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Tag: NTDs

A’Ibom First Lady wants collaboration in fight against NTDs
By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
Wife of the Akwa Ibom Governor, Mrs Patience Eno has called for collaboration among critical stakeholders in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria.
Speaking during the First NTDs Stakeholders’ Summit in Uyo on Monday, Mrs Umo Eno says synergy between Non-Governmental Organisations, the Academia, Governments and other relevant Stakeholders would go a long way in combating the prevalence of (NTDs).
The Akwa Ibom First Lady was Special Guest at the summit tagged “Enhancing Domestic Resource Mobilizations Towards Sustaining the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Akwa Ibom State”, organised in Uyo, by the State Ministry of Health in collaboration with Helen Keller International.
Eno encouraged mothers to take seriously the de-worming of their children, assuring the organisers of the event of her constant support whenever the need arises.
“Our collective knowledge and expertise will be vital in shaping a future where these diseases no longer pose significant threats to human life and well-being.
“Let us foster an environment of open-mindedness, empathy and knowledge sharing, recognising the importance of multidisciplinary approaches and the involvement of various stakeholders, including government, the academia, NGOs, and the private sector so that significant strides can be recorded in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases.” She said.
While thanking organisers of the event for putting the summit together, the First Lady expressed confidence that the meeting would prompt stakeholders to take meaningful measures in stopping the spread of NTDs.
State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh said the summit was designed to draw greater attention towards NTDs noting that the diseases are hardly heard about but sadly, they are prevalent and pose serious health challenges in the State.
Umoh said the Ministry of Health in partnership with Helen Keller International has recorded over 314 free surgeries across the three Senatorial District in the state in the last 3 years while assuring government continuous commitment to the well-being of Akwa Ibom people.
He however called for partnership from stakeholders from all sectors towards financing and the elimination of these NTDs in the state.
Earlier, Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, NTDs Control and Elimination Programme, Dr. Aniekeme Uwah said the essence of the Summit was to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to “take a cursory look at how solutions could be proffered to the myriads of challenges confronting the implementation of control and elimination strategies.
Uwah said this has been done through the identification of gaps, areas of partnership and opportunities for domestic resource mobilization (DRM) to help the most vulnerable population affected by NTDs, which has led to stigmatization, untold hardship and suffering.
Uwah said the resolutions reached at the end of the Summit will aid the achievement of the goals of the economic blue print of the state government and called on stakeholders to partner with the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health towards meeting the global 2030 target of 90% reduction in the number of people required for treatment.
The Head of Programmes, Helen Keller International, Mohammed Aliyu in a goodwill message said they are present in 12 states in Nigeria with huge investments in curbing NTDs in the country and as well pledged his organisation’s commitment to sponsoring more surgical operations.
Highpoint of the event was the conferment of Grand Ambassador of NTDs on the Governors wife by the Federal Ministry of Health, as well as testimonies by beneficiaries of various medical interventions carried out by the NTDs team in Akwa Ibom State.
September 11, 2023
WHO urges countries to invest in treatment of NTDs
…says 1.65Bn people in need of treatment for one NTD
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
As countries mark the World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, the World Health Organization, WHO has urged countries to invest more in Negeleted Tropical Diseases, NTDs in order to accelerate progress in eradicating these diseases in Communities across the world.
A new WHO Progess Report on NTDs release on 30th, January, 2023, emphasized that greater efforts and investments is required to reverse delays and accelerate progress towards the NTD road map targets by 2030.
WHO urged countries to take ownership and accountability, as well as sustainability and predi financing, more robust domestic funding, as key to achieving the NTD road map goals that would enable countries deliver on their commitments to provide quality NTD services to their affected populations.
WHO Director General , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The NTD progress report titled “Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023” highlights the progress and challenges in delivering NTD care worldwide, against a backdrop of COVID-19-related disruptions.”
He said“But as this progress report shows, we still have a lot of work to do. The good news is, we have the tools and the know-how not just to save lives and prevent suffering, but to free entire communities and countries of these diseases. It’s time to act now, act together, and invest in NTDs.”
The NTDs Report also revealed that 179 countries and territories reported at least one case of NTDs in 2021, 16 countries accounted for 80% of the global NTD burden.
“Around 1.65 billion people were estimated to require treatment for at least one NTD, globally.”
“A number of people requiring NTD interventions fell by 80 million between 2020 and 2021, and eight countries were certified or validated as having eliminated one NTD in 2022.”
“As of December 2022, 47 countries had eliminated at least one NTD and more countries were in the process of achieving this target.”
On World NTD Day under the theme “Act now. Act together, WHO is calling on everybody, including leaders and communities, to confront the inequalities that drive NTDs and to make bold, sustainable investments to free the world’s most vulnerable communities affected by NTDs from a vicious cycle of disease and poverty.
January 30, 2023
Nigeria bears 50% burden of NTDs in Africa- WHO
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization has raised concerns over prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs in Nigeria causing 50% burden in Africa and 29% of deaths in Nigeria.
WHO Field Presence Cluster Lead , Ahmed Khedr who represented the WHO Country Representative, Walter Kazadi Mulumbo disclosed this today at the 6th Annual Conference of The Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, ANHEJ, in Akwanga.
Mulumbo noted that the NTDs also causes premature mortality such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancers, Tuberculosis, HIV while Malnutrition accounts for 22% of deaths in Nigeria.
Giving a rundown of Nigeria’s situation, he said that although the prevalence of malaria is declining (from 42% to 23%), the country contributes 27% of global cases and 24% of global deaths.
Mulumbo lamented that the poorest households in Nigeria feel the heaviest impact of poor health outcomes due to limited essential health services, which is sapping the economy negatively.
He said the way out of poor health outcomes is for Nigeria and all countries to find a pathway to Universal Health Care in the context of their social, political and economic circumstances.
“But the foundation everywhere must be a political commitment to building a strong health system, based on primary care, with an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion.”
“Such health systems do not only provide the best health outcomes; they are also the best defense against outbreaks and other health emergencies. In this sense, UHC and health security are truly two sides of the same coin.”
The WHO Country Representative commended President Buhari and all state governors for taking the vital step by endorsing the Presidential Summit on universal health coverage, which ensures equitable access to high-quality, affordable health care for all Nigerians.
Accordingly, he also explained that National Health Act (NHAct) enacted the same year laid a firm foundation for making UHC a reality, by guaranteeing a basic package of health services for all Nigerians while making available predictable financing through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.
“The WHO clearly identifies the media as a critical partner and if well harnessed have potential to accelerate achievement of UHC in any country. Over the years, we have significantly invested in communications for health in country offices and prioritized strategic communication within Output 4.2.1 of the GPW13.”
He assured Health Journalists that within it’s the mandate WHO will continue to support Health journalists with the capacity they need, to leverage their role in strategic communication, towards raising health high on the political agenda of government, empowering audiences, giving communities a voice, and creating safe spaces for decision-makers and citizens to discuss challenges and co-create solutions that address health needs of the people.
President of ANHEJ, Mr. Hassan Zaggi enjoined government at all levels to take the health of Nigerians serious by making it a top priority because, health is wealth and it is only a healthy society that can be productive.
Zaggi also called on Lawmakers at all tiers of government levels to ensure they enact the relevant laws that will support and improve the attainment of UHC through health insurance.
Zaggi noted that as a way of eliminating the out-of-pocket payment that makes access to quality and affordable healthcare services inequitable, especially among the indigent and vulnerable groups, communities, and associations must begin to adopt models that suit their enrollment in health insurance to enable them to access health care services when the need arises without catastrophic expenditure.
“I, therefore, call on our Senators, House of Representative members, House of Assembly members, Councilors to adopt villages, communities, and individuals in their constituencies by paying their health insurance premium annually”.
December 8, 2022