Niger State Saves N300m from Medical Tourism

… Yobe Gov Takes Vaccine

…7,300 Enugu Residents Receive First Jab

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja and Dan Amasingha, Minna

The Federal Government has said yesterday that there was no possibility of any fake COVID-19 vaccines circulated, being administered or sold by unauthorised institution in the country.

This is contained in a circular signed by Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, the Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, on behalf of the

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said in a circular through his Director, Department of Hospital Service, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, that such insinuation was not correvt.

The circular followed a letter from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 regarding the arrest of about 3,000 doses of fake COVID-19 vaccines destined for Africa from China.

The minister, who acknowledged receipt of the PTF letter, however, stated that “I am, therefore, to bring this to your notice and dispel any possibility of COVID-19 vaccines being available for sale or being administered by any unauthorised institution.

“To prevent the importation of fake vaccines, kindly note that the Nigeria Customs Service has designated the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as the only Point of Entry (PoE) for imported COVID-19 vaccines.”

He  called in the attention of chief medical directors and medical directors of federal tertiary health institutions to the fake COVID-19 vaccines destined for Africa, noting that it had been arrested in China.

One of the sources said: “the ministry issued a circular to inform the medical directors of federal hospitals about the fake vaccines.

“It is just to let them (medical directors) know that fake COVID-19 vaccines are on the way to Africa but is not in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is not even taking vaccines from China, so there is no way fake vaccines can get into the country because it is only the Federal Government that is authorised to import COVID-19 vaccines for now”.

Niger State Saves N300m from Medical Tourism

Meanwhile, Niger State Commissioner for Health and Hospital Services, Dr Muhammad Makunsidi has disclosed that the outbreak of COVID-19 was a blessing in disguise for the health sector in the state as it saved the government from spending over N300 million on medical tourism.

According to the Commissioner, the state had spent over N300 million on medical tourism in 2019, adding that in 2020, nobody in the state travelled outside Nigeria on medical tourism.

“In Niger state, COVID-19, for us in the health sector is 90 per cent a blessing because last year, none of us travelled outside Nigeria for medical treatment. This made us save a lot of resources which we, in turn, infused into reviving our medical system.”

Makunsidi stated this at the annual general meeting and election of the Kutigi Old Students’ Association (KUOSA) at the College of Education in Minna, Niger state.

Responding to the keynote address titled, ‘Medical Tourism; Matters Arising’, the Commissioner described the increasing rate of medical tourism abroad as worrisome stating that a peg needs to be put on it.

“In the Niger State Ministry of Health, we are trying to kill medical tourism abroad because if we do not kill it, it will kill the Ministry of Health. This is because the money taken for medical assistance abroad is taken from our overhead and other votes to the ministry.

“It is horrible and has put the health sector in an emergency state. While domestic medical tourism is also very costly, we are very concerned about international medical tourism because 90 per cent of people benefiting from International medical tourism are not using their resources but that of government and individuals,” he said.

In his paper presentation on ‘Medical Tourism; Matters Arising’, the Managing Director of the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Bida, Dr Aminu Usman noted that COVID-19 reduced international medical tourism which gave the government room to reflect on how to revive the health system.

He stated that healthcare concepts, policies and operations and commercialization of health care further fuel international medical tourism urging on the need for government to see the need for health centres to commence reverse medical tourism

Usman advocated that there should be a revival of the healthcare concept adding that individuals and groups can join hands with the government to ensure that international medical tourism ends in Nigeria.

Yobe Gov Takes Vaccine

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala-Buni, yesterday in Damaturu received his first jab of Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine was administered to the governor by his personal physician, Dr. Mohammed Umar, assisted by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohammed Gana.

The governor was vaccinated along with his deputy, Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana, Secretary to the State Government, Baba Mallam-Wali, Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Garba Iliya, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Abdullahi Yusuf, among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor received the vaccine over two weeks after it was delivered to state.

He charged frontline healthcare workers to ensure they received the vaccine to remain safe.

Mala-Buni called on the general public to shun misconception about the vaccine, saying it was safe and provides protection against the disease.

No fewer than 7,300 residents of Enugu State have so far received their first jabs of Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine on the eight-day of the ongoing vaccination in the state.

7,300 Enugu Residents Receive First Jab Vaccine

Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), Dr George Ugwu,  made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday.

Ugwu said that the number represented those vaccinated as at 12 noon on Sunday.

“In Enugu State, we have given the vaccine to up to 7,300 residents without any adverse health reaction from those vaccinated already,” Ugwu said.

The executive secretary expressed satisfaction at the compliance by residents of the state and urged those who were still skeptical to take the vaccine as it was safe.

NAN recalls that the state government on March 8 received 65,400 doses of the vaccine from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Abuja, and vaccination began across the state on March 19.

A total of 102 well-trained vaccination teams were deployed to five Primary Health Care centres and two fixed post centres in each of the 17 local government areas of the state.

Ugwu said that those already vaccinated included health workers, critical/strategic leaders at both state and local government levels and some elderly persons.

He said: “We are in the eighth day of the statewide vaccination and we are doing tremendously well.

“However, not all the people vaccinated and recorded have been reflected in the NPHCDA national data bank; since we have challenges of internet and electronic devices.

“The NPHCDA and ENS-PHCDA offices, are currently fixing these challenges.

“Initially, a lot of people did not understand the reason for taking the preventive COVID-19 vaccines.

“But, with leaders-lead awareness creation, massive public and interpersonal sensitization, our people are taking their jabs in their numbers.

“We expect that within few days the number of those vaccinated will increase exponentially as more people can see and testify that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and free-of-charge’’.

Ugwu said the state government was currently partnering with strategic leaders at the grassroots including traditional, religious and opinion leaders to get the message to their subjects, congregation and followers.

“For the medical workers, we are meeting with the heads of various medical associations so that they impress it on their members to present themselves for the vaccination,’’ he said.

The executive secretary applauded Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for supporting the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to get to all residents of the state, notwithstanding their remote locations.

“Apart from financial and moral assistance to the agency, Gov. Ugwuanyi volunteered himself, to be publicly vaccinated,’’ he added.

 NCDC Records 101 New COVID-19 Infections

Recent development showed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded 101 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 162,489.

The health agency disclosed this on its official Twitter handle yesterday.

It said that two COVID-19-related deaths were recorded within the period, bringing the number of lives lost to the disease to 2,041.

The NCDC disclosed that the new cases were reported across 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with Lagos recording 32 cases while Abia had 16.

Ebonyi had 14, FCT 10, Bayelsa and Rivers, six each, while Bauchi had five.

Further details revealed that Jigawa had four, Oyo and Akwa Ibom, three each, while Osun had two.

The agency stated that 219 cases were successfully treated and discharged from various isolation centres on the reviewed date, while a total of 150,205 people had recovered from the pandemic.

It added that the nation currently has10,363 active cases of the ailment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country has continued to witness a decline in the disease from the all-time high of 2,314 recorded on Jan. 22, 2021.

On March 21, 2021 the populous African nation recorded only 86 cases, its lowest daily figure since the first case of the pandemic was recorded in Lagos on February 27, 2020.

The statement said that a total of 1,727,467 people have been tested for the disease that had killed millions worldwide.