Health
Under-five mortality reduced by 16.7% between 2018 and 2023- Pate
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Pate, says the death rate of children under five years of age has reduced by 16.7 per cent between 2018 and 2023.
He disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR).
The NAN reports that JAR is a crucial platform for advancing the principles of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), bringing together stakeholders to reflect on progress made, evaluate challenges and identify areas for further improvement.
According to Pate, the figure is based on the pre-population health outlook report of the soon to be reviewed Nigeria Demographic and HealthSurvey (NDHS) conducted in 2023.
He added that there were also significant improvements in infectious diseases, ranging from 40 per cent reduction in diarrheal diseases,24 per cent reduction in Tuberculosis and 12 per cent reduction in HIV.
“So, in spite of the pervasive sense that there are difficult challenges, Nigeria is beginning to move, which with this political commitment,we can accelerate in the right direction.
“Also, 17 states have already shown improved performance in modern contraceptives and six have already doubled.”
Pate explained that in the last one year, based on the data-driven diagnostic assessment of the health sector, a strategic blueprint with an overallgoal to save lives was developed to reduce both physical and financial pain and ensure good health for all Nigerians.
He added that the blueprint, comprising four pillars of governance, underpins the efforts being made and the collective approaches being taken to enhance the sector.
He alluded to the health compact that was signed by the president, which had the buy-in of all the state governors, adding that there are significant progress in that regard.
He said that “by Quarter Three of 2024, we have already met 31 out of 41 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the presidential commitments andare on course to surpass all our targets for 2024.
“Also, N45 million has already been disbursed through direct facilities to states and several facilities have been revitalised.”
Pate, however, said that in spite of the successes recorded, there were still challenges that needed to be improved on.
He mentioned affordability of care, data sources, coverage of children with zero dose immunisation and malnutrition as some of the areas that require attention.
The minister assured Federal Government’s commitment to prioritise health issues, in line with the principles of the sector-wide compact that was signed.
He urged state governments to also commit to improved budgetary allocation for health, while seeking stronger convergence of financing and technicalsupport from development partners.
The Governor of Imo, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, while delivering a keynote address, said that one of the landmark initiatives introduced by the Federal Governmentin the enhancement of the efficiency of the health sector was the SWAp.
Uzodinma, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the SWAp promotes the “One Budget, One Plan, One Organisation and One Report”.
He added that the approach was further solidified by the signing of the Health Sector Renewal Compact by President Bola Tinubu, Pate and the 36 governors and developmentpartners.
He explained that “the signing of this compact is a powerful demonstration of our collective commitment to universal health governance and underscoresthe critical importance of collaboration between the Federal Government, the states and local government areas to achieve our health goals.
“The recent results of the NDHS reinforces why this collaboration is essential.”
Uzodinma, however, said that although there have been some improvements in health indicators particularly in reducing the final impact of the health crisis, thefigures remain unacceptably high.
He stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to recognise the unique challenges each state faces, while maintaining shared focus on achievingbetter health outcomes for all Nigerians.
He reiterated the commitment of the NGF to continue to honour commitments to build a more resilient, inclusive and effective healthcare system thatmeets the needs of Nigerians.
The review, which started on Wednesday, will end on Friday.
NAN
Health
My Herbal Medicines Are Well Accepted Across The Globe, Prof Amodu Reveals
By David Maxwell
One of Nigeria’s leading voices in the support and propagation of herbal medicine, Professor Benjamin Amodu has revealed that his herbal medicines are widely accepted across the globe.
He made this revelation while speaking to our reporter at his laboratory in Abuja.
Amodu, known for his herbal cure for serveral communicable and non-communicable diseases like malaria, asthma, diabetes, enlarged heart, various cancers, chronic kidney disease even into the end stage, has boldly revealed that his herbal products enjoy a huge acceptance across the globe.
“Our medications are well accepted, both at home here in Nigeria and abroad too.
“This is because we’ve been sending our medicines not only to countries within the African continent, but also countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, America and even Oceania.
“We usually send our herbal medicines to Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, South Africa and many other African countries, and even to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Kingdom, USA, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Canada and virtually everywhere around the world without any issues.
“We have been sending them to these places via DHL and we haven’t had any issues whatsoever.”
Amodu also spoke of the wide acceptance his his herbal medicines have been enjoying at home here in Nigeria.
He said, “even though we may not have had the support anymore expects from the government, but the Nigerian people are not waiting for the government to tell them to either accept our medications or not.
“Since many patients we have treated with our products and get cured of the ailments keep talking about and announcing for others to know, we haven’t had a short supply of patients who either come to us themselves or through family members and other caregivers.
“So if the USA, UK, Canada and all these other countries can accept our treatment, plus those at home here in Nigeria, then I can confidently say that my products are well recognized and accepted across the world.”
Having spent about four decades researching into Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, TCAM, with scores of papers published in reputable health journals and peer reviewed, Amodu, a professor of phytomedicine from the Triune Biblical University, USA, is no doubt a leading advocate for alternative medicine.
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