NEWS
NSIA Convenes Second key Stakeholders Summit on Oncology
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Following the success of the maiden edition of its oncology summit in 2023, MedServe, the wholly owned healthcare subsidiary of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) said convened critical stakeholders at the second edition of the summit in Abuja.
The Summit themed “Enhancing the Oncology Workforce in Nigeria” chaired by the coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun as the special guest of honour sought to explore possibilities to bridge the manpower gaps in the oncology practice, optimise outcomes for people living with cancer and ultimately shape the future of cancer care in Nigeria. Key objectives of MedServe’s Oncology Summit included expanding residency training in Oncology, establishing post graduate degree in Oncology Pharmacy and advocating for federal recognition of Medical Physics and Therapy Radiography among others.At the Summit, key stakeholders noted the growing prevalence of cancer cases in Nigeria and called attention to the pivotal role of collaboration as well as strategic partnerships that must be present between medical professionals, regulators, policy makers, the academia as well as the private sector to fight cancer.While speaking at the summit, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NSIA Aminu Umar-Sadiq, represented by the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer NSIA, Kolawole Owodunni noted that “An equipped workforce, relevant training programmes and strategic collaborations, can ensure positive outcomes for people living with cancer in Nigeria. MedServe remains committed to leveraging medical infrastructure investments, training programmes and pivotal collaborations to unlock access to world class oncology care in Nigeria”.Also speaking, Vice President Global Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and Keynote speaker Dr Bob Li called attention to the importance of collaborations, sustained clinical trials and leapfrog technologies to expand possibilities in oncology care.Additionally, the MD of MedServe Dr Tolulope Adewole said “Strengthening Nigeria’s oncology workforce ensures faster diagnoses, advanced treatments, and improved patient outcomes, transforming the cancer care landscape for a healthier future. At MedServe, our focus is to ensure equitable access to high quality oncology care for all Nigerians.”To demonstrate its ongoing focus on improving healthcare outcomes in oncology, NSIA, through MedServe, set up the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC) in 2019. NLCC has so far attended to over 11,000 people and expanded possibilities for Nigerians living with cancer.Additionally, MedServe also runs the NSIA – Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC) and the NSIA -Umuahia Diagnostic Centre (NUDC) co-located in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia respectively.Following the success of these demonstration projects and to further deepen access to healthcare, MedServe rolled out the health care expansion programme through which it aims to establish 3 additional oncology centres, 7 catheterization laboratories and 23 diagnostic centres across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. To officially signal the commencement of the first phase of its healthcare expansion programme, MedServe recently concluded its groundbreaking ceremony in Bauchi State.Through medical infrastructure investments, research and development, advocacy, as well as strategic collaborations with critical stakeholders, MedServe continues to take bold strides in the fight against cancer to create a healthier future for all Nigerians.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NAN
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)
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