Health
Novartis Partners Kaduna To Provide Health Care Via SMS

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Kaduna State government has entered into a partnership agreement with Novartis to increase the availability of essential medicines and improve care for patients across the state and Nigeria at large by using simple, available and affordable technology.
In view of this, Novartis has launched an innovative technology-based healthcare program called SMS for Life 2.0, which is a joint public-private partnership led by Novartis and supported by its partners, the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and Vodacom.
“Novartis is proud to partner with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health to implement the first ever SMS for Life 2.0 program,” said Mr Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis.
“Companies must join forces with the public sector to co-create innovative solutions to improve access to healthcare around the world.
“This is the first step in what we hope will be an impactful public health initiative, unleashing the potential of mobile technology and big data to increase the quality of care for underserved patients,” Mr Jimenez added.
SMS for Life 2.0 builds on the SMS for Life program launched by Novartis in 2009, which used cell phones to manage stock-outs of malaria medicines in more than 10,000 healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan countries.
The new and enhanced SMS for Life 2.0 program will now use smartphones and tablet computers to address key operational challenges at peripheral healthcare facilities in Kaduna State.
Local healthcare workers will be able to track stock levels of essential anti-malarias, vaccines, and HIV, TB and leprosy treatments, and send notifications to district medical officers when stock levels are low.
The program will also monitor surveillance parameters of malaria, maternal and infant deaths and seven other diseases, including measles, yellow fever and cholera.
In addition, SMS for Life 2.0 will enable training of healthcare workers in local facilities using on-demand eLearning modules.
“We welcome the introduction of SMS for Life 2.0 in primary healthcare facilities, where we often face stock-outs of medicines,” said Dr Hadiza Balarabe, Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
“With more than six million people, Kaduna is Nigeria’s third most populous state. We hope the program will improve healthcare services by expanding access to essential medicines, thus reducing disease prevalence in communities,” Dr Balarabe added.
Medicines do not always reach the patients who need them, particularly those living in remote areas.
Running out of stock is a major hurdle in ensuring access to essential treatments. By increasing stock visibility, health authorities will be able to monitor stock levels of these medicines in real time.
Furthermore, disease surveillance data combined with the stock reporting function can improve supply chain management, by allowing authorities to better forecast demand for the treatments. This will help to ensure people get the medicines they need in a timely fashion.
“Vodacom believes that mobile technology is a powerful platform to address healthcare problems in Africa,” said Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer of Vodacom Business. “Our vision in partnering with Kaduna State is to support the development of productive societies which are healthy, well-educated and economically active. The SMS for Life 2.0 initiative will contribute towards better quality and more accessible healthcare services which will in turn contribute to an increase in life expectancy in Nigeria.”
In addition to the launch in Nigeria, Novartis and its non-profit partner Right to Care, have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Zambian Ministry of Health to deploy SMS for Life 2.0 in up to 2,000 health facilities across the country. The program, which will include stock reporting, disease surveillance and eLearning, will be supported by Vodacom and is expected to launch in Q2 2017.
Health
AAN Seeks Swift Government Actions on Albinism Related Health Crisis

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN) has intensified its call for swift actions by government and policymakers over the escalating health crisis facing persons with albinism (PWAs) in Nigeria.
The call came as the world marked World Cancer Day on February 4, 2025 under the theme United by Unique.
In a statement signed by the president of the association, Mrs Bisi Bamishe, the group said, “Our people are dying in silence, with little to no awareness of the immense health challenges we endure, particularly the devastating impact of skin cancer.
“Despite our continuous advocacy efforts, the plight of persons with albinism remains largely unaddressed, and the consequences are dire. Within just a few days, we have lost three of our beloved members to this ravaging disease.”
The group highlighted the graveness of the issue, adding that, many others are battling for their lives without access to proper medical care.
“The grim reality is that the community of persons with albinism in Nigeria is under siege, and urgent action is required to prevent further loss of lives.”
AAN used the calender event to call on the government across several tiers to join the fight and improve their inputs.
“The absence of structured government interventions, including access to free or subsidized skin cancer treatments, preventive measures such as sunscreen distribution, and specialized dermatological care, has left our community in a state of despair. Without immediate action, we will continue to witness the preventable deaths of our members,” the group lamented.
“We call on the federal, state, and local governments, the legislative arms at all levels, well-meaning individuals, local and international donors, and relevant stakeholders to stand with us in the fight against this dreaded disease,” it added.
It also noted that it has not rested on its oars with it’s multiple approach to raise awareness about the pressing health needs of persons with albinism.
“We have engaged policymakers, health authorities, and legislators, urging them to implement sustainable policies that will ensure access to affordable healthcare, routine skin cancer screening, and the provision of lifesaving treatments for affected persons.
“However, the time for mere discussions has passed. We need tangible, swift, and decisive actions to save lives,” the group added.
The association lauded the efforts and responsiveness of the Lagos State government and called on other states to follow in its footsteps.
“We must acknowledge the efforts of some state governors, development partners and NGOs that have done a lot for us. Special appreciation goes to Lagos State Government that has spent over N20 million on skin cancer patients in the last two years as well as provision of sunscreen, hats and umbrellas. We hope other states can follow suit as much as possible.”
Health
Nigeria Tightens Surveillance at Entry Point Amid Fresh Ebola Outbreak

By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has tightened surveillance measures at entry points in the country owing to a fresh outbreak of Ebola disease in Uganda.
Last week, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed the outbreak of the disease with one death and has now followed up with forty-four contacts.
With the latest development, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Mr Jide Idris, in an advisory said although Nigeria has not recorded any outbreak of the disease, it is putting in place preventive measures.
“There are no cases of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria. However, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Partners through the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases (EVHD) Technical Working Group, continues to monitor disease occurrence and has initiated measures to strengthen our preparedness in the country.
“These include the update of our EVD emergency contingency plan, heightened surveillance especially at the points of entry, and optimizing diagnostic capacity for EVD testing in designated laboratories in cities with international airports of entry and the National Reference Laboratory. In addition, all Lassa Fever testing laboratories can be activated to scale up testing if the need arises.”
According to the NCDC DG, there are no Ebola vaccines in Nigeria at the moment.
“There are vaccines and therapeutics available for some strains of the Ebola virus. The approved vaccine for the Zaire species (EBV) is not currently available in the country but can be obtained from the WHO Afro and does not protect against the Sudan virus,” he said.
However, the NCDC boss said, “Early recognition, isolation of patients, and initiation of supportive treatment, implementing infection and control measures in health facilities and homes, tracing and monitoring of contacts, and safe burial practices, significantly reduce morbidity and the probability of death.”
Ebola disease is a severe, and often fatal disease caused by the Ebola virus. It is transmitted to humans via contact with wild animals and spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, internal and external bleeding. It may appear 2 to 21 days after infection. Medical expertise are advised by the NCDC, in regard to this disease.
Health
i3 Shifts 3rd Cohorts Focus to Growth-Stage Healthtechs After Trump’s Orders

By Adedapo Adesanya
Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative to support African health-tech startups to commercialise and scale their offerings has decided to make a pivotal change to its third cohort selection to prioritise the immediate support for 5-7 growth-stage companies building the future of pharmacy care in Africa.
This comes after the US State Department’s “stop-work” directive for foreign aid issued on January 25, which is anticipated to impact the distribution of essential medicine in Africa’s healthcare supply chains.
President Donald Trump issued the executive order freezing US foreign development assistance for 90 days upon assuming office.
One of the affected by the order is the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which offers humanitarian and development assistance to other countries, primarily by giving fundings to non-governmental organisations, governments, and others. USAID is crucial in combating HIV/AIDS and other health matters.
According to a statement shared with Business Post on Monday, i3 says the order highlights and intensifies the need for locally-driven, market-creating approaches to health product distribution and service delivery across Africa.
So now the programme funded by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics (a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation), Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics, will concentrate its immediate efforts on helping innovative growth-stage startups unlock major partnerships to rapidly expand access to patient care.
Fifteen leading startups will be selected for this cohort including 10 early-stage startups innovating in healthcare delivery or product distribution and five growth-stage startups building the future of pharmacy care.
Early-stage startups will receive a $50,000 grant and growth-stage startups will receive a $225,000 grant to unlock major partnerships that can expand patient access across the continent.
For startups in the cohort, i3 aims to facilitate at least 150 relationships with key healthcare organizations, worth at least $30M, which will expand patient access while creating valuable local jobs.
Entries for the 3rd cohort are open until February 28 after which the selected startups will be announced on April 30.
Launched in 2022, i3 has empowered 60 African health innovators across 16 countries, exceeding expectations with 43 per cent women-led and 20 per cent Francophone-led ventures.
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