Health
Non-communicable diseases claim 684,000 Nigerians – Stakeholders react
The recent report that over 684,000 Nigerians die from non communicable diseases, NCDs, annually, is a source of concern.
Non communicable diseases are diseases that are not contagious. Most Nigerians have been battling with communicable or infectious diseases like cholera, Human Immuno Virus, HIV, tuberculosis among others.
Such diseases have, however, attracted public attention as they are always in the news.
But, not many pay attention to the non communicable diseases.
However, the staggering number of casualties of non communicable diseases was brought to the front burner by the Lead Strategist of Gatefield, Adewunmi Emoruwa, in Abuja recently at a two-day health summit organised by Gatefield.
Speaking at the summit entitled, “Beyond65: Preventing the Quiet Epidemic,” Emoruwa decried the devastating negative impacts of non communicable diseases, which he said claims over 684,000 lives annually in Nigeria.
He said: “NCDs are responsible for over 684,000 deaths annually in Nigeria. This is equivalent to wiping out an entire population of Luxembourg every single year. This preventable crisis can no longer be ignored.”
He revealed that the NCD-related deaths in Nigeria have increased from 24 percent in 2010 to 29 percent at present.
Gatefield, also launched a new health strategy to tackle the growing crisis of NCDs in Nigeria, where life expectancy averages just 52 years.
Listing what he described as the driving factors for the NCDs’ quiet epidemic, Emoruwa attributed the crisis to the dangerous rise of unhealthy diets such as foods and beverages containing added-sugars, excessive salt consumption, alcohol and tobacco use, and environmental pollution.
He said Nigerians consume 4.9 servings of sugary drinks per week, nearly double the global average.
Salt intake is dangerously high at 5.8 grammes per day, above the World Health Organisation, WHO, recommended level.
“Nigeria has a high prevalence of heavy episodic drinking at 27.3 percent, and without intervention, smoking rates in Africa are projected to rise by 30 percent by 2030“Around 48 million Nigerians are not physically active enough, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease,” he said.
He said that there was a need to tackle tobacco use, sedentary lifestyle and ensure behaviour change among others.
He said: “NCDs, like cancer and heart diseases, are not death sentences if caught early. But too often, people don’t recognise the signs, don’t get tested, and seek help only when it’s too late.
“The government must invest in messaging. The government shouldn’t wait for the WHO; they shouldn’t wait for the UN. The government needs to bring the money out.
”In her contribution, the Gatefield’s Board Co-chair, Sa’adatu Hamu-Aliyu, said the average Nigerian does not live past the age of 52 and the average African does not live past the age of 64.
She said: “Compare this to Europe, Japan, and Canada, where life expectancy exceeds 80 years.
This means that an average person in the developed world is likely to live at least 20 years longer than their fellow humans in low and middle income populations.
”She said Gatefield’s health strategy outlines five key interventions aimed at reducing preventable deaths and improving life expectancy.
“They are fixing our national diet, taking down tobacco, and supporting mental health among others.
”She added that Gatefield’s strategy would push for policies that encourage routine screenings, public health education, and stronger enforcement of regulations on ultra-processed foods, sugar sweetened beverages, and harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol.
On solutions to addressing the issue, the former Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Babatunde Irukera, called for a robust government’s policy.
“A robust policy and structure will be a combination of hard and soft infrastructure in the forms of both physical structures such as facilities and equipment, and soft ones such as sufficiently trained human capital who recognise their roles and obligations as caregivers and institutions to ensure accountability,” he said.
Throwing more light on the subject of discussion, Dr. Uche Okenyi of Nova’s Place Hospital, Festac, Lagos, further described non communicable diseases as chronic non transmittable diseases which can manifest as a result of genetics, environmental factors, lifestyles, among others.
He gave examples to include but not limited to hypertension, asthma, cancer, sickle cell diseases, stroke, among others.
“These types of diseases contrast with diseases which can be transmitted from person to person, for example cholera, tuberculosis, HIV, among others,” he added.
He offered insight into how the 684, 000 annual death figure can be reduced.
He believes that if the number of annual deaths from non communicable diseases in Nigeria must be reduced drastically, both the government and individuals have roles to play.
Health
Gov Mbah Invest in world-class Enugu International Hospital
The hospital, equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and advanced digital and electronic systems, is expected to attract top medical professionals from Nigeria and around the world.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, says the Enugu International Hospital is designed to provide world-class healthcare services to people across all socioeconomic classes.
The Enugu International Hospital is located at Rangers Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu.
Mbah stated this during a pre-launch tour of the facility ahead of its official commissioning.
The hospital, equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and advanced digital and electronic systems, is expected to attract top medical professionals from Nigeria and around the world.
The governor expressed satisfaction with the quality of the equipment installed at the facility, saying the investment would help position Enugu as a medical tourism hub in Nigeria.
He said the hospital would also help reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for specialist medical treatment while creating an environment that would encourage Enugu-trained medical professionals to return home.
According to Mbah, several Enugu-qualified medical practitioners based abroad have already reached out to express interest in working at the international hospital and contributing to the development of the state’s health sector.
The governor further said the facility would create job opportunities for medical graduates, healthcare professionals and other workers, with the potential to boost economic activity in the state.
During the tour, Mbah inspected several specialist units, including the Precision Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Unit, specialised surgery theatres, intensive care units, advanced diagnostics and imaging, and renal care and dialysis facilities.
He also toured the cancer, heart and vascular, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, neuroscience, and renal centres.
Accompanied by the Director of the facility, Professor Sam Agwu, and other specialists, the governor received briefings on the various services and specialist care the hospital is expected to provide.
The Enugu International Hospital operates as a comprehensive quaternary care facility with more than 300 beds and was established to provide world-class specialist healthcare.
The facility is expected to strengthen access to advanced medical care, support medical professionals, create employment and contribute to Enugu State’s emergence as a destination for medical tourism.
Health
Bayer to establish reproductive health commodities plant in Nigeria
The plant is expected to manufacture family planning commodities locally, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported products, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth.
•The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate
Global pharmaceutical company, Bayer, is to establish a reproductive health commodities manufacturing plant in Nigeria, with the facility currently under construction in Anambra State.
The plant is expected to manufacture family planning commodities locally, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported products, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, disclosed this in Abuja at the inauguration of the High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform (IMP) on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and Sustainable National Development.
Pate described the investment as evidence that President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order on the pharmaceutical sector was beginning to attract significant investments in local pharmaceutical manufacturing, diagnostics and health technology.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of FP2030 West and Central Africa Office, Dr Alain Damiba, described the initiative as a major step towards strengthening cross-sector collaboration to improve health outcomes and accelerate Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
Damiba commended the Federal Government for adopting a whole-of-government approach, noting that the new platform demonstrated that health and family planning were national development priorities and not issues that should be left to the health sector alone.
“Health, including family planning, is a smart investment in human capital and Nigeria’s future,” Damiba said.
Source: The Guardian Nigeria
Health
Medical Oxygen Killing More Than 600,000 Nigerians Annually
The project started its first phase by carrying out intervention work in three industrial areas of the state: quarry industrial site in Onueke, rice mill in Abakaliki, and timber market
•Professor Jesse Uneke
The Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUS), Ebonyi State, Professor Jesse Uneke, has estimated that more than 600,000 Nigerians died yearly due to issues relating to the administration of medical oxygen.
Uneke, who is the Nigerian and State Lead/Principal Investigator for the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project, disclosed this in Abakaliki, during the First Stakeholders’ Engagement Event/Co-Creation Workshop on Medical Oxygen Economy organised by the university in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh, UK, supported by the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR), UK.
He explained that the administration of medical oxygen issues was happening because there was no platform where stakeholders in the medical oxygen space could come together to discuss the research-policy interface and see how to contextualise some of the strategies against the problems for the country.
“That is why, in this phase of this project, we have decided to start with this kind of stakeholders’ engagement. I am excited that we have every key stakeholder in the medical oxygen space represented here,” Uneke said.
He opined that the project started its first phase by carrying out intervention work in three industrial areas of the state: quarry industrial site in Onueke, rice mill in Abakaliki, and timber market.
This project has to do with respiratory health, and the idea is to come up with strategies that will lead to interventions that will improve health outcomes as far as respiratory health is concerned.
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