Nyanya, Abuja bomb blast: Hospitals reject victims

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Punch Nigeria
The series of explosions that rocked the Federal Capital Territory in the last two weeks appear to have taken toll on its health facilities as some of the hospitals in the territory  rejected victims of  Thursday’s  bomb blast at Nyanya, a satellite community within the FCT, which left 30 people dead and many others injured. 

The blast, which was believed to be a suicide attack, occurred around 8:45pm when a bomb-laden car exploded at the Karshi Taxi Park, a few metres from where the April 14, 2014 explosion took place.

The tragic May Day blast was the second in the nation’s capital in 17 days. The first one, which occurred on April 14, killed 75 people while hundreds were injured and admitted in various hospitals in Abuja. The explosion rocked the Nyanya Motor Park.

Strike grounds federal hospitals, JOHESU says Health Minister insincere

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The nationwide strike called by the health workers’ union has taken a toll on federal health institutions across Nigeria and patients have been at the receiving end.

Visits to some of the affected hospitals in the country on Friday, showed either skeletal work or a total collapse of activities.

For instance, business activities were grounded at the National Hospital, Abuja, on Friday, following the nationwide strike declared by the Joint Health Workers Union.

Continue After The Break.

Anambra to use Bill Gates money to build 10 hospitals

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AWKA- Anambra State government said yesterday that it would use the money it won from being the best state in the coverage of immunization programme in the South-East to build 10 maternities in the rural parts of the state.

Governor Peter Obi, who made the disclosure during the flag-off of the National Obstetric Fistula Repair Programme at the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital, Awka, said the state had matched the $US1 million monetary award with N120 million for the project.

The governor also flagged-off the fumigation exercise against mosquitoes in the state, explaining that the exercise was part of the state government’s programme towards elimination of malaria.

He called on the people of the state to corporate with those carrying out the fumigation exercise since it was for their own good.

Obi also flagged-off the construction of a hostel block at the teaching hospital to house medical students.

Vanguard Nigeria

20 illegal private hospitals clossed in Delta

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NO fewer than 20 illegal private hospitals and maternity centres have been sealed in different areas of Delta State in the ongoing clampdown on health facilities operating below standard and without due authorisation.
Their state Ministry of Health task force had been combing the nooks and crannies of the state in the past seven days to ascertain that the health facilities were operating under due process and manned with unqualified personnel.

Those sealed were situated in Asaba, the state capital; Ibusa, Okwe, Agbor which had to date been visited by the duty force team led by Dr. Alfred Ebiakofa.  The team went by having an ambulance to evacuate some patients from among the sealed private hospitals at Agbor to the Agbor central hospital for proper attention.

Drug Abuse: Cough Syrup With Codeine To Be Restricted To Hospitals Only – Minister

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It is not uncommon this days to see empty bottles of cough syrup with Codeine and Benylin lying carelessly around our environments because such syrups, which are often obtainable over the counter and are meant for the treatment of cough, has been abused. Young persons especially those who don’t want alcohol to be perceived in their breathe, find this syrup a veritable alternative – it can’t be perceived in its user’s breathe but supposedly gives the ‘highness’ associated with alcohol consumption.

This much was attested to by Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Minister of Health in an interview culled from The PUNCH.

Doctors Must Not Head Hospitals, Health Workers Tell minister

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The Joint Health Sector Unions on Tuesday insisted that the headship of public hospitals in the country should not be the exclusive right of medical doctors.

They also faulted the claims by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, and the Nigerian Medical Association that their recent protest in which they called for the minister’s sack was political and amounted to blackmail.

According to them, their agitation is in line with industrial relations practices worldwide.

Commissioner defends building of 27 hospitals in Imo

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Imo Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Obi-Njoku, has said that it will cost the state more to maintain the existing 19 hospitals in the state than to build 27 new ones.

Obi-Njoku said this on Thursday in Owerri in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

He explained that on assumption of office, the administration assessed the health sector and found that the state had suffered a drastic degradation of infrastructure and facilities due to poor management.

 He said that, based on the findings, the administration collapsed the 19 general hospitals into 10 and granted their management to the British Health System Management Consortium for 15 years.

NAN reports that the policy attracted criticisms from some residents who felt that it would be so expensive to have access to the hospitals because the proprietors would only be interested in making profits.  

Obi-Njoku, however, insisted that it was in the best interest of the people to allow the British consortium to invest in and run the dilapidated hospitals for 15 years while government built new ones.

“Our people go to India, Germany, Britain, Israel and other countries for treatment; such people spend between N10 million and N20 million for some treatment that, with the right equipment, diagnosis and drugs, would cost only N500,000 here.

“Doctors don’t manage hospitals; it will be a waste of manpower; we are bringing in hospital management professionals so that doctors will actually do the job they are trained to do,” he said.  

The commissioner said that the state government had embarked on a comprehensive health insurance scheme to ensure that the poor had access to health care.

He gave an assurance that the new hospitals would be completed by the end of the year, adding that government was already making plans to equip them.  

 The commissioner also pointed out that a professional management team was being assembled to run the new hospitals.

“Our goal is to make Imo State a health tourism destination.

“Health tourism cannot be done in dilapidated buildings and if you must do it, you must offer the best in terms of infrastructure, equipment, management and services,” he added.

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Source : punchng[dot]com