The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has commended the efforts of the Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA) at empowering dependents of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel and the less privileged in the society, stating that such efforts have impacted positively on ongoing NAF operations.

According to the CAS, humanitarian assistance and knowledge acquisition programmes by NAFOWA has helped to keep the home front stable thereby ensuring full commitment on the part of NAF personnel in the discharge of their duties.

Air Marshal Amao made this known at the graduation ceremony of the NAFOWA Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme, which took place at the NAFOWA National Secretariat, Abuja.

Speaking further, the CAS noted that NAFOWA’s efforts were also in line with one of the key drivers of his vision that harps on pursuit of purposeful training and human capacity development.

He then went on to state that the training acquired by the students will no doubt complement the numerous poverty alleviation programmes of the Federal Government aimed at reducing unemployment, especially amongst youths and women.

Air Marshal Amao also urged the graduating students to make the best use of their starter packs and appealed to the organizers of the vocational training programme to monitor the beneficiaries’ progress with a view to ensuring that the objective of the programme was achieved.

Earlier in her welcome address, the NAFOWA National President, Mrs Elizabeth Olubunmi Amao, noted that in her quest to provide service to humanity, she had explored several options that could add meaningful value to the lives of women and youths in NAF Bases across the Country. This quest, according to Mrs Amao, lead to the birth of the vocational training programme.

She then expressed delight at the seriousness and zeal with which the participants of the programme approached the training and hoped that the skills acquired will enable them to kick-start their dreams of becoming vibrant entrepreneurs.

Mrs Amao also thanked the CAS for his continued support and encouragement to NAFOWA, stressing that the Association would continue to keep the spirit of ‘Service to Humanity’ alive by embarking on similar projects that touch lives positively and make a difference to daily existence.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday alerted Nigerians to the recall of dark chocolate (with 2,772 units) covered cherries by Torn and Glasser of Pomona.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, made this known in a public alert No. 023/2022 which she signed and issued in Abuja.

She said the recall of the product was due to an undeclared allergen, and that it might also contain dark chocolate Almonds which are Tree Nuts (Almond) allergen.

She stated that “the dark chocolate covered cherries were sold at Sprouts farmer market store in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, under the Sprouts farmer market brand from Nov. 3, 2021.

“People who have allergy or severe sensitivity to Almonds run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.

“The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the product containing dark chocolate covered cherries was mixed with dark chocolate covered Almonds in the bag.”

Adeyeye added that subsequent investigation indicated that some dark chocolate-covered Almonds were used for dark Chocolate covered cherries by production personnel.

She urged people who suffered allergic reactions from consuming the product batch to seek immediate medical attention from a healthcare professional.

Adeyeye said consumers should report adverse side effects related to the use of any regulated product to the nearest NAFDAC office or NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLL-FREE from all networks).

The Suicide Research Prevention Initiative, SURPIN, says attempted suicide should be decriminalised to enable significant success in curbing the act in the country.

The Training Coordinator of the initiative, Ms. Titilayo Tade told newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday that criminalisation of attempted suicide or drug abuse had not discouraged the victims from attempting it, according to her, it has rather worsened the trend.

The coordinator said that research had shown a strong link between suicide and mental illness. She said that people who attempted suicide do not need punishment but require treatment, help as well as untainted access to care and support.

She said that the thoughts of suicide and involvement in drug abuse were often necessitated by some factors which included biological, economical, medical, social, genetic and psychological.

“When these occur, attention should be given to the families of the bereaved as well as identify and address the factor responsible for the suicide,’’ she stated

Tade pointed out that many years ago, attempted suicide was criminalised in Nigeria.

“Unfortunately, the available records reveal that criminalisation of attempted suicide has neither discouraged the victims from attempting it nor stopped the eventual commission of the act.

“The focus should be on how to address the causative factors that leads to the act and tackle the underlying mental health conditions.

“Attempted suicide is a serious problem requiring mental health interventions and it should be treated as such,” she said.

The SURPIN coordinator said that about 90 per cent of those who attempted to take their lives were known to have psychiatric problems.

“But out of the figure, 80 per cent are as a result of drug abuse, depression and other socio-economic conditions in the country,’’ she said.

The mental health advocate noted that other factors that contributed to suicide attempts included financial imbalance, life challenges, failing business, loss of loved ones and hardships.

She, therefore, urged government at all levels to be more proactive in addressing the nation’s economic challenges and also provide the basic things that made people discontented with life.

She called on the media to provide information that would keep hope alive for whoever that was passing through any challenge to curb suicide incidents.

She further identified education as a tool to curb the rising tides of suicide in Nigeria, noting that the World Health Organisation’s statistics showed that one million people died of suicide annually.

She lamented that suicide was highly underreported in Nigeria as many cases were being covered up and overlooked due to the stigmatisation attached to it in the society, particularly the criminalisation of the act.

Enrollees under the National Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria,NHIS, will be paying only 20% for Cancer drugs.

The Executive Secretary of the NHIS Professor Mohammed Sambo disclosed this in Abuja, Nigeria at a World Press Conference.

Professor Sambo also noted that the NHIS has an arrangement with some pharmaceutical companies and Drug Management Organization to brand selected drugs within the à ecosystem to resolve the lingering problem of drug supply in the system.

Executive Secretary noted that the NHIS-Roche Cost Sharing Initiative has been unveiled in six tertiary hospitals across the country.

“With this initiatives , cancer drugs will now be highly subsidized these include University Teaching Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo state, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, University of Gombe Teaching Hospital, Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo state, Zaria Teaching hospital , Kaduna state , Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State and National Hospital Abuja”. He said.

Professor Sambo explained that the NHIS has gone further to develop a comprehensive digital technology infrastructure called the e-NHIS to ensure the automation of the Scheme which will end bureaucracy and quality service delivery in the system

“This infrastructure developed by NogComSat and it’s partners will completely automate health insurance business processes in the country. In few weeks ahead , the Minister of Health , Dr.Osagie Ehanire , will invite Mr President to launch this game changing project,” He said

Speaking on the Health Insurance penetration in the rural areas , the ES said that the scheme has now been decentralised

He also revealed that the NHIS has so far disbursed fourteen Billion , two hundred and ninety two million , six hundred and eight four thousand , seven hundred and sixty seven Naria (=N=14,292,684,767) to benefiting states under and Basic Health Care Provide Fund,BHCPF.

He also noted that “to ensure transparency and monitoring of the Funds in States , before the bursement funds there is a guideline which defines clearly a monitoring and tracking mechanism to ensure that every kobo meant for Basic Health Provision Fund are disbursed to all the gateways. And also go ahead to monitor and track whatever the gateways have done. There also a Multilayer governing structure that will ensure adherence to all these arrangement as well as engaging International Partners to ensure accountability”.

He noted that the scheme has worked assiduously to address the numerous identified operational lapses

“One year after assuming office I delisted ten Health Management Organisations, HMOs, who have not been able to fulfill the mandate as enshrined in the guide line of the NHIS. This is the first time since the existence of the Scheme.

The improvement that we see in terms of meeting obligations by health care providers is not unconnected willed that hammer on HMOs who are becoming more efficient in their service delivery with the biannual reaccreditation any HMOs that doesn’t meet up with their obligation are delisted. This can not be reversed because we have a clear mandate to restore confidence in the National Health Insurance Scheme“. Prof. Sambo warned.

He added that the NHIS had addressed delay in payment of HMOs, payment of providers ,denial of service to enrollees , delay on accreditation and accreditation of HMOsHCPs, limited knowledge of enrolled rights and obligations as well delay in issuance of referral codes by HMOs, poor treatment of enrolled by HealthCare Providers, HMCs and poor enforcement of sanctions on erring HMOs and HCPs.