Beacon Youth Initiative (BYI) in partnership with SHECA Foundation and Philips Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited, Friday, offered free hepatitis tests to 600 People in Nasarawa state.

Executive Director (ED) of BYI, Envoh Emmanuel Okolo, disclosed this in Lafia, Nasarawa state cap

“We have offered free hepatitis test to 600 people in Dakan Sarki and Kwandare communities, in Lafia local government,” he said.

He said the intervention was to assist the people to know their status and take precautionary measures to avert escalating health condition.

The ED called on Nigerian government to scale-up screening and expansion of access to affordable diagnostic and treatment services to all Nigerians so as to get tested and treatment for hepatitis B and C infection.

He equally called on other key stakeholders to recognise the urgency required in scaling up access to viral hepatitis diagnosis, expanding adult /birth -dose vaccination and affordable quality treatment.

“We have made real progress in some communities of Nasarawa state, Benue state and FCT on preventing and scaling-up referrals for positive clients on viral hepatitis to access treatment, and expanding adult/infant vaccination. But Nigeria, access to prevention, testing and treatment for viral hepatitis remains far too low, with estimated 80 per cent of them can’t access the care they need,” he said.

He therefore, called on members of the public to go for regular check-ups in order to know their status early enough.

Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory FCT Health Insurance scheme has flagged off sensitisation campaign to increase enrollment drive of beneficiaries within the informal sector in the Capital City.

The informal sector of the social health insurance scheme is a social health security system for people in the informal sector of the Nigerian economy.

It covers employees and companies employing ten or fewer people, artisans, voluntary participants, market women, trade associations, rural dwellers, and others not covered under the formal sector or the vulnerable groups.

Leading the FCT health Insurance scheme to Wuse and Garki Model Markets in Abuja City center, the Director FHIS Dr. Ahmad Danfulani said, the campaign became necessary to create awareness that health insurance is not for civil servants alone but any Nigerian.

“There has been a lot of belief that health insurance is for civil servants, we are here today to let them know that is not just civil servants, anybody regardless of what you do also benefits from the health insurance in FCT,” he said.

Dr. Ahmad listed some of the benefits of the Scheme to include outpatient care, maternity, emergency care, consultation with specialists and surgeries.

He told the market men and women that all FCT residents can benefit from the above services by registering with the Scheme with thirteen thousand naira only in a year.

Dr. Ahmad who expressed happiness with the understanding of the market men and women said, “We are going to have an office in each of the major markets in FCT to put a desk officer there who goes around every day and assist whoever wants to register.“

Also speaking, the Manager Garki Model Market Mrs. Jemima Abulele commended the federal government initiative in making health care accessible and affordable to FCT residents.

The sensitisation team distributed flyers to the businessmen and customers and gave lectures in local Nigerian languages.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has said that hospitals in Nigeria have achieved seventy percent success in kidney transplant in recent times.

The Abia State Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Chimezie Okwuonu made this known while speaking with journalists at the 2021 edition of the Nigeria Medical Association annual General Meeting / Scientific Conference, themed: “Tissues and Organ Donation: Scope, Prospect and Ethical Challenges,” held in Awka.

He said the country has achieved success in the area of kidney donation and that a handful of hospitals in the country presently carry out kidney transplantation against what is obtainable in the past.

He said he was in support of enabling legislation to harvest vital human organs of about to die patients or dead patients in treatment of ailing patients especially those suffering kidney disease challenges.

Dr. Okwuonu who delivered a keynote paper at the event disclosed that the country has recorded over 70 Percent one year survival in both patient and Organ kidney transplantation but decried that many Nigerians die because of failure to afford transplantation.

“A lot of patients are too poor to afford kidney transplant as it takes an average of N7-10 million to get a transplant done and as a result, a lot of patients lose their lives.”

He regretted latest trend where Nigerian youths donate their organs for quick financial return blaming such evil attitude on the poor economic situation of the country.

 “A lot of young Nigerians are coming up to donate to be paid financial remunerations. This financial remuneration is unethical and what we preached here today is altruistic donation. “

He commended Lagos state for passing a bill for extraction of organs from deceased persons and persons on the verge of death, noting that such bill would cease to encourage youths from indulging in organs sells.

He also said the bill was timely and would make donor organs available for Nigerians with critical cases.

Dr. Emma C. Emelumadu said Nigeria seriously lags behind on the issues of Tissues and Organ Donation which he said forms the important part of success in medicine to the extension of human life.

Emelumadu said the event would be a wakeup call for improved medical endeavour, while he also called for a critical review for the safety of practitioners in the country.

The Anambra and Southeast NMA Chairman, Dr. Jide Onyekwelu, described the annual general meeting as an avenue to brainstorm on new developments in healthcare delivery and dovetail discussions to bear on the health of the people.

 Dr. Onyekwelu, who described the meeting as avenue to celebrate individuals that have excelled in medical practice, harped on the need of the state branch to erect befitting secretariat.

He also beckoned on healthcare partners to assist the chapter in achieving her objective in the state through financial donations and the likes.

The local organizing committee chairperson, Anambra state, Dr. Jane Ezeonu, while commending the success of the event, said it marked the beginning of the association’s 2-days AGM/Sc event which would be laced with a state ceremony, scientific sessions and panel discussions.

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) said its members were not moved by the threat of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, to invoke the no-work-no-pay policy.

It said its members were determined to stand their ground against every form of intimidation.

The association’s National President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said this in an interview on Friday.

The minister vowed to invoke the no-work-no-pay rule against the doctors if they don’t resume by next week.

The Minister said, “Next week, I’ll escalate this issue because reconciliation has failed.

“I have other tools within the labour laws and I will use them. I invoked Section 43 of the labour laws this afternoon (Friday). I have communicated it to NARD. They will not receive money for the period they are on strike and it will never count as a period of pensionable position in their career.

“Even the International Labour Organisation supports it because they render essential services. They are not supposed to go on strike without notifying me 15 days before the day of the strike.

“As we speak, I have not received any notification and that is why I am invoking Section 43 of the Labour Act – on the withdrawal of services, right to strike, and the right to protect the employer and their patients.

“Things will happen next week. Let them wait because they are taking the government for a ride, and it is wrong. They are playing with lives.

“My children are medical doctors and I have warned them not to be part of this nonsense strike.”

However, responding to the minister’s threat, NARD President, Okhuaihesuyi, said, “That policy is extant but implementing it this time would only be vindictive and selective.

“However, our members are strongly determined to sacrifice everything for the soul of the medical profession and Nigerian patients.”

“We will not be moved by any form of intimidation,” he added.