Health
Kenya Kicks Off Polio Campaign
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Kenya has kicked off its 2017 immunization effort with a polio campaign this week, targeting 2.9 million children aged five years and under.
The campaign, January 18-22, is targeting 15 counties that are that are considered on higher risk and vulnerable and which are mainly situated in remote, hard-to-reach and border areas.
The campaign also covers Nairobi County, the travel hub that brings the rest of the world into Kenya. The other counties include: Isiolo, Samburu, West Pokot, Turkana, Marsabit, Garissa, Tana River, Wajir, Lamu, Bungoma, Busia and Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Nairobi and Mandera.
The campaign or supplementary immunization activity (SIA) marks the country’s commitment to avert any possible polio outbreak given renewed threats of polio due to an outbreak in Borno State Nigeria last July and August.
Since then, countries in the Horn of Africa region have committed to initiate polio campaigns to ensure the region continues to be safe. The cases in Nigeria became evident after the conflict area associated with the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State became more accessible.
Before then, Nigeria, Africa and the global polio eradication community had enjoyed some relief after Nigeria was removed from the list of polio endemic countries in 2015 after going without a case for a year.
Speaking at the national launch in Isiolo County, Director of Health Services Dr Jackson Kioko said there was need to vaccinate children in this campaign in order to improve the overall population immunity especially in areas where routine vaccination coverage was low.
He said the outbreak in Nigeria last August had put children in Kenya at risk. He gave assurance that the vaccine used for the campaign was safe and was exactly the same as that used for routine vaccination in all health facilities, public or private.
He said about three quarters of children under two (73 per cent) were fully immunized while the rest were either unimmunized or under-immunized.
WHO Country Representative Dr Rudi Eggers said that until poliovirus transmission was interrupted in all endemic countries, all countries including Kenya still remained at risk of importation of polio.
“This is particularly true of vulnerable countries (including some of Kenya’s neighbours) with weak public health and immunization services and travel or trade links to endemic countries.”
In addition, he said due to the low polio vaccination coverage rates found in some counties, there were many children left vulnerable to the disease even in Kenya.
He called on the need for a comprehensive approach in which all eligible children (0-2 years) are reached with all the life-saving routine immunization vaccines (BCG, Measles, Pentavalent, Rota, Yellow Fever, IPV and others), regardless of where they are born, who they are or where they live. In remarks read by Dr Iheoma Onuekwusi, EPI lead WHO Kenya, Dr Eggers said evidence had shown that one out of every five children were missed by routine immunization services in Kenya as a whole and many more in remote, and hard to reach areas in Kenya. He said for effective disease control and eradication, there was need to strengthen and address gaps in routine immunization services and the surveillance system.
“To secure and maintain a polio free world, we must reach every last child with the polio vaccine through Routine Immunization services and during immunization campaigns.”
The launch was attended by among others Isiolo County governor, Godana Doyo who said vaccination was a sure way of protecting the child’s health and future.
Polio ambassador in Isiolo County Mohamed Abdulahi said: “If my parents had enabled my vaccination, I would not be dependent on other people for mobility (“Wazazi wangu wangenipatia chanjo ya polio singekuwa nasukumwa na gari ya kusukumwa”).
National polio ambassador Senator Harold Kipchumba urged parents and neighbours to get their children vaccinated, adding that once infected by the virus, the disability could not be reversed.
“All you need are two drops to protect the child from polio,” he said. Dr Eggers also said no efforts were being spared to interrupt transmission of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in the endemic countries. These are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. In 2016, 35 polio cases caused by wild type virus were detected from these three countries he added, in a speech read by Dr Iheoma Onuekwusi, EPI lead at WHO Kenya. He said the wild Poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) had been eradicated completely in 1999 while type 3 was virtually on the verge of eradication since it has not been detected anywhere in the world since November 2012. “The remaining strain, Type 1 WPV, could be eradicated with more effort on our part”, he added.
How real is the threat of polio?
The threat is real and has to be taken seriously, given the pattern in the last few outbreaks which emerged from the West African region. The last outbreak in 2013 also originating in Nigeria found its way into Kenya through Somalia. This was followed by numerous campaigns to ensure that every child was reached and through efforts to strengthen routine immunization and surveillance.
The last Horn of Africa Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting in September called on countries to avert any re-importation of polio. Dr Jean-Marc Olive, the chair of the TAG, said that given the
population movement pathways from West Africa to the region, the immunity surveillance gaps and declining routine immunization and previous history in Horn of Africa countries, the region was
vulnerable to an importation of the virus.
“After polio virus was identified in Borno state in Nigeria, we have to ask ourselves if there could be a Borno-like situation in our countries in the Horn-of-Africa, where we are missing transmission for a long period,” he said. Each country needed to find its ‘weakest point’ that they would focus on, he added. The virus in Nigeria is believed to have circulated without being detected for about five years and had possibly been exported to neighboring countries. Borno State is an insecure area whose access had been hampered by the Boko Haram insurgents and surveillance severely limited with close to half of settlements inaccessible.
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.
