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PHC: Pope Francis, WHO say health is right, not privilege

His Holiness Pope Francis and the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, meet in Rome on Tuesday Oct. 23 ahead of the Global Conference on Primary Health Care, taking place on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 in Astana, Kazakhstan.(Photo Credit : WHO, Oct 23, 2018)

PHC: Pope Francis, WHO say health is right, not privilege
By Vivian Ihechu
Right
Lagos, Oct. 23, 2018 (NAN) His Holiness Pope Francis and the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, have committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable and marginalised in both rich and poor countries.
According to them, health is a right and should not be a privilege.
The Pontiff and the world health body’s DG made the declaration on Tuesday in Rome when Ghebreyesus met with His Holiness ahead of the Global Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC), taking place on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
They met to discuss ways to ensure that all people can obtain the healthcare they need, whoever they are and wherever they live.
“I am honoured and humbled to have met His Holiness Pope Francis and to discover that we share so many of the same concerns.
“For many years, in our previous occupations as well as our current positions, we have both worked to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people.
“I am delighted to have Pope Francis’ support for our effort to extend the right of life and health to all people.
“I particularly welcome the Pope’s emphasis on the welfare of children.
“I am encouraged to hear him say that he is beside us and all those working with us in the attempt to bring health to all.
“Especially the many people, including children, who live on the periphery of society, and who suffer ill health and hunger,’’ Ghebreyesus said.
The Global Conference on PHC taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan, marks the 40th anniversary of the historic Alma Aty Declaration and its commitment to achieve Health for All.
Delegates in Kazakhstan will endorse a new declaration to revitalise PHC around the world.
The goal is to ensure that healthcare focuses on care for people, rather than simply treatment for specific diseases or conditions, factoring in all aspects of people’s individual lives and situations.
Primary healthcare is at the heart of the global drive to achieve Universal Health Coverage, itself one of the core foundations of the Sustainable Development Goals of better health and wellbeing for all people. (NAN)
VIV/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Patients’ right: Neurosurgeon urges training for health workers

Patients’ right: Neurosurgeon urges training for health workers
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Training
Abuja, Oct. 23, 2018 ( NAN) Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a Neurological Surgeon, Brain and Spine Surgery Consortium (BASS), Abuja, has called for adequate training of health workers on patient’s right.
Ogungbo made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
“Some hospitals, doctors and nurses refuse to disclose the names of drugs or treatments to their patients for fear the patient will know what they are taking and then go off to buy it from an outside source.
“Some doctors also refuse to disclose details of operations performed, implants used or other critical details for whatever reason, best known to them.
“Patients, relatives, doctors and nurses should join the debate, especially if you are a healthcare practitioner and most especially, if you work in such an environment. You might even be one of the doctors or the owner of such a dreadful hospital,” he said.
Ogungbo said the right of patients are usually infringed more often in public hospitals, saying some will remove urinary catheters, cannulas, bandages on wounds from the patients before tossing them out.
He however said some other hospitals also sometimes physically force patients out of the hospital bed, once discharged and refuse to re-admit the patient.
“A few hospitals have in my experience, refused the use of their ambulances, to convey the patients to the nearest hospital or home, in a childish game of retribution,’’ the expert noted.
He said the most important person and the reason hospitals exist is the patient, saying that the man who ensures the bills are paid including the salaries of healthcare practitioners is the patient.
Ogungbo advised healthcare practitioners to have a change of attitude towards patients, adding that their job is to keep the patients alive and in good health.
“We cannot be nasty to the patients or perform acts that reduce their chances of survival, by not giving them the right information.
“So, if patients don’t come, you are a goner, once you get that, you realise that the attitude and behaviour of the practitioner is to ensure the wellbeing and longevity of the patient, dead patients do not pay the bills,” he said. (NAN)
OEO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Gwagalada Chairman wants enforcement of Child Right Act

Gwagalada Chairman wants enforcement of Child Right Act
NAN-HG-8
Children
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, Jan. 24, 2018 (NAN) The Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT-Abuja, Mr Adamu Danze, has called for the domestication of the Child Right Act by all tiers of government.
Danze made the call at a stakeholders meeting on improving alternative care for children in the area, tagged ‘ Care for Me – End violence against children campaign’, organised by SOS Children’s Village, Nigeria, in Abuja.
He emphasised the need for relevant stakeholders to find lasting solution to child abuse and enforcement the act in the country.
Danze was represented by the Head of Department, Education and Social Welfare of the council, Mr Numan Sheshi.
The chairman said the creative and productive values of vulnerable and less disadvantage children cannot be overemphasised.
“We have been involved in carrying out these activities such as repatriation of children as far as Anambra, Enugu, Kaduna state, taking care of abandoned children and referring them to conducive home care centres.
“The council wish to establish family courts, transit home and children parliament. These will enhance smooth management of the children and family related programmes in the council,’’ he said.
Earlier, the Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, FCT, Mrs Aina Sanni, called for proper care of children irrespective of whose has custody of the child.
She also called on the FCT administration and stakeholders to increase the support structures that would enable adequate discharge of duties and responsibilities.
The Speaker, FCT Children Parliament, Gwagalada, Oralgrandeur Nwaka, said the federal government to ensure the enforcement of the already existing laws on child protection embedded in the Child’s Right Act (CRA).
The Programme Director of SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, Mr Ahmed Bappare, said the campaign was aimed at bringing to the front burner the issues of violence against children in area.
Bappare further said that the campaign also aimed at finding way to mitigate the issues through the Child Right Act.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SOS Children’s Villages is an international development organisation which has been working to meet the needs, and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949.
It was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst, Austria. (NAN)
OEO/BOLA/MST
Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Affordable housing: Expert advises government to provide right policies

Affordable housing: Expert advises government to provide right policies

NAN-H-16

Housing

 

By Uche Bibilari

Abuja, Jan. 22, 2017 (NAN) Mr Festus Adebayo, Chief Executive Officer and Coordinator, Abuja Housing Show, has advised the Federal Government to provide right policies and political will to achieve affordable housing in the country.

Adebayo gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

He explained that when the government have the political will at the federal and state levels things would work; adding that when things work houses and jobs would be available.

He noted that the major problem facing the country was lack of adequate policy to drive the housing sector and lack of right policy for mortgage system to thrive.

“The problem with the country is the issue of the right policy, if the government have the right policy in the area of housing finance the issue of affordable housing will not be a problem.

“Imagine the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) as at today is living on the 2.5 per cent that they are collecting from National Housing Fund (NHF); there is no government capitalisation.

“So you now ask what happens to those people they have been deducting their salaries since without benefitting.

“So government must have the political will to make it happen, when the government have the political will both at the federal and state levels things will work and when things work houses will be available and jobs will be available,’’ said the expert.

Adebayo said that government should come up with ideas on how to bring down the cost of houses in the country, pointing out that there are many unoccupied buildings especially in Abuja because of their high cost.

He said that all policies on providing affordable housing should not only be on rather it should be seen manifesting.

“We have houses in Abuja that nobody is living in, government should come up with ideal of how to bring down the cost of houses and government should have in its budget for provision of houses,’’ he said.

Adebayo also called on the government to stop building houses but rather work on Public Private Partnership (PPP) on the provision of affordable housing.

He said that the government should create a conducive environment by providing primary infrastructure, make the issue of land and building plans easy to enable Nigerians own a house.

“The major thing the government have to do is to create a conducive environment, I mean they should provide primary infrastructure.

“Make the issue of land to be easy and make their building plans to be easy, so that if I don’t have a house I can easily buy a land and build a house for myself,’’ said Adebayo. (NAN)

UU/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola