By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, on Wednesday, kicked starts the screening of over 250,000 Abuja residents on diabetes and hypertension, and also do referrals.Dr Adedolapo Fasawe the Mandate secretary of Federal Capital Territory Health and Environmental Services Secretariat (FCT-HESS, while declaring the one week screening open, in Abuja.

She raised alarm at the rate at which people slump and die of high blood pressure and diabetes, adding that these unnecessary deaths can be prevented by regularly checking your sugar level and your blood pressure. She lamented that diabetes and hypertension are two silent killers and noted that, North central has one of the highest number of diabetes and hypertension. And 40% didn’t know they have hypertension until they came across a program like this.According to her, “So, this is an initiative of all commissioners for Health in Nigeria; 36 states plus the FCT. I am happy to say here in the FCT, we have had several programmes similar to this. We had a medical palliative program whereby we gave people medicines for free, for whatever their ailments is for one month. So that the money they would have used to buy medicines, they would use for other things. And we encourage the Health Insurance Scheme, whereby you pay a token, if you can afford it and your healthcare is free for the year. Or if you are considered vulnerable or poor, you are registered for free.”Now, what motivated this, we started noticing that people were slumping and dying. The rate of non-communicable diseases is going high. We were focusing a lot on HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. But all of a sudden, people are dropping dead, and older people who were otherwise healthy in the morning would slump in the afternoon. At post-mortem, we were realising that people had undiagnosed heart diseases, which is a complication of undiagnosed hypertension. Hypertension is a very treatable disease if caught early. Diabetes is a very treatable disease if caught early. Treatable in the sense that if you adhere to your doctor’s instructions, and take your medication, you will live a normal life”.She continued, “Out of every 27 Nigerians, one person is hypertensive, this is recorded. Now, we are trying to look for all these people, educate them, and give them medication, so that your quality of life, your output at work, and in the end, the GDP of the nation would be improved. Because with this RHA, we constantly look for ways to reach the people and touch them. And the essence of this program also is that people find it hard to leave their workplace where they get money, their markets, and their farms, to go to the hospital to check. “We are taking this project 10 million to the doorstep of people, where they live, where they work, where they play. We will be in every Area council, we will be in most chiefdoms and palaces, we will be in markets, we will be in places like this where most people aggregate, and the good news is, it will run for one week. If you can’t make it today, you will make it tomorrow. And I believe at the end of this, the saying ‘health is wealth’ will truly be understood. Without good health, we cannot enjoy the beautiful infrastructure that the FCT is putting up daily”.”This program is not only for those who are suffering from hypertension or diabetes. It is also for people who we find their results to be normal. When we find their results to be normal, our screening tool has some questions; do you smoke? Do you exercise? What is your diet like, what is your lifestyle like? If the result is normal, we will encourage you and teach you how to keep it normal. That means you have been doing something good.”For people we have found to have normal readings, we encourage them and teach them how to keep it normal. They are also a very integral part of this program. It’s called health promotion. Prevention is better than cure. We can learn from them what they have been doing, we can teach them to teach their neighbours how to keep their blood pressure and blood sugar normal. And if indeed within this secretariat, we are finding normal readings, the risk factors for high blood pressure include stress, sleeplessness, obesity, family history, and sedentary lifestyle. What it then means is that most of us here, do not fall into that. If you work for Barrister Nyesom Wike, it is not likely that you have a sedentary lifestyle”.The Acting Director of the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Salma Lawal Belgore also announced that the FCT will undertake the cost of health services for a pregnant woman, Mrs Esther Omojo, until a year after the birth of her baby. She explained that the insurance will cover medical consultations, drugs, delivery and even surgery.“Our patient will benefit from medical consultation, lab investigations, her drugs, her delivery and even if she has to have surgery, it is all covered by the health insurance scheme, at no cost to her. The FCT Administration is enrolling her under the health insurance scheme, as well as all FCT residents. With the unborn baby, and a year after the baby is born, the baby is also going to be covered under the health insurance scheme, and will access medicines, medical consultations, and lab investigations at no cost to the mother or the baby”, she said.

The Federal Government has discouraged the consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) because it is capable of causing diabetes and other Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs), an official has said.

Dr Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the National Conference on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax and Health Financing in Nigeria.

The theme of the conference titled “Health Tax as a Recipe for Improved Healthcare Financing”.

The minister was represented by Mrs Olubunmi Aribeana, the Director, Food and Drug Services Department, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

He recalled that the Federal Government introduced SSB tax in 2021 to reduce the consumption of SSB as well as reducing the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and other related diseases.

“Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are drinks that contain added natural sweeteners, such as table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates, all of which have similar metabolic effects.

“The consumption of SSBs has been linked to numerous health risks, including obesity, heart disease, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay, cavities, and gout.

“The health burden of SSB consumption is particularly significant in low- and middle-income countries, where rates of obesity and related health problems are on the rise.”

The minister said the country faced a growing health crisis with SSB-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes, adding that the associated healthcare costs were escalating at an alarming rate.

“Recent reviews and meta-analyses by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) show that as of 2021, over 3.6 million people are diabetic with 53 per cent of these citizens undiagnosed; and this number is expected to rise to about five million by the year 2030.

“The cost of treating diabetes per person has surged from an average of N60,000 in 2011 to N800,000 in 2021, and it is projected to exceed N1 Million by 2030.”

According to him, the goal of the SSB tax is to reduce the consumption of these unhealthy beverages, ultimately preventing obesity and its related diseases.

“In 2021, Nigeria joined over 100 countries that have introduced taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. This tax, embedded in the Finance Act of 2021, levies a N10 tax on each litre of all non-alcoholic, sweetened, and carbonated drinks.

“As we look to the future, we must view the SSB tax as a cornerstone of our strategy to improve public health and healthcare financing.

“By discouraging the consumption of sugar-laden beverages, we aim to reduce the prevalence of obesity and diabetes, and in turn, alleviate the financial burden on our healthcare system.”

According to the minister, this tax serves as a deterrent and generates essential revenue that can be reinvested into healthcare initiatives, particularly preventive measures and the treatment of non-communicable diseases.

“Our vision is a Nigeria where healthier choices are accessible and affordable for all citizens.

“We aspire to create an environment where nutritious alternatives are readily available, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their diet and overall health.”

The minister called on food and beverage industry, healthcare providers, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen their collaboration to promote healthier lifestyles and ensure the sustainability of the nation’s health systems.

He said in line with the government’s vision, the 2023 National Policy on Food Safety and Quality and its Implementation Plan also prioritised the consumption of healthy foods.

According to him, the plan specifically expects the government at every level to develop strategies for reducing the consumption of sugar, alcohol, and sodium as well as the elimination of Trans-Fatty Acids (TFAs) in Nigerian diets.

The minister restated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensure food supply chain supports the health and well-being of the population by minimising the risks associated with poor dietary choices.

In his remarks, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), said that the current SSB tax that imposed an excise duty of N10 per litre on all non-alcoholic and sweetened beverages did not meet global standards.

Oluwafemi said, “At N10 per liter, Nigeria’s current tax on SSBs falls short of the World Health Organisation’s recommendation and global best practice of a minimum of 20 per cent of total retail prices.

“In fact, the impact of our current tax rate has been largely eroded by escalating inflationary pressures, rendering it nearly ineffective, hence the need for a re-evaluation.

“This is why, last year, CAPPA in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Economies of Africa, conducted a simulation study that examined the potential fiscal and public health effects of SSBs in Nigeria, to provide Nigeria-specific data and information to support a re-calibration of the SSB tax rate.

“Findings from this research not only underscored the urgent need to address the public health impact of excessive SSB consumption but also identified an effective tax rate of N130 per litre as the most sustainable peg for realising public health goals.

“After two years of implementing the SSB tax, we strongly advocate, based on available evidence evaluating its impacts, that the Nigerian government should activate all necessary policy measures to increase the tax from N10 to N130 per liter.

“Or government should implement a revised tax structure to 50 per cent of the total retail price rate of SSB products as recommended by the Global Tax Force for Health of which our honourabe minister is a member.

“This adjustment will not only align with the WHO recommendations but also with the 2024 Bloomberg report on effective health taxes.

“Additionally, this increment must be accompanied by a redefinition of SSBs to capture all products that fall within the categorisation, and a resolve to establish a legal framework for earmarking the tax for public health initiatives,” CAPPA boss said. (NAN)

Health workers under the auspices Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have declared seven days nationwide warning strike commencing from midnight of Oct. 25.The National President, JOHESU, Kabiru Minjibir, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of the unions’ expanded National Executive Council (NEC) hybrid meeting in Abuja on Friday.

Minjibir regretted that, thus far, the unions were yet to get any positive response from the federal government on some of the critical issues raised in-spite of repeated assurances during meetings with the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). “If at the end of the seven days warning strike, the federal government fails to meet our demands, JOHESU have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike action.“Nigerians should note that, this action would have been avoided if the federal government had, within the window of the 15-day notice of strike or ultimatum, responded by utilising all options available in the relevant provisions of the Trade Disputes Act Cap. T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to apprehend this dispute of right.“JOHESU is always committed to the use of the instrumentality of social dialogue to resolve matters affecting the welfare and working conditions of members.”We shall, therefore, keep all our channels of communication open during this period,” he said.It would be recalled that the unions had issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government on Oct. 10, 2024, to address the issues or risk total shut down of its operations in hospitals nationwide.The workers were demanding the immediate implementation of CONHESS adjustment, immediate payment of 25 per cent CONHESS Review arrears (June – Dec., 2023), and Immediate payment of nine (9) months’ (Jan – Sept. 2024) salary to workers of Regulatory Agencies.Other demands are the immediate restoration of funding to Environmental Health Regulatory Council, immediate reconstitution of Boards/Governing Councils of Federal Health Institutions.They are also demanding the commencement of the process to upward review of retirement age of health workers through Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to the Federal Executive Council.Other issues under contention included tax waiver on healthcare workers’ allowances, immediate payment of COVID 19 inducement hazard allowances to omitted health workers.They are also demanding immediate suspension of planned establishment and activities of National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA).Also, JOHESU is demanding the withdrawal of the unlawful Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, as well as the full implementation of approved entry point, call duty and other allowances for holders of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D).Members of JOHESU affiliate Unions are from the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP).Others are Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).(NAN)