The Word Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 7 in every 10 deaths that occurs annually are often caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), out of which deaths by cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) from trans fat intake account for 500, 000 deaths, globally. In Nigeria, specifically, a significant number of deaths linked to cardiovascular diseases are […]
Recent events in Nigeria have brought to the fore the need to pay attention to mental health issues in the country. The suicide of a doctor on Third Mainland Bridge in March 2017, the suicides and attempted suicides of young persons in universities in the country, and the attempted suicides of older women in Lagos, […]
challenges, depression, Health, mental, nigeria, stigma, suicides, support
One of the highlights for universal health coverage in Nigeria and for using the instrumentality of law to promote better health outcomes was the passage and the Presidential Assent to the National Health Act, in late 2014. There is much hope that this Act will fulfil its promises to ensure that every Nigeria receives a […]
Recently, I found myself stupefied by a statement by Dr Femi Thomas, the Executive Director of the NHIS on the amounts spent on health versus the amounts needed for universal health coverage in Nigeria. Currently we expend about 2.5 trillion naira, which includes premiums for national health plans, monies spent out of pockets and various […]
national health act
It is early in 2015 but several cases of domestic abuse and violence have already reached CHELD’S doors. What many of these cases have in common aside from the abuse is financial considerations. Financial issues have featured prominently in the stories we have heard about abuse ranging from husbands preventing their wives from working or/and […]
domestic, Domestic Violence, violence, women
“There are less than 150 psychiatrists in the country (around 1 per 1 million population) and very few neurologists., with many newly trained specialists leaving the country to work abroad. There are around 5 psychiatric nurses per 100,000 population and only very few other mental and neurological health professionals like clinical psychologists, social workers, neurophysiotherapists, […]
Blogs, health education., Health policy, Mental HealthAs terrifying as the Ebola virus is, the Nigerian experience has shown that it is both possible and advantageous to strengthen national capacities to manage and contain the spread of the disease. Another important lesson is that disease-centered capacity-building can be locally-generated, and adaptable to different kinds of outbreaks. The process of strengthening national capacity should […]
Ebola
The euphoria of Nigeria being Ebola free is yet to subside, despite fears of possible reintroduction of the disease into Nigeria amidst raging infection rates in neighbouring West African countries. The death toll of the present Ebola epidemic is so alarming that there is really little to celebrate, upon consideration that Nigeria’s borders are porous.Already […]
EbolaDomestic violence and abuse are human rights violations which impact the health of individuals (particularly women) and have high economic costs for the society. Although it is hard to put concrete figures on the incidence of domestic violence and abuse in Nigeria because of the silence that often surrounds it, the prevalence of domestic violence […]
Domestic ViolenceMajority of Nigerians die from preventable diseases that don’t require rocket science to be addressed, and only about 5% of Nigerians (federal civil servants) are covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which the Federal Government pays 100% of the premium since the scheme started in 2005. This is from tax payers money by […]
