Health
36th AU Session Renews Commitment Towards Strengthening Africa’s Health Systems
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
During the 36th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly, the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), seeks to work towards the reduction of communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS in Africa.
It was noted that the pandemic was raging worldwide but had an acute impact across Africa. The spread of the disease affected every dimension of African society, and AIDS lowered the life expectancy of adults on average by 20 years.
In 2001, the Heads of State of Africa met in a special summit in Abuja explicitly devoted to addressing the unprecedented challenges of HIV-related disease, TB, and other related infectious diseases. This session, which came soon after the first UN Security Council Resolution in 2000, acknowledged the tremendous impact the spread of HIV was having on the continent not only as a health risk but also acknowledged the economic and security implications across the continent.
In 2013, African Heads of State and Government (HoSG) reaffirmed their commitment to the AIDS, TB and Malaria response at the Abuja+12 Special Summit. The declaration of the summit of the African Union on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria committed to accelerating the mobilization of domestic resources to strengthen health systems; ensure strategies were in place for diversified, balanced and sustainable financing for health, in particular for AIDS, TB and Malaria and targeted poverty elimination strategies and social protection programmes that integrate HIV-related diseases, TB and Malaria for all; particularly for vulnerable populations.
The massive impacts of twin pandemics of COVID-19 and HIV-related diseases have highlighted what remains the largest threat to the Africa Union Agenda 2063 – Africa We Want. Africa’s experience attempting to control COVID-19 and HIV-related diseases (and the previous experience with the West African Ebola outbreak) exemplifies how huge gaps remain in the underlying strength of its health systems. The AIDS epidemic is still not over, nor is the continent on track to achieve an AIDS-free Africa by 2030.
The key objectives now are:
- Sustaining political commitments – requiring every African Head of State to commit to setting quantitative targets for HIV control (and tracking progress), developing a roadmap to strengthening health systems for pandemic prevention in their country, and reforming policies that prevent vulnerable populations from receiving treatment;
- Secure new financial commitments – engaging international donors (bilateral, multilateral, philanthropies) to identify new pools of capital and fund existing pledges while setting a GDP target for national health spending on HIV-related diseases and pandemic preparedness;
- Acknowledge the role of the African private sector and strengthen the public-private partnership – outlining major regional initiatives on (a) health financing (for example, low-interest loans), (b) health infrastructure (for example, supply chains, facilities, data/digital tools), and (c) health manufacturing (for example diagnostics, treatments, vaccines) and by aligning national and international companies, investors, and governments to those areas to accelerate progress;
- Elevate community, young people and civil society voices – raising the profile of advocates, PLHIV, community organizations, faith leaders and the youth who have been champions for the HIV/AIDS response and social and behavioural change (SBC) in their country.
Earlier, the Africa CDC encouraged African Union (AU) Member States to actively participate in the Pandemic Fund activities and submit their Expressions of Interest (EOIs) by the set date of 24 February 2023. The Africa CDC has made itself available to support AU Member States and other regional entities as they develop and submit their EOIs and proposals.
The Africa CDC is an observer on the Board of the Pandemic Fund. The Africa CDC is also an autonomous institution of the AU charged with the mandate of coordinating Africa’s disease prevention and control. Africa CDC is the convening platform for AU Member States on health security matters. Africa CDC is convinced that the New Public Health Order brings the changes necessary for improved global preparedness and response to disease threats and health emergencies. One key aspect is regional strategies and action based on mandates of regional institutions like the Africa CDC.
As an integral part of the African approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the African Union and Africa CDC initiated Africa’s New Public Health Order, which aims to set the course for how Africa deals with its public health realities. The New Public Health Order is built on five pillars, four of which all relate to the high-impact priorities set out in the first round call of the Pandemic Fund, namely surveillance and early warning, laboratory systems and health workforce.
Expected outcome
The consideration and adoption of the Declaration on Health Financing and Sustaining Action to End AIDS and related Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases.
In addition to leaders from the AU member states, there are regional and international organizations in attendance. The summit will adopt a series of protocols aimed at accelerating the full implementation of health-related questions in Africa. The adopted protocols relate to Agenda 2063, which is Africa’s development blueprint for achieving inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period (2013 to 2063).
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance has risen to more than 22 million.
The Director-General of NHIA, Mr Kelechi Ohiri, said this resulted from the implementation of the mandatory health insurance, which has gained momentum nationwide.
He said this on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos.
Mr Ohiri said enrolment had increased to 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year growth, attributing this to stronger collaboration with state social health insurance agencies, ministries, departments and agencies, organised labour, employers, the private sector, and the gradual implementation of the mandatory health insurance provisions of the NHIA Act.
He said that the country had moved beyond policy formulation to delivering measurable improvements in healthcare access, service quality and consumer protection in line with the federal government’s health sector reform agenda.
According to him, Nigeria already has the necessary policies and legislation to achieve Universal Health Coverage, positing that the key challenge was effective implementation.
“The decisive variable is now implementation- consistent, rigorous and accountable execution that converts political commitment into healthcare access for real Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Ohiri said that the transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme to the NHIA had strengthened regulation, consumer protection, accountability and strategic purchasing, while providing the legal and operational framework for achieving Universal Health Coverage.
He added that improving the experience of enrollees remained central to the Authority’s reform agenda.
According to him, NHIA has strengthened its complaints management system, introduced faster resolution timelines, and intensified compliance monitoring of Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) and healthcare providers.
He further added that NHIA had sanctioned facilities that failed to meet the required standards, adding that his organisation had resolved 3,878 complaints, representing an 87 per cent resolution rate, while 95 per cent of the cases were concluded within prescribed timelines.
Mr Ohiri noted that more than N14.2 million had been refunded to enrollees, while non-compliant healthcare facilities had been sanctioned.
He said NHIA had also introduced service standards, including a one-hour treatment commencement target for enrollees requiring urgent care, to improve access to timely and quality healthcare services.
The NHIA boss further disclosed that capitation payments to healthcare providers had been increased by 93 per cent.
He said fee-for-service reimbursements rose by 378 per cent to enable providers to invest more in personnel, equipment and infrastructure.
According to him, 7,592 healthcare facilities have been assessed under the SafeCare quality framework as part of efforts to institutionalise continuous quality improvement across the country.
Mr Ohiri also highlighted interventions targeted at vulnerable groups, including support for more than 48,500 pregnant women, expanded maternal and newborn healthcare services, the Vulnerable Group Fund, and improved access to healthcare for pensioners and retirees.
He said Universal Health Coverage could only be achieved if every Nigerian, regardless of income or location, had access to quality healthcare services.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The new one-hour authorisation response time ultimatum policy introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has received the full backing of SUNU Health Nigeria Limited.
This policy was introduced by the agency to ensure enrollees get prompt approval codes to access care.
Healthcare service providers have been urged to report any Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) that violates this initiative through an email, with the HMO in copy and a timestamp attached as evidence of the request. They may proceed to offer services to enrollees thereafter.
Speaking at the company’s second-quarter Providers’ Forum for the Lagos-Ogun region in Lagos recently, the chief executive of SUNU Health, Dr Moyosore Olomola, expressed optimism that this policy would improve healthcare delivery in the country, especially for enrollees, who crave quality service.
At the event themed Improving Quality and Access to Care Through Stronger Provider Network, and held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba, Lagos, Mr Olomola reaffirmed the HMO’s commitment to operating within legal and operational frameworks to guarantee adequate care for enrollees.
“Access to care and quality of care remain key priorities in our healthcare systems. We know quite well that deliberate collaboration, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to excellence are required to achieve these priorities.
“A strong provider network is doubtless the backbone of any effective healthcare system. It ensures that our mutual enrollees receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price,” Mr Olomola, represented at the programme by the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr Faith Nwachi, stated.
He further assured that SUNU Health would strictly adhere to the one-hour authorisation limit, stressing that this aligns seamlessly with one of the organisation’s core values—promptness and its corporate slogan, Humanity is the centre of our initiatives.
In a bid to further improve access and quality of care, SUNU Health also demonstrated its new operational software and Mobile app, aptly named SUNU Legacy.
Also speaking at the event, the NHIA Lagos State Coordinator (Ikeja), Dr Bethuel-Kasimu Abraham, noted that the forum’s expected outcome is to significantly reduce delays in accessing medical care.
Other key expectations include ensuring continuity of care, improving patient outcomes, and strengthening accountability among HMOs.
Addressing specific pain points faced by enrollees, the NHIA Ogun State Coordinator, Mr Dare Adefeso, acknowledged that the agency had received complaints regarding out-of-stock drugs and the discrimination of enrollees by certain providers.
He affirmed that the NHIA is actively addressing these issues, stressing that moving forward, every facility must ensure enrollees are properly catered to regardless of their status, provided they have an active health insurance plan.
Corroborating the long-standing legacy of SUNU Health, the Ogun State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Aishat Tiamiyu, shared that her agency is responsible for public information dissemination and has been enrolled with SUNU Health for over 25 years.
Commending the HMO’s stellar service over two decades, she called for the immediate enrollment of new NOA staff into the scheme.
The Providers’ Forum remains one of the strategic channels employed by SUNU Health to consistently engage healthcare providers, understand their operational challenges, introduce new software updates, and solidify partnerships aimed at fostering premium healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the recall of a sexual enhancement product known as WAP Sensual Enhancement Capsules.
In a statement on Monday, the Nigerian agency disclosed that the recall is due to “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients” in the product, whose country of origin is unknown, but is marketed and distributed online in the US through eBay.
It was emphasised that the recall is being “voluntarily” made by the manufacturer, Best Supplements Best Prices Company.
The detection of the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients was made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Laboratory analysis by the US FDA revealed that the product contained undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil, and flibanserin, which were not mentioned on the product label. Such substances may include phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors or related compounds commonly used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the statement by NAFDAC stated.
Sildenafil and tadalafil are ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It was noted that these undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.
Flibanserin is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used to treat low sexual desire in women. Flibanserin can cause drowsiness, sedation, dangerously low blood pressure, and fainting, especially when combined with alcohol.
Consumers have been encouraged to report compromised products (medicines or medical devices) to the nearest NAFDAC office, call 0800-162-3322, or send an email to sf******@********ov.ng.
