By Prof Aisha Gwarzo For people living with sickle cell disease, hope is often measured in small victories. A month without a pain crisis. Fewer nights spent in emergency rooms and the freedom to plan life without the constant fear of the next episode of crisis. For parents and loved ones, hope means watching someone…
By Dozie Akwarandu In many Nigerian communities, there is limited awareness of the menace of cancer, with no available health services and access to specialized diagnostic facilities, medical technology, cancer medications, and, mostly, scarce human resources for health. Cancer has emerged as a leading cause of death in Nigeria, with an estimated 127,763 new cases…
By Robert Egbe Nigeria’s shift toward a pro-health review of the tax payable by manufacturers of non-alcoholic, sweetened, and carbonated drinks, commonly known as Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs), has reached a critical moment. Last November, the Senate Joint Committee on Finance, Customs and Excise convened a public hearing in Abuja to consider a bill seeking to…
By Professor Ejiofor Ugwu The number of persons living with diabetes in Nigeria is currently estimated at 11.4 million. This figure represents only about a third of the actual prevalence, as the majority of diabetes cases in Nigeria are undiagnosed due to the lack of routine diabetes screening. Also, only about a third of diagnosed…
By Ojoma Akor The World Health Organization (WHO) is working towards expanding robust mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) systems to 80% of countries by 2030. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi stated this in a statement to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day. He said this year’s theme, “Access to Service:…
By Busayo Akindolie Fragmentation in Nigeria’s health system isn’t just a technical problem. It costs lives. Such as the case of Amina, a young mother-to-be in Lagos. She arrived at her local clinic in labour and the nurses were ready, but the equipment she needed wasn’t. She was rushed to a larger hospital. Precious hours…
She sat in the waiting area, wringing her hands, her daughter in the dialysis room, barely breathing.
By Mabel Adinya Ade The World Breastfeeding Week is more than a symbolic occasion, it is a powerful reminder of the foundational role that breastfeeding plays in shaping the health, development, and resilience of our children and their mothers. For Nigeria, where multiple humanitarian and socio-economic crises converge, the act of breastfeeding has become both…
By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice My nine year old son Muhammadu Buhari in his poem titled ‘Arewa’ has a verse that reads ‘Let the child with the stick be given a pen, and the one with the hoe be given a keyboard. Only then can we guarantee a secure future.’ This wit filled axiom,…
By Health and Science Africa The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria ( MHWUN) has described former President Muhammadu Buhari as a patriotic and visionary leader. The National President of the union , Comrade Dr. Kabiru Ado Sani Minjibir and the Secretary General, Comrade Auwalu Yusuf Kiyawa stated this in a statement while…
