NEWS
Minister Vows Drastic Actions against Non-performing CMDs
By David Torough, Abuja
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has warned that drastic actions will be taken against Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of non-performing tertiary health institutions nationwide.
Pate gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja, while fielding questions from newsmen during the third edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
According to him, the focus of the CMDs should be on providing healthcare services to Nigerians in a respectable manner and anyone found not doing so will be held responsible.
He said “I want to put all federal tertiary hospitals on notice that the Minister of State and myself will make serious surreptitious visits to those facilities to see what they are doing so they should be ready.
“If any of our chief executives does not focus on the quality of care in their hospitals and we see lapses, we will take drastic action against them.
“This is because at the end of the day, these are public institutions and their focus is to provide services to Nigerians and to ensure that Nigerians are respected when they are given those services.”
He, however, said that there had been a significant increase in patient attendance at federal tertiary hospitals, a testament to the improved quality of care and confidence in the healthcare system.
According to him, through targeted investments in infrastructure, technology and human capital, the Federal Government will enhance the capacity of the institutions to deliver specialised medical services.
He added that “the Federal Government will also handle complex health conditions, ensuring that every Nigerian has access to world-class healthcare when needed.
“Our commitment to improving tertiary healthcare services is unwavering. Twelve tertiary hospitals/centres have been earmarked for infrastructure development, including the establishment of oncology centres, radiology centres, and diagnostics facilities.
“These investments will enhance our capacity to provide specialised care and meet the evolving healthcare needs of our people.”
Pate also said that though health workers were facing challenges, the ministry was working hard to remedy them.
He announced that CMDs had been notified to ensure that gunshot victims were treated immediately without having to present a police report.
He added that “on gunshot victims, we have stated it and the Inspector-General of Police also raised it but the issue is the non-public facilities,
the private facilities, some of the state facilities may not be paying enough attention.
“So, I think if we accept as the norm and the press themselves amplify this message that it is not acceptable to lose a life when one can actually save that life.
“We will begin to see change and we call on all health workers to prioritise saving lives.”
While giving account of the ministry’s affairs, he said that through sustained investment and strategic partnerships, it had expanded access to vital healthcare services.
This, he said, was particularly in rural and under-served areas, improving health outcomes and reducing the burden of preventable diseases.
“As a result of our efforts, we have recorded an increase in the proportion of women who attend Ante-Natal Care (ANC).
“Over 550,000 women now attend their first ANC and are armed with the right information and care to improve their pregnancy outcomes and reduce maternal and child mortality.”
He, however, said that to sustain and continue to build on those gains, the Federal Government recruited 2,497 doctors, midwives/nurses, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in the last six months to bridge the gaps.
He added that an additional 1,400 health facilities now have Skilled Birth Attendants to assist in deliveries at the health facilities, thereby increasing the number of health facility deliveries to as high as 230,000 deliveries per month.
Pate also said that the Federal Government had made substantial strides in expanding health insurance coverage.
According to him, by supporting enrolment initiatives and streamlining administrative processes, the ministry extended coverage to millions of Nigerians, safeguarding them against the financial hardships associated with healthcare expenses.
“Also, since the beginning of the administration, about 750,000 more Nigerians have been enrolled in health insurance.”
On shortage of healthcare personnel, he said the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), took proactive steps by increasing the number of medical students admitted into medical schools.
On the rising cost of pharmaceuticals as a pressing concern, the minister said that decisive action was being taken to address the issue.
He explained that “an executive order will soon be issued to curb escalating drug prices in the short term, while our mid to long-term goal involves the domestication of imported drugs within the next three years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade.
“In a strategic move to fortify the pharmaceutical infrastructure across the nation, the Federal Government initiated the construction of pharmaceutical-grade warehouses in 21 states in collaboration with Drug Management Agencies.
“Two additional warehouses at the federal level are also underway, complemented by the installation of the Warehousing Management Information System (WMIS) – M Supply, in these 21 pharma-grade warehouses.
“This visionary project which commenced in October 2023 is slated for completion in March, with a scheduled commissioning in April.”
Pate also said that the implementation of WMIS is expected to significantly enhance accountability and transparency, ensuring the potency of public health medicines and other health commodities.
He said the Federal Government had led the development of the maiden National Policy on Cosmetics Safety in Nigeria, a crucial policy that would guide the production and safe use of cosmetics in the country.
He, therefore, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to advancing the health and well-being of every Nigerian.
He said the government remained steadfast in its resolve to build a healthier, more resilient nation, and would continue to collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to achieve its shared vision of a thriving healthcare system for all.
The Police Command in Anambra says gunmen have burnt its station in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, killing two officers.SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, announced this in a statement issued in Awka on Monday.He said that the gunmen attacked the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically, which caused a fire to burn part of the station.
He said further that during the attack, two police operatives on duty were killed when they attempted to resist the gunmen. Ikenga stated that the bodies of the deceased policemen had been recovered and taken to the morgue.He also noted that joint security forces, including the police, army and navy, among others, had recovered five unexploded improvised explosives.Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, had visited the scene for assessment.He said that Itam called on anyone with information that could assist in the investigation to come forward, assuring then that such information would be treated confidential.(NAN)
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to maintain and operate a secure and efficient personnel and payroll system.In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr Bawa Mokwa on Monday, the OAGF maintained that the Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) database has not been compromised, assuring that employees personal data on the IPPIS database is safe and secured.
The OAGF, which manages the IPPIS and other financial management initiatives of the Federal Government, said it is already implementing its ICT Security Policy that aims to ensure that its digital assets are secured in line with global best practices. The Office explained that no data is saved on its website, adding that the IPPIS uses the website to only share information and not for any transaction. “The IPPIS is not using the OAGF website for any transaction. The website is actually the medium to share information. Neither payroll nor payment is made through the website, therefore, no data is contained in the website”, it said. The OAGF stated that the IPPIS validation portal that was recently developed for updates of employees information was deployed for a period and after the exercise was over, the data were pulled out and the site shut down permanently.According to the statement, “the IPPIS Validation Portal was deployed on a secure platform. A secured database and application were purchased from the popular HELIX-FONS.”The Office acknowledged that the IPPIS is of utmost importance to Nigerian workers, thus it became imperative to assuage the fears of any loss or breach of employees personal data in the IPPIS database. The OAGF noted that the IPPIS has put in place necessary mechanism to resolve any problem that may arise in its operations and advised workers that observe anomalies in their salaries to follow the official procedures inorder to get such issues resolved.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Nigeria’s headline inflation dropped to 32.15 percent in August, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report
The report released on Monday said the inflation eased the second time in 2024 after a 19 month increase that peaked at 34.19 percent in June.
“Looking at the movement, the August 2024 headline inflation
rate showed a decrease of 1.
It however, said on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 6.35 percent points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (25.80%).
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in August 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.
e, August 2023).Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.22%, which was 0.06% lower than the rate recorded in August 2024 (2.28%).
” This means that in August 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is lower than the rate of increase in the
average price level in July 2024.”
The report added that food inflation rate in August 2024 was 37.52 percent on a year-on-year basis, which was 8.18% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (29.34%).
It said the rise in food inflation
on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of; “Bread, Maize Grains, Guinea Corn, etc (Bread and Cereals Class), Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, etc (Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable, etc (Oil & Fats Class) and
Ovaltine, Milo, Lipton, etc (Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Class).”
But on a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.37 percent, a 0.10% decrease compared to the rate recorded in July 2024 (2.47 percent).
“The fall can be attributed to the decline in the rate of increase in the average prices of Tobacco, Tea, Coco, Coffee, Groundnut Oil, Milk, Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, Palm Oil, Vegetable etc.”
It added that the average annual rate of Food inflation for the twelve months ending August 2024 over the previous twelve-month average was 36.99 percent, which was 11.98 percent points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in August 2023 (25.01 percent).
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