Health Archives - Inside Business Africa

Apr142021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Tracking progress towards the achievement of universal health coverage: Eritrea

Health

Eritrea continues to take actions to translate political commitment for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with required actions to implement identified priorities. As part of the agreed milestones the Honourable Minister of Health, Mrs. Amina Nurhussein, convened a high level meeting between top officials in the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) country team. This meeting is second of a series of meetings as part of quarterly coordination meetings. The first of was held on 15 December 2020. The recent meeting, which took place on 31 March 2021, was convened to track the progress on the actions that were agreed upon in the first meeting and to coordinate on the necessary actions for the issues that had arisen since then. The Honorable Minister ...

Apr52021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Donation of 100,000 Doses of Made In India COVISHIELD Vaccines To Nigeria

Health

A Consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines has been donated by the Government of India to Nigeria. These 100.000 doses of vaccines, manufactured at the Serum Institute of India, Pune, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing facility, arrived at the Abuja airport from Mumbai Via Addis Ababa 0n 26 2021 at 1200 hrs. The consignment was delivered to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by the High Commission of India at that time. 2. The Covishield vaccine manufactured at the Serum Institute of India is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by NAFDAC, Nigeria. Its first lot of 3.92 million doses of vaccines under COVAX had reached Nigeria on 2 March 2021. The bilateral donation of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines is in fulfillment of the ann...

Mar192021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Red Cross report calls for immediate action to protect communities in Africa

Health

Guided by the findings of its World Disasters Report, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is embarking on an ambitious strategic direction aimed at eradicating hunger by 2030 in Africa, while mitigating climate change. One of the flagship climate adaptation actions is the plantation of five billion trees by the end of the decade. The World Disasters Report 2020, “Come Heat or High Water: Tackling the Humanitarian Impacts of the Climate Crisis Together” presents analyses and recommendations designed to help local and national governments, as well as donors and civil society organisations, take urgent action to protect at-risk communities from the current and future impacts of climate change. The Commissioner for Agriculture ...

Feb12021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

‘NSIA’s $600,000 relief equipment will surmount shortcomings in health sector’

Health

With about $600,000 expended by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the procurement of relief equipment to health institutions in the fight against COVID-19 will address shortcomings plaguing the healthcare sector. The donation of 189 equipment, comprising regular patient monitors, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) monitors and dual oxygen concentrators to these institutions, is part of the NSIA’s plans to invest and develop viable projects to promote policies that strengthen the health sector. At the presentation of the equipment to the 21 federal healthcare institutions across the six geopolitical zones, represented by their Chief Medical Directors, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NSIA, Uche Orji, said the gesture is aimed at supporting the conta...

Jan252021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Israel ‘closes skies’ to air travel to prevent spread of Covid-19 variants

Health

Israel on Sunday announced a week-long ban on most incoming and outgoing flights in a bid to slow the spread of new variants of the novel coronavirus. The measure will begin at midnight from Monday into Tuesday and remain in effect until Sunday, a statement from the prime minister's office said. Exceptions will be made for cargo and firefighting flights, as well as trips for medical treatments, funerals and legal procedures. A panel of health and interior ministry officials will be able to issue exemptions on request "for humanitarian or personal needs", the statement said. The decision came with the country in its third national coronavirus lockdown, initiated late December and extended on Tuesday until the end of the month due to a surge in Covid-19 deaths. Earlier S...

Jan252021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Community health workers must be better supported in 2021, the Year of the Healthcare Worker

Health

Cape Town, 25 January 2021 - Frontline health workers, who are to be honoured during the World Health Organization’s international Year of the Healthcare Worker in 2021, must be better supported in their vital role to beat back the global COVID-19 pandemic on community level, according to global health technology experts, BroadReach Group. Frontline health workers, and in particular Community Health Workers (CHWs) help educate communities, collect grassroots data and provide vital firstline health interventions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. They can only continue to play a vital role in the global pandemic response if they get the proper support, according to BroadReach Group, a global health social enterprise that uses innovation and technology to empower human action. Br...

Jan122021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Seychelles begins COVID immunisation campaign

Health

The Seychelles on Sunday began its vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus. Health Minister Peggy Vidot made the announcement which makes Seychelles one of the first African countries to launch such an operation. "The vaccination campaign will start on Sunday with the country's leaders, so the population will be able to see the leaders setting an example," Peggy Vidot explained. The president of the archipelago, Wavel Ramkalawan, was among the first people vaccinated. The vaccine used will be the Chinese vaccine developed by the public laboratory Sinopharm with its subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG). Seychelles received 50,000 doses, donated by the United Arab Emirates. The entire population of the archipelago island nation is to be vaccinated on a vol...

Dec72020 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Healthcare Interrupted: Chronic Medicine Supply In Times Of A Pandemic

Health

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, lives and businesses around the world changed in an instant. Corporate leaders across every industry were forced to make critical decisions to restructure their businesses and implement remote operational methodologies. Those companies involved in the manufacturing of goods also needed to reorganise supply chains, continue with international trade, alter production lines or completely reimagine them, all while ensuring the well-being of their employees and their financial stability. As we are well aware, the crisis brought about by the pandemic is far from over. And undoubtedly, we will face a similar type of event in the future. However, along with exposing economic and socio-economic weaknesses, the pandemic also demonstrated Africa’s unique position fo...

Apr12020 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Supporting Fight against COVID-19

Health

The Covid-19 epidemic is no longer just a public health crisis, but a huge threat to the world’s economy which Nigeria is part of. Stock markets across the world have been hit hard just as prices of commodities such as crude oil have declined raising fears of a possible recession. Based on this, relevant international organisations such as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and International Energy Agency (IEA) have projected that resource-dependent countries like Nigeria will find it hard to cope with the decline in commodity prices. In a joint review of the situation, the OPEC and IEA explained that the income of countries like Nigeria from oil and gas will fall by 50 per cent to 85 per cent in 2020, reaching the lowest levels in more than two decades. Thi...