Health
FG, Oyo Join Forces Against Cervical Cancer
By Dipo Olowookere
The Federal Government has promised to work with Oyo State Government in finding a lasting solution to the high rate of cervical cancer prevalence in the state.
The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, made the promise while delivering a lecture at a symposium organized by Access to Basic Medical Care (ABC) Foundation founded by the wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, in Ibadan on Friday.
The symposium, which was organized to mark the third anniversary of the Foundation, was attended by eminent personalities including the Oyo State Governor, Mr Abiola Ajimobi and wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode.
Others are the wife of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe; Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Prof Temitope Alonge, as well as other top medical and health officials across the country.
Prof Adewole, while praising the foundation’s initiative in providing cervical cancer screening for people, said it was the third in the whole of Africa to have the equipment for the screening of the dreaded disease.
He said in spite of the socio-economic conditions which had made access to healthcare service difficult for people, his ministry would partner the government to take qualitative healthcare delivery to the nooks and crannies of the state.
Prof Adewole said, “While appreciating the gesture of ABC Foundation in helping to care for the common people, I want to posit that this service will be better if it is extended to the rural populace in form of primary healthcare services.
“I want to assure you all that my ministry will collaborate with Oyo State Government in achieving this. You have taken a huge step and we will encourage you. The involvement of private citizens like you in healthcare delivery is a welcome development.
“This is one of the best ways to decongest the teaching hospitals. Because experience has shown that people present cases like headache, backache and skin rashes at teaching hospitals, which has made the facilities and the personnel to be overstretched.
“The Federal Government will soon start giving vaccines to people to stem mortality rate occasioned by lack of access to screening and cure for the disease. I want to state that state hospitals will be put into better use with this partnership.”
The Minister described cervical cancer as a sexually-transmitted disease, assuring that it could be prevented and cured if detected early.
In his address, Governor Ajimobi eulogized the foundation for giving succour to the needy and for partnering his administration in delivering good healthcare services to the people of the state.
He called on individuals and corporate bodies to see the cervical cancer scourge as a monster that must be frontally confronted and defeated.
The Governor also charged the FG and the foundation to make far-reaching information dissemination technique the foundation upon which the fight against the disease would be based.
Mr Ajimobi said, “Let us together change our health environment. What ABC is doing is a good example of an individual making the difference. Let us all use our influence to enhance healthcare delivery in our locality.
“This is a challenge to all of us to make a difference in our sphere of influence. And in this regard I want to urge the FG to take the lead in using information, education and communication strategy to create awareness on these deadly diseases.
“We have to let our people know, because many people are dying arising from ignorance. The states and local governments should collaborate with the FG for mass enlightenment of our people on early presentation of cases at standard health facilities.”
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Oladipo Akinkungbe, lauded the foundation’s initiative.
He added that he had no doubt about the viability and sustainability of ABC given the international partnership it had attracted as well as the commitment and passion of the founder and her husband.
He called for the interpretation of some basic medical data and transmission of same to the mass populace in order to stop the spread of the disease.
Prof Akinkugbe said, “Prevention is the name of the game. The salvation of the country lies more in preventive healthcare than in theory.
“It is depressing to see the mortality rate when prevention should have taken place. It is, therefore, important to make more medical data available in an understandable form for rural people to understand.
“Through this, people will be able to understand the disease and we would have been able to tackle the menace of cervical cancer, among other deadly diseases.”
In her address, the founder of ABC expressed happiness with the success so far recorded by the foundation, particularly the impact it had made in the lives of the people.
Thanking the foundation’s partners for their support, the governor’s wife assured that she would not rest on her laurels until the initiative was taken to greater heights.
Mrs Ajimobi said “It is my belief that today’s programme will spur those who have roles to play in bringing cervical cancer to zero level.”
“It is pertinent to mention that the foundation has offered free cervical cancer screening to over 3,000 women, while over 500 have had access to follow up services and treatment of the disease.
“I want to use this medium to call on all women to take charge of their health and to support all the initiatives targeted at creating more awareness about the disease so as to reduce it to a zero level and possibly eradicate it,” she added.
The Guest Lecturer, Prof Oluwarotimi Akinola gave insight into the cause, effect and possible solutions to the scourge of cervical cancer.
According to him, indiscriminate sexual lifestyle, circumcision, socio-cultural and socio-economic status, dietary factor and lack of awareness are among the major causes of the disease in the country.
He stressed the need for early detection through screening as a way of stopping the dreaded disease.
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.
