Residents of Dutsen Alhaji are excited about the commissioning in their community of a solar-powered electricity system. Sited in the public primary health care centre in the community, the facility produces electricity and has the capacity to supply 20,000 litres of treated water daily. Madam Popular, a woman in her…

Some civil society organisations in Nigeria have called on the National Assembly to pass the Gender Equal Opportunity (GEO) Bill or risk being voted out in the forthcoming elections. The GEO bill seeks to modify socio-cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, and other forms of gender-based violence that abuse…

A pilot programme introduced to reduce lead poisoning in Nigerian gold mining communities has yielded positive result, a new study has revealed. The study titled “Reducing Lead and Silica Dust Exposures in Small-Scale Mining in Northern Nigeria” shows that the programme has brought extraordinary improvements to an area where hundreds…

As Nigerians continue to demand an increase in the national minimum wage, a new study conducted outside its shores has revealed that fluctuations in wages may lead to heart diseases. Such changes, according to the study could affect ''everything from mental health to diet, which could result in potentially serious…

The Nigerian government will host the first Lassa Fever International Conference in Abuja to mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the disease. Lassa fever, also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF), is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. The virus was first isolated…

As part of the efforts to curb child malnutrition in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed about N300 millions in the 2019 budget for the procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food ( RUTF). According to the budget breakdown, the RUTF will be distributed across the country, while part of…

This reporter was directed to a shop at Wuse Market in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory for “kayanmata”. The product is on many a woman’s lips but the reporter only recently became aware of it. The literal meaning of the word in Hausa is “women’s things” but to the women who…

The federal government on Monday resumed talks with the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the ongoing strike in public universities across the country. The university lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on November 4, demanding improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with…

The National Coalition on Affirmative Action and the Vaccine Network for Disease Control have called on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing on the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill for its eventual ratification. The bill, which was first dismissed in March 2016, has since passed the second hearing…

In commemoration of the 2018 International Universal Health Coverage Day, the West African Academy of Public Health (WAAPH) on Wednesday urged the federal government to ensure 60 percent coverage of health insurance in Nigeria in the next five years. Speaking at a training of youth on health literacy and leadership…

The National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) has called for increased domestic funding of the fight against malaria in Nigeria. Speaking at the NMEP 4th quarter media chat 2018 in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the programme, Audu Mohammed, said government at all levels needs to give more resources…

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says the Boko Haram insurgency has complicated malnutrition in Nigeria, with severe acute malnutrition affecting over 900,000 children in three northeastern states of the country. Speaking at a media dialogue on child malnutrition in Yola, Adamawa State on Wednesday, a nutrition expert for UNICEF,…

About 33 per cent of Nigerians will get out of extreme poverty if the country successfully tackles malnutrition, a nutrition expert, Bamidele Omotola, has said. He said fighting malnutrition will improve the country economically. Mr Omotola, who spoke at a media dialogue on child malnutrition in Yola, Adamawa State on…

The information minister, Lai Mohammed, has decried the level of malnutrition among children across Nigeria especially in the North-east. Mr Mohammed, who spoke at a media dialogue on child malnutrition in Yola, Adamawa State, on Wednesday, said child malnutrition is a large burden to any country across the world. The…

“I have never received any vaccine before but my neighbour this morning informed me of the yellow fever vaccination, so I came here for it," Mary Ben, a 32-year-old woman told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. “I know about the disease but since nobody in my family ever had it I…

As part of efforts towards addressing the HIV funding gap in the country, the Nigerian government wants to launch the National HIV Trust Fund. The director-general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Sani Aliyu, disclosed this at the 2018 World AIDS Day commemoration event, held at…

Ahead of the 2018 World AIDs Day, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has explained why Nigerians need to know their HIV status, in line with the theme for this year's commemoration of the global event. The World AIDS Day is marked every December 1 to encourage communities to unite…

(This is the second part in a series to reivew the National Health Act. Read the first part here.)  The failure by government to implement existing laws and policies is one of the major problems of the Nigerian health sector, Mike Ogirima, the immediate past president of the Nigeria Medical Association…

The result of the Nigerian national survey of people living with HIV/AIDS will be out by March next year, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Sani Aliyu, said in Abuja Monday. Mr Aliyu, while addressing the media on the 2018 World AIDS Day (WAD)…

Resident doctors say that about 12 of their colleagues leave Nigeria every week to practise overseas. The president of the Association of Resident Doctors Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja chapter, Michael Olarewaju, stated this at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. He spoke when the association briefed journalists on…

Nigeria will soon have a World Health Organisation (WHO) approved reference laboratory, an official has said. The laboratory would be used for, among others, confirmation of tests of epidemic diseases in the country. The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this in…

The Nigerian government is rallying traditional rulers in the north towards achieving a successful immunisation programme in that part of the country. The effort is aimed at eradicating child killer diseases and also boosting the primary health care system. The Executive-Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA),…

State governments have been urged to begin public enlightenment on Lassa fever ahead of the 2018/2019 season of the fever. The head of the Lassa Fever National Technical Working Committee at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Elsie Ilori, gave the advice at a Civil Society Organisations and Media…

Obinna Oleh was present as his sister bled to death shortly after giving birth to a set of triplet boys in an Abuja general hospital. He blamed the hospital for the tragedy. The touching story, reported first by PREMIUM TIMES in May, shocked Nigerians as the family sought help for…

Even as Nigerians ponder the implications of the crisis in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the latest audit report of federal agencies has accused yet another agency in the health sector of refusing to shed light on management of a significant portion of its funds. In the report for…