Health Archives - Inside Business Africa

Sep242021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Niger to Improve Women and Girl’s Access to Nutrition and Health Services

Health, Innovation

The Nigerien government will be able to provide its population with better health coverage with financing approved today by the World Bank. This 15-year multiphase program will use innovative and comprehensive nutrition and health interventions to improve health system efficiency, equity, and sustainability, as well as boost girls’ and women’s empowerment. The project aligns with Niger’s investment case, supported by the GFF, to accelerate health and nutrition outcomes for women, children and adolescents Niger's health system faces immense challenges. Despite progress in recent years, the country has a high under-five mortality rate of 77 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020 and stunting continues to have devastating effects on the long-term development of Niger's human capital. Lac...

Sep172021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

In Dialogue with Eswatini, Committee on the Rights of the Child welcomes legislative progress and asks about child Health

Business, Health

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today considered the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Eswatini on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with Committee Experts welcoming legislative progress, and asking about child health related issues, such as age determination and nutrition, also raising the issue of corporal punishment. Presenting the report, Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, Deputy Prime Minister of Eswatini and head of the delegation, noted that children made up almost half the country’s population, adding that their education, social protection and health was a priority for the Government. However, challenges to the welfare of Eswatini’s children included the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which had closed schools for over a ...

Sep172021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Guinea declares end of Marburg virus disease outbreak

Economy, Health

Guinea today declared the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak having recorded no new cases over the past 42 days—two incubation periods, or the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. The virus was confirmed on 9 August, marking the first time the disease emerged in the country and in West Africa. Only one case—the index patient who was diagnosed with the virus posthumously—was recorded and more than 170 high-risk contacts monitored for 21 days. The disease, a highly infectious virus that causes haemorrhagic fever, was detected in southern Guinea, the same region where the initial cases of the February—June Ebola 2021 outbreak as well as the 2014—2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak were detected. Guinea’s health authorities, with support from World Health Organization (W...

Sep82021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Global Fund Results Report Reveals COVID-19 Devastating Impact on HIV, TB and Malaria Programs

Health

The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria in 2020, according to a new report released by the Global Fund (www.theGlobalFund.org) today. The Results Report shows that while some progress was made, key programmatic results have declined for the first time in the history of the Global Fund. “To mark our 20th anniversary, we had hoped to focus this year’s Results Report on the extraordinary stories of courage and resilience that made possible the progress we have achieved against HIV, TB and malaria over the last two decades,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “But the 2020 numbers force a different focus. They confirm what we feared might happen when COVID-19 struck.” The Results Report reveals the cata...

Sep22021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

South Sudan: Country’s first oxygen plant comes on stream at Juba hospital to help fight Covid-19

Economy, Health

South Sudan has begun producing oxygen following the successful installation of the country’s first oxygen plant at Juba Teaching Hospital, set up with funding from the African Development Fund. The oxygen plant was procured as part of measures to support the country’s ongoing Covid-19 response with a grant from the African Development Bank Group’s concessional lending arm. The project was implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of the government. With a generation capacity of 2,500 litres per day and the ability to refill around 72 D-type oxygen cylinders daily, the plant will be a centralized production and supply hub for remote locations. The equipment included 240 cylinders and four years of service and accessories. The $980 000 oxygen plant project cost inc...

Sep22021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

South Sudan: African Development Bank and WHO hand over vehicles to support Covid-19 response

Business, Health

The African Development Bank (AfDB.org) has donated two cars to support South Sudan’s ongoing Covid-19 response as part of efforts by the Bank and its partners to ease the toll of the pandemic on vulnerable African states. The donation was made to the Ministry of Health through the World Health Organization (WHO), which is implementing the Bank-financed Covid-19 response project on behalf of the Government of South Sudan. The cars will be used by the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre in Juba to coordinate the incident management system and deploy national rapid response teams to enhance outbreak investigation. Receiving the vehicles, Minister of Health Elizabeth Achuei said: “The vehicles will facilitate the multidisciplinary and national response in at-risk and affected popu...

Sep12021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

South Sudan: Country’s First Oxygen Plant Comes on Stream at Juba Hospital to Help fight COVID-19

Economy, Health

South Sudan has begun producing oxygen following the successful installation of the country’s first oxygen plant at Juba Teaching Hospital, set up with funding from the African Development Fund. The oxygen plant was procured as part of measures to support the country’s ongoing COVID-19 response with a grant from the African Development Bank Group’s concessional lending arm. The project was implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of the government. With a generation capacity of 2,500 litres per day and the ability to refill around 72 D-type oxygen cylinders daily, the plant will be a centralized production and supply hub for remote locations. The equipment included 240 cylinders and four years of service and accessories. The $980 000 oxygen plant project cost...

Aug242021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Emergency aid in Madagascar resumes as medical staff are grant access

Economy, Health

Nine new visas have been provided to our staff thanks to the actions of the authorities. This will allow us to continue our food distributions and treatment of malnourished patients in the districts of Amboasary and Ambovombe. MSF expresses its thanks to the Malagasy authorities, especially the President’s office, for their provision of new visas for the organisation’s international personnel. This brings to an end a situation of blockage that the organisation had found itself in for the past weeks. On August 12, MSF had announced that we would be forced to close our activities in the context of the nutritional crisis that is affecting the south of the island unless authorisation was provided to our international staff to access the country. Since the beginning of July the Ma...

Aug192021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

Ministry of Health in Collaboration with WHO convenes Health Sector Leadership and Governance Conference to improve capacities for effective health governance and leadership

Economy, Health

To strengthen governance and leadership capacities at both national and subnational levels towards a more effective and efficient health system, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance, Government of Canada and European Union and convened a health sector leadership and governance conference in Juba. The five-day conference was intended to orient and equip the senior Ministry of Health leaders and managers on key health sector governance, leadership and management structures, principles and skills. “The people of South Sudan have lacked health services for too long due to the war and instability in the country”, said His Excellency Hussein Abdelbagi, Vice Precedent of Service Cluster, South Sudan....

Aug92021 by Joshua OlotuNo Comments

U.S. Government Hands Over Tuberculosis Diagnostic Equipment to Support Health Facilities in Tanzania

Economy, Health

On August 4, 2021, the United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) transferred laboratory equipment worth TZS 424,361,043 (USD 182,993) to 19 health facilities in Katavi, Kigoma, Rukwa, and Songwe regions. The equipment will strengthen tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic capacity which will ultimately result in an increase in TB cases identification and hence contribute to TB control in Tanzania. These four regions are supported by USAID’s Uhuru TB and Family Planning Facility Solutions Activity for Local Organizations Network (TB & FP LON). In order to realize the country’s mission to end tuberculosis by 2030, patients should be identified in a timely manner and treatment initiated early Tanzania Health Promotion Support (THPS) Exec...