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Health

NPopC takes birth registration to hospitals

NPopC takes birth registration to hospitals
By Chinenye Offor
Registration
Abuja, May 9, 2019 (NAN) Mr Mohammed Isah, the Director, Public Affairs, National Population Commission (NPopC), says the commission had taken birth registration to hospitals for effective capturing of live and death deliveries.
Isah made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
He explained that the commission had stationed its staff in maternity sessions of the hospitals in most local government headquarters for easier access for the parents to register their children.
He further said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with some hospitals to collect information on behalf of the commission where the commission did not have a representative.
According to him, some hospital staff had also been trained on how to do the job.
He said by the time deliveries were made, forms would be distributed by the hospital staff who received the training and afterward, the commission’s staff would go round and collect the forms and issue birth certificates.
He noted that the essence of the exercise was to bring the service closer to the mothers and infants as well as eliminate back log.
“We have had back logs and we don’t want it to accumulate that is why we are going nearer to where deliveries are made.
“The law says that a child should be registered at birth and within three months of birth and that is what the commission is trying to achieve.
“The exercise was not possible earlier due to lack of staff and recently we have the opportunity to replace those that have retired,” the director said.
According to him, the newly employed staff members were the ones posted to the hospitals to bridge the gap as well commence the issuance of birth certificates.
Isah noted that the new strategy had addressed past challenge of issuance of birth certificates to Muslim children because some of them named their children after seven days.
“We now collect the data of the parents and cue them in and that of the child will be vacant and will be filled in when he or she comes for the first immunisation,” he explained. (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Doctor dispels fears over birth control pills

Doctor dispels fears over birth control pills
By Ummul Idris
Pills
Abuja, Jan. 6, 2018 (NAN) Dr Gloria Moses, a general medical practitioner, said that using birth control pills before starting to have children will not affect future fertility.
Moses said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that birth control pills would only help prevent pregnancy while using them.
According to her, it has no long lasting effects on person’s ability to get pregnant.
She added that there is no evidence that birth control pills would harm users or their babies in future.
“It is not possible because it has no long lasting effects; it only works while you are taking it.
“When you stop taking it, so also the work stops and your system becomes normal and you can conceive.
“The purpose of the pills is to stop your ovulation. If you don’t ovulate you don’t get pregnant.
“But none of the pills have long lasting effects on your ability to get pregnant when you stop taking them and you decide to get pregnant, ” she said.
The general medical practitioner said that it doesn’t cause any complications during pregnancy or cause any birth defects to the baby.
According to her, other birth control methods like Intra Uterine Device (IUD) and Implant are also reversible.
“The IUD is a plastic device which is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
“It works while is still inside you, but the moment you remove it then you are okay to conceive.
“The Implant is also a contraceptive; it is a small rod put under the skin in your arm.
“All of these contraceptive are reversible, effective and convenient to use.’’
She added that it is better to use them and prevent unwanted pregnancies than to have an abortion. (NAN)
UMD/KTO/MST
Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

NPopC plans 3 months birth registration campaign in C/River

NPopC plans 3 months birth registration campaign in C/River
By Christian Njoku
Registration
Calabar, Oct. 19, 2018 (NAN) The Nigerian Population Commission (NPopC) says it will conduct a three-month birth registration campaign in Cross River due to low birth registration in the state.
Mr Gabriel Coker, Head of the commission in Cross River, said this on Friday at a two-day stakeholders meeting organised by NPopC in Calabar.
According to Coker, Cross River is one of the under-performing states when it comes to birth registration like Imo, Ondo and Edo, among others.
He said the campaign would commence on Nov. 1 to the end of January 2019 to meet set target.
He explained that the campaign was planned to mop up the unregistered birth of children under the ages of five and one across the state.
“This shows that Cross River had not been doing well over the years and so UNICEF deemed it fit to sponsor this programme by giving us more ad hoc registrars to work with us for this three months to see how we can gather this data from all the corners of the state.
“We are not happy with Cross River’s partnership with us in this business, other states are doing a lot to help themselves; we know we are a federal agency but we are in the state and the state is leaving us to do this all alone.
“If not for the help of UNICEF, we wouldn’t have been able to go this far, so our major challenge has been the lack of assistance from the state in the area of ad hoc staff, we have very few staff.
“Biase, Akamkpa and Yala, these are big Local Government Areas but they all have just two staff each, if we don’t have enough hands to assist, we will not achieve much,’’ he said.
Similarly, Mrs Gloria Okoronkwo, a resource person from NPopC headquarters in Abuja, said it was important to register a birth because a child that was not registered was like a child without an identity and so, does not to exist.
“This registration is very important for national planning, statistics and to disaggregate males and females in the society; it is so crucial that no society can do without it.
“In fact, any parent that refuses to register his or her child is denying the child his or her right to have a certificate of birth.
“We called this meeting with all the stakeholders so we can brainstorm to see how we can make sure that even children in hard to reach areas in the state are captured,’’ she said. (NAN)
CBN/GOM/MST
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Birth registration first step to legal identity – NPoPc

Birth registration first step to legal identity – NPoPc
By Chinenye Offor
Certificate
Abuja, Sept. 28, 2018 (NAN) The National Population Commission (NPoPc) says birth registration is the first step in securing legal identity.
The Director, Public Affairs Department of the commission, Mr Mohammed Isah, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Isah urged Nigerians to register and obtain a birth certificate, saying that there is no better identity than birth registration.
He stated that the only valid instrument attached to a child after names were given was birth registration and certificate.
Isah underscored the need for awareness as lot of Nigerians did not understand the benefits of birth and death registration, hence the campaign.
According to him, NPopC has been in partnership for over a decade with UNICEF and also collaborating with other sectors such as the Primary Health Care Development Agency and Ministry of Education to scale up the registration process.
He said that “We (NPopC) have less than 4,000 centres to help launch the campaign on birth registration and educate the public on the importance of it.
“The activities of the commission are limited due to lack of personnel and fund.’’
The director explained that birth registration helped in securing and accessing basic rights such as education, health and social protection.
He also noted that birth certificate provided the documentary evidence required for relevant occassions like school enrolment, graduation, voting as well as rights to be voted for, inheritance, obtaining an international passport and drivers licence.
Isah further emphasised that birth and death certificates also provide legal evidence to claim a property, insurance benefits of deceased persons as well as rights of serving spouses to remarry.
According to him, data gathered through civil registration and vital statistics will help create accurate assessments of economic growth and poverty levels of a society as well as means of measuring global targets.
The director said that Civic Registration and Vital statistics (CRVS) was therefore a high priority for supporting human rights, policy planning and good governance. (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Birth, death certificates free, says NPopC Chairman

Birth, death certificates free, says NPopC Chairman
By Chinenye Offor
Certificates
Abuja, Sept. 19, 2018 (NAN) The National Population Commission (NPopC) says registration for birth and death certificates are offered free by the commission.
The Chairman of NPopC, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Duruiheoma was reacting to allegations by some Nigerians that they were being charged various sums from N2,000 upwards at the different registration points established by the commission across the country.
“The commission does not charge for issuance of birth or death certificates, but rather the private organisations engaged for the job,’’ he explained.
According to him, the certificate is free for children from 0-days to 17 years of birth, after which a N2,000 penalty is imposed on defaulters who must also produce an affidavit from a law court.
Duruiheoma however explained that the commission had engaged the technical services of the private sector under a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement in order to remedy the challenge faced by NPopC in the vital registration process.
According to him, it is the responsibility of the commission to register births and deaths, but there is difficulty analysing the register due to analogue way of processing information.
He explained that NPopC got approval to engage Socket Works Ltd under the PPP after consultation with necessary authorities including the SGF.
Duruiheoma underscored the need for the partnership, saying that the commission has been struggling over the years to switch from analogue to automated ways of registering births and deaths.
“The commission has been struggling over the years to switch from analogue to automated, but couldn’t do that due to lack of funds.

“Births and deaths are being registered by hand and the states struggle to put the data together and even when they do, it is difficult for us in the headquarters to analyse it,” he explained.
He confirmed that the private firm “charge a token’’ for secured facilities featured into the certificates and maintenance of other facilities such as computers and networks used in processing the documents, and not for the certificates per se.
He added that the fee charged by the company was also for the improved quality of the birth certificate to secure it against replication and forgery.
“However, I have not been briefed on how much the company is charging for the birth registration,’’ Duruiheoma said.
Besides, he explained that NPopC had introduced a pilot scheme after engaging the firm in the FCT, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Edo and Rivers States.
“So far, the pilot scheme had just kicked off in Lagos and FCT,’’ the chairman said.
Duruiheoma assured that if the scheme succeeded in Lagos and Abuja, it would become a model, but if it failed it would be called off.
He therefore expressed gratitude to UNICEF for its support to the commission in the birth registration process. (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Commission seeks more personnel for birth registration

Commission seeks more personnel for birth registration
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Registration
Lagos, Aug. 30, 2018 (NAN) The National Population Commission NPopC) has called for more personnel to adequately provide birth registration services across the country.
The Assistant Director, Vital Registration, NPopC, Hajiya Hapsatu Isyaku, made the appeal at a media dialogue on birth registration in Lagos.
“There is an urgent need to capture birth registration data in the facility level data tools to promote documentation of birth registration services and strengthen integration efforts with the health sector and other convergent programmes.
“Lack of completeness of civil registration is impacting on the availability of complete data, the quality of the information therein and the use of these data for reliable decision making processes,” she said.
Isyaku said birth registration is manually conducted, saying there is need for urgent migration from analogue to digital registration.
The official also cited inadequate office accommodation for the registrars and inadequate storage facilities for working materials as some of the challenges facing the commission.
“The Local Government Area has many localities sparsely distributed in the area hence the need for logistics become apparent to allow registrar navigate his/her catchment area with less difficulties.
“There is need for the commission to take full responsibility to make necessary demand to government
“National Population Commission collaboration with UNICEF should be sustained,” she said.
Isyaku said according to the 2013 Demographic Health Survey, birth registration of under-5 children in Nigeria was approximately 30 per cent while the remaining 70 per cent remained unregistered.
She said that the major reasons for unregistered children were ignorance of parents and care givers or the very rural communities have no knowledge of birth registration.
“Of the about 62 per cent of birth occurred at home, only 38 per cent birth in Nigeria are delivered in health facility.
“Birth registration is a process of recording the birth of child by NPopC.
“It is the permanent and official record of a child’s existence by the government and is fundamental to the realisation of children’s rights and practical needs,” she explained.
Isyaku said birth registration was free and universal and conducted within the context of a functional civil registration system in the country.
She said securing children’s right to a nationality would allow them to get a passport, open a bank account, obtain credit, vote and find employment.
Beside, the official said it helps to ensure access to basic services, including immunisation, healthcare and school enrolment at the right age.
“Birth registration is also essential in protection efforts and links cross sectoral and on inter-thematically with health, education, right issues, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, including preventing child labour by enforcing minimum employment age laws; ensuring that children in conflict with the law are not treated (legally and practically).
“As adults, shielding them from underage military service or conscription; countering child marriage; and reducing trafficking, as well as assisting children who are repatriated and reunited with family members.
“To further straighten the collection of data on civil registration and vital statistics, the Commission collaborates with the United Nations Children Education Funds, Ministries of Health, Education, Nigerian Immigration Services, Ministry of Women Affairs, National Identity Management Commission and the result is encouraging,” she said.
Isyaku said such collaboration would be sustained by the commission for better, reliable and accurate data on births, deaths, marriages and divorces.
She said the integration of births, deaths and still births into the healthcare system was approved at the 55th National Council on Health meeting held in 2012 in Abuja.
Isyaku said the partnership had yielded a positive result on the part of the commission by providing a wider coverage of births registration in the country.
“The synergy brought about the use of health officials into the recording of births at the place of its occurrence particularly in hospitals, maternities and health centres, among others.
“In collaboration with the UNICEF, radio programmes are currently on where Nigerians are being sensitised on daily basis on the importance of registration of births, deaths, etc, in both English and local languages,” she said.
The Zonal Monitor of South West Zone, Vital Registration Office, NPopC, Mrs Helen Oghi, also called for timely submission of scorecard and computerised records based on hard copy data and rapid SMS.
She also said birth registration should be properly monitored while performing local government areas should be commended and erring officers sanctioned and/or replaced. (NAN)
OEO/OJO/MST
Edited by Mufutau Ojo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Family planning, birth spacing key to sustainable healthy population – NPopC

Family planning, birth spacing key to sustainable healthy population – NPopC
By Chinenye Offor
Planning
Abuja , July 9, 2018 (NAN) The National Population Commission (NPopC) says Family Planning (FP) is a pathway to achieving Demographic Dividend (DD) in the country.
The commission also said FB was fundamental to the realisation of 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development and strategic for national progress.
Chief Eze Duruiheoma, the Chairman of NPopC, said this at news conference as part of activities to commemorate 2018 World Population Day on Monday in Abuja.
The theme for this year’s event is “Family Planning as a Human Right’’.
He noted that the theme was a reminder to the first proclamation on FP as a Human Right made on May 13, 1968, at the conclusion of the United Nations International Conference on Human rights.
According to him, 20 years after, the 1994 International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) in Cairo reaffirmed the declaration with a rider and to have information and ensuring informed choices as well made available a full range of safe and effective methods.
He also said that the ICPD programme of action allowed the rights to be exercised by all couples and individuals, adding that FP is the first and last step in managing population.
“Nigeria as signatory to both declarations; this day provides opportunity for us as a nation to reflect on efforts made over decades to empower the relevant population groups to exercise this right.
“The rights to information and access to contraception, education, the means to determine the number and spacing of children and rights to freely decide the number and spacing of children without any coercion or compulsion and discrimination.
“The extent to which these rights are promoted and exercised explains the impact of fertility on social well-being of the population, particularly women, adolescent girls and young people as well as infants.
“Family planning and birth spacing is the first and right step to population management, central in saving lives of women and adolescent girls, enhances women’s empowerment, key to poverty reduction,’’ he said.
Duruiheoma noted that accessibility, affordability, accountability, availability of quality and safe full range of FP products and services and timely delivery as equality and non-discrimination through innovative technology were essential for exercising basic human rights.
According to him, Nigeria being a part of the consensus reached by 179 countries in Cairo during the ICPD to recognise and promote the exercising of the basic human right which would focus on provision of information, accessibility to full range of FP options free in all localities.
He also said that achievement of FP as human right rested on information, education as well as means to exercising the right to reproductive freedom to responsibly determine when to start reproduction, the number and spacing of children.
Duruiheoma therefore said that government was responsible, accountable and central in providing individuals, couples and parents with adequate, quality, timely and appropriate information, education and resources to enable the voluntary exercise of the right without coercion.
He, however, expressed concerned on the limited access to contraceptives and the unmet demand for FP services which contributed to poor exercise of the rights, saying that exercising the rights will help in reduction of maternal mortality.
The Director-General of the commission, Dr Ghaji Bello, urged the Federal Government to look into population issues for better planning and development in the country.
He said that the commission would work with key stakeholders and partners on better ways of managing population explosion in Nigeria.
The event was attended by development partners, NGOs, CSOs and management of NPopC. (NAN)
CSO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

NGO tasks religious leaders on promoting CBS

NGO tasks religious leaders on promoting CBS
NAN-HG-5
Child spacing
Bauchi, March 2, 2018 (NAN) Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), an NGO, has called on religious leaders to promote Child Birth Spacing (CBS) in their communities.
Mr Inuwa Usman, the Bauchi State Coordinator, HC3 Nigeria, made the appeal at a one-day orientation for media health reporters on religious perspectives on maternal newborn and CBS on Friday in Bauchi.
“We engage religious scholars in the promotion of CBS to address misconceptions related to this issue in the light of Sharia and Bible teachings, in their respective communities,” Usman said.
According to him, religious leaders have positive influence in their communities to advance CBS practices when they have sound information and assistance in overcoming common misconceptions and misunderstandings.
“Child spacing help women to give space among their children, it makes the women very healthy before the next pregnancy.
“It will also give her the strength to take care of other children. So it is very important for her and the entire family members,” he said.
Usman also appealed to the religious leaders to always clarify and create awareness with regards to CBS.
“Our message to everybody is for husbands to support and encourage their wives to partake in child spacing,’’ he said.
Malam Mustapha BabaIlehla, an Islamic scholar, noted people wrongly believe that family planning and birth spacing was forbidden by Sharia law.
“This misconception highly contributes to the gap between knowledge and practice of family planning.
“There are certain precepts in Islam that don’t have to be followed in specific cases.
“It is not just advisable but it is a must when the well-being of the mother and the child is in question,” Baballehla said.
Mr Able Musa also said, before now, many religious leaders were unwilling to openly and graciously talk about issues relating to Maternal and New Born Child Health (MNCH) and CBS.
“There is a renewed awakening in the church, making the issues of MNCH and CBS front burner in Christian discourse.
“The Christian perspective of the family is one that is made up of a husband, wife and children.
“Man is made up of a body, soul and spirit. God cares not only about the soul and spirit but also for the body,” Musa said. (NAN)
MAK/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

FGM causes difficulty in child birth, says Paediatrician

FGM causes difficulty in child birth, says Paediatrician
NAN-HG-4
Mutilation
By Maureen Ojinaka
Enugu, Feb. 8, 2018 (NAN) Dr Juliet Ochi, a Paediatrician with Enugu State Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), says Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) can cause difficulty in child birth.
Ochi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Thursday that FGM could also deny women sexual satisfaction.
“One of the problems a girl child is likely to experience in life due to mutilation on her is lack of sexual satisfaction when she grows into adulthood because the exercise involved cutting off part of her genital organ that helps a woman to get satisfaction sexually,” she said.
Ochi added that the cutting of the clitoris on the girl-child could lead to difficulty in child delivery because the part cut off could no longer stretch itself as such, difficulty in giving birth would occur.
According to the medical doctor, most of the mutilations carried out on female children had always brought about many health problems.
She further explained that the exercise could lead to excess bleeding on the child which could lead to the child’s death.
World Health Organisation said: “Female genital mutilation includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons and health benefits for girls and women.
“The procedure can cause a severe bleeding and problem urinating, and later cysts, infections as well as complications in childbirth and increase risk of newborn deaths,’’ she explained.
She noted that some of the complications resulting from the mutilation of a girl’s genital cannot be reversed, urging parents to be very careful in handling their children’s health issues. (NAN)
OJI/OSA/MST
Edited by Shittu Obassa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Beyonce gives birth to twins

FILE PHOTO – Beyonce
NAN-H-1
Twins
Los Angeles, June 18, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) U.S. singer, Beyonce, has given birth to twins in Los Angeles, several celebrity news websites reported on Saturday, citing unidentified sources.
Beyonce, 35, and rapper and music producer Jay Z, already have a five-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
E! News, citing multiple unidentified sources, reported the birth and that Jay Z and Blue Ivy were seen at a Los Angeles area hospital on Thursday.
U.S. Weekly, also citing multiple unidentified sources, reported that the couple welcomed twins earlier this week.
“Bey and Jay are thrilled and have started sharing the news with their family and closest friends,” one unidentified source told PEOPLE.
Reuters could not verify the reports. A representative for Beyonce did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The celebrity news websites did not provide additional details, such as the date and time the twins were born or the sex of the infants.
The “Lemonade” singer, one of the most powerful women in the music business, announced the pregnancy on her Instagram account in February along with an image of her posed in lingerie and caressing a noticeable baby bump.
The announcement got more than 8 million “likes” in the first 24 hours to become the “most-liked” Instagram ever.
The R&B singer performed live at the Grammy awards in Los Angeles two weeks later, proudly displaying her swelling belly in a motherhood-themed show.
She has since posted numerous pictures of her bare baby bump on her social media accounts.
The birth of Blue Ivy caused a paparazzi storm in 2012, with New York’s Lenox Hill hospital shutting down part of its maternity wing to accommodate music’s royal couple.
News of the pregnancy came less than a year after the release of Beyonce’s 2016 album “Lemonade,” in which she appeared to address long-standing rumors of trouble in her eight-year marriage.
The lyrics of several songs spoke about being cheated on, and regretting being married.
But Beyonce made clear in the final tracks of the album and in music videos featuring Jay-Z that she had decided to stay in the relationship.
The couple have never addressed the rumors publicly. (Reuters/NAN)
EAL
Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi