by his Deputy, Mrs Idiat Adebule, at the event held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday, Mr Ambode said, “Early intervention of disabilities in children will afford you the opportunity to do what is needful medically.
“Since nothing can be done to change the circumstances of those children, you must show them the ability to support them in harnessing their potentials.”
In her welcome address, Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Development, Mrs Joyce Onafowokan, disclosed that the Governor’s inaugural speech in which Governor Ambode advised that “our circumstances should not be obstacles to our dreams with the promise that the issues of disability will receive greater attention this year necessitated the summit.”
According to her, too often, some professionals make the mistake of telling parents what they need only, in handling disability in children.
However, she said with the summit, the state government was beginning a new journey because we are putting systems in place to be better at early diagnosis and intervention.
“We are here to ask you to join us. We want to listen to you. We want to know how we, all, collectively, in partnership can better the lives of our children.
“One thing I want you to know is that being here at this Summit, is our first step in the mandate that His Excellency gave to us.
“We will get there but we must agree to move. We must agree on where we want to get to and how we intend to get there,” she said.
In his keynote address delivered at the summit, Professor Julius Ademokoya, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, said there is no person with disabilities without abilities for one’s good and the good of humanity; provided necessary assistance is given.
He therefore advised that some programmes and procedures must be put in place to ensure early identification of disabilities.
Among the programmes he suggested are Antenatal Disability Screening, Newborn Screening and Ability/Disability Assessment.
For the way forward, Professor Ademokoya said Intervention programmes for managing disabilities should target establishing Special Needs Education (SNE) that would provide the required education to curtail disabilities, educate persons with disabilities and sieve out abilities from disabilities.
He insisted that adequate support must be guaranteed for persons living with disabilities through: Attitudinal change programmes, Instituting necessary legislations and highlighting capabilities and achievement of persons living with disabilities.
Similarly, Mrs Barakat Animasahun, Associate Professor/Consultant Paediatrician, College of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, said disability in children can lead to stigma and discrimination; poor caregiver interaction; institutionalization; violence, abuse and neglect; as well as limited access to programmes and services.
According to her, all these easily lead to poor survival, development and failure to reach full potential.
Meanwhile, Mrs Animasahun stated that there is ability in disability; as a result of that she advised people to always highlight more the positive side of disability over adverse side. She advised that prevention of conditions causing disability should usually be prevented.
According to her, some of the causes of disabilities in children can be reversed if they are discovered early enough ad necessary intervention measures are taken.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
As part of its efforts to safeguard public health in Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has strengthened its regulatory framework for blood and blood products.
A statement signed on Thursday by the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed that to achieve its goal, the agency will collaborate with relevant authorities and stakeholders to establish a robust regulatory framework that promotes the availability of safe, quality-assured and efficacious blood and blood products, while strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
NAFDAC said it intends to partner with government institutions, healthcare providers, blood establishments, development partners and other stakeholders for the robust oversight.
Mrs Adeyeye disclosed that already, her organisation has received the support of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate.
According to her, NAFDAC has been given the mandate to regulate blood and blood products in line with global best practices and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that these products be subject to oversight by National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) for medicines.
She said blood and blood products are classified as essential medicines and must be consistently available with assured quality, safety and affordability, stressing that the aim is to protect patients throughout the blood transfusion chain.
Effective regulatory oversight will support the quality and safety of blood products from donor assessment and collection through testing, processing, storage, transportation and use, the NAFDAC chief noted.
Several African countries, including Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Rwanda, have already established regulatory oversight of blood and blood products by their NRAS, she added.
Mrs Adeyeye pointed out that NAFDAC’s renewed regulatory preparedness builds on its broader transformation into a modern, science-based regulatory authority.
Already, it has attained WHO Maturity Level 3, completed WHO Global Benchmarking ML3 re-assessment, obtained WHO prequalification for its drug laboratory, and established internationally accredited laboratory and quality management systems. These capabilities provide a strong foundation for the effective regulation of blood and blood products.
As part of its preparedness, NAFDAC has established a dedicated Vaccines, Biologicals and Medical Devices Registration and Regulation Directorate to oversee the registration and regulation of these products.
The agency established a Vaccines, Biologicals and Medical Devices Laboratory Services many years ago, but became a Directorate in 2024, responsible for quality control, including laboratory testing and lot release, while the Directorate of Evaluation and Research provides oversight of Good Manufacturing Practices. An ultra-modern laboratory facility is also being developed to further strengthen its capacity for the assessment and quality control of vaccines and biologics.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An organisation known as GoMed Nigeria is offering free reproductive health services to Nigerian students through a digital self-care platform.
This is being delivered through a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Lagos State Government.
The pilot scheme will be available to students of the University of Lagos. They will enjoy easier and more private access to essential health products, accurate information, and professional support.
Young Nigerians face some of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy and unmet need for contraception in the world.
Cost, distance, stigma, misinformation, and fears about confidentiality routinely stop students from seeking the products and guidance they need, with consequences that include unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections and interrupted education.
The self-care platform is designed to remove each of these barriers. Through the platform, students receive free contraceptives and other sexual and reproductive health commodities provided through the Lagos State Ministry of Health and UNFPA, exclusive discounts on health essentials, and fast, discreet delivery directly to campus and student hostels.
Students can also access trusted sexual and reproductive health information and services through UNFPA’s SoftLife 247 and U-Plan platforms. Through U-PLAN, they can chat directly with qualified Family Planning Service Providers to receive accurate information and address their concerns. They can also confidently engage with GoMed’s registered pharmacists for confidential, judgement-free guidance on medicines and other health products.
“Students should be able to get reliable health information and essential products without cost, distance or fear of judgement becoming barriers.
“This platform brings free sexual and reproductive health commodities, other affordable health products and professional guidance together, with discreet delivery directly to students on campus,” the chief executive of GoMed Nigeria, Mr Anthony Edeki, said.
Also speaking, UNFPA in Nigeria Resident Representative, Muriel Mafico, said, “As the UN agency mandated for “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”, we are committed to reducing preventable maternal deaths and addressing the unmet need for family planning, including by providing and overseeing access to life-saving commodities worldwide.
“Working alongside our partners, we’re helping roll out the digital Self-Care Platform—so that vital, life-changing information can reach more people, more easily. Together, we want to empower Nigeria’s next generation to make informed health choices and achieve stronger health outcomes and a brighter future.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A financing framework to accelerate the electrification of health facilities nationwide has been approved by the federal government.
The approval was announced at the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a presidential programme jointly coordinated by the Federal Ministries of Power and Health and Social Welfare.
The committee was constituted to ensure reliable electricity in at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027.
At the meeting, chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Mr Isiaq Salako, and co-chaired by the Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, members of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) presented the recommendations under consideration.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Salako said the Steering Committee approved a financing framework to mobilise investment for healthcare electrification, alongside a facility energy management framework requiring participating hospitals to build sustainable systems for managing their energy infrastructure.
He said the committee also cleared eight (8) private sector proposals for further engagement, drawn from about 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week in Lagos.
The Health Minister added that Energy Management Teams are already in place at federal tertiary hospitals, with state governments being encouraged to set up similar structures. The initiative will now be institutionalised through dedicated budgetary provisions and a full-time Project Coordination Unit to oversee implementation.
On his part, Mr Tegbe declared that the initiative must now move from announcements to actual project delivery.
Describing the NPHI as one of the President Bola Tinubu administration’s flagship programmes, he said the emphasis should shift towards commissioning completed projects that Nigerians can see for themselves, rather than further groundbreaking ceremonies and public messaging.
He emphasised the need for teaching hospitals, state hospitals, and primary healthcare centres to be fully energised, noting that the Rural Electrification Agency has already energised 5 Federal Teaching Hospitals and several other health facilities nationwide.
He also tied the initiative directly to patient outcomes, arguing that dependable power would end hospitals’ reliance on emergency generators, and pledged that the Ministry would continue to prioritise the initiative’s funding needs while ensuring value for money.
