The Federal Government has said it will develop policies to promote effective Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management in Nigeria.

This was disclosed by Deputy Director, Child Development Department, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr. Ali Madugu, on Monday at a one-day meeting to develop Information, Education and Communication materials on MHHM in Abuja.

According to him, the development of policies and IEC materials are to support advocacy on MHHM to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as to women and girls at the grassroots.

Also, the Head, Health Desk Division, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Maryam Shuaibu, said the essence of the meeting is to develop IEC materials for improved MHHM.

According to her, participants in the meeting were expected to come up with a draft IEC on the issue of menstruation among Nigerian women and girls.

She said this was imperative due to the low level of awareness on MHHM, which had contributed greatly to the growing stigma and misconceptions related to menstruation, especially restriction from social activities.

Co-chair, Technical Working Group, MHHM committee, Dr. Elizabeth Jeiyol, said material deprivation, lack and cost of clean absorbents, lack of WASH facilities and disposal are factors that contribute to poor menstrual health.

Jeiyol, represented by Elsie Ozika, Executive Director, Toilet Kulture, stressed the need to make available and accessible facilities and materials to promote MHHM in the country.

A participant, Ms. Jachike Ojukwu, who represented the United Nations Population Funds, said the meeting will improve the overall MHHM of women and girls, thereby attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly on good health and well-being of women and girls.

Similarly, Mrs. Funmi Olorunmola, Executive Director, Pad A Girl project, said the meeting is an opportunity for the government and relevant stakeholders to provide materials that can easily be distributed to young girls and women on MHHM.

The Vice President, the Federal Republic of Nigeria,Yemi Osinbajo has stated that Nigeria must build local capacities that will ensure health speedy access to the people, and take advantage of the opportunity to become a leading nation in healthcare.

He made this known at the International Conference on Health Access beyond COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, Osinbajo highlighted the country’s strengths in the areas of healthcare while emphasising major steps the country needs to take in order to improve its heath system.

Osinbajo said he has a strong belief that there are already clear indications that “we are well on the way,” to getting the job done.*

He said Nigeria is in talks with the World Bank’s private lending arm and other lenders to raise about $30 million to help finance a vaccine plant, Bio-vaccines Nigeria Ltd. chaired by Prof. Oyewale Tomori.

The vice president said 49% of the company owned by the Nigerian government, with the balance held by May & Baker Nigeria Plc, emphasizes that “there are plans to begin construction of the plant in the first quarter of next year.”

He called for a private sector-led initiative to make the country self-sufficient in basic drugs and in being a net exporter to Africa, noting, again, that Nigeria has the human capital to build a more efficient health care system.

Osinbajo said Nigeria must take its own destiny in its hands, build local capacities that will ensure health access to the people, and take advantage of the opportunity to become a leading nation in healthcare.

He said the recently established Healthcare Reform committee by the president might “well be at least one of the vehicles for ensuring that we are able to get some of our dreams comes true.”

He further emphasized that the Government’s are committed to support the pharmaceutical and research agencies to develop and manufacture vaccines locally, and so enhance Nigeria’s domestic pharmaceutical capacity.

Medical doctors under the aegis of the World Medical Association (WMA) have called for international prevention campaigns on the health risks of buying and using counterfeit drugs.

This was stated In a new policy document released at its annual General Assembly, WMA said the call had become imperative, warning that the shortage of medicines during the so called COVID-19 pandemic had led to the growth of fake and sub-standard medical products.

WMA is the independent confederation of national medical associations with 115 constituent members representing more than ten million physicians.

Acting on behalf of patients and physicians, the WMA endeavours to achieve the highest possible standards of medical care, ethics, education and health-related human rights for all people.

WMA Secretary-General, Dr. Otmar Kloiber, and Public Relations Consultant, Nigel Duncan stressed the need for better detection of falsified medical products, the association said it had set out a series of proposals to tackle problems of availability, quality and safety of medicines.

According to the WMA, national medical associations should actively oppose the illegal misappropriation of medicines, the illegal sales of medicines on the internet, the illegal importing of medicines and the counterfeiting of medicines.

The association called for the immediate closure of all websites illegally offering medical products not controlled by state authorities.