LASG targets N100bn healthcare funding gap with mandatory insurance reform
The Lagos State Government has unveiled fresh healthcare financing, workforce and infrastructure reforms aimed at closing an estimated N100 billion gap between current health sector funding and projected healthcare needs in the state. Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said mandatory health insurance and stronger public-private partnerships would drive the reforms as the state seeks to…
WHO REPORT: Hepatitis progress recorded, but world risks missing 2030 elimination target
Global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis are yielding measurable results, but progress remains too slow and uneven to meet the 2030 elimination targets, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. In its Global Hepatitis Report 2026, unveiled at the World Hepatitis Summit in Bangkok, the WHO disclosed that while new infections and deaths have declined…
WHO okays first malaria treatment for newborns, lists new diagnostic tests
The World Health Organization has prequalified the first-ever malaria treatment specifically designed for newborns and young infants. The development marks a major breakthrough aimed at closing a long-standing treatment gap for one of the most vulnerable populations. It was announced ahead of World Malaria Day 2026, the global health body said the newly approved medicine,…
Nigeria to host global AMR summit amid rising drug resistance threat
Nigeria is set to host the world’s most significant high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) yet, as global health leaders warn that the growing misuse of medicines could trigger a deadly public health crisis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The 5th High Level Ministerial Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance will take place in Abuja from…
Over 500 Oguta pupils benefit from foundation’s education support drive
No fewer than 500 pupils across public primary schools in Oguta, Imo State, have benefited from the educational interventions of the Ogbuefi Bernadette Nwazuruahu Nwosu Memorial Foundation, (OBNNMF), a charity established in memory of the late educationist, popularly known as “Headmiss.” The Foundation, on Thursday, October 2, 2025, donated school uniforms, shoes and bags to…
Doctors decry police harassment, say it endangers patients
Doctors in Lagos have raised alarm over rising police harassment, arrests, and extortion, warning that the trend is pushing practitioners into defensive medicine and putting patients at risk. They are calling for urgent action, insisting that complaints against doctors be handled through proper channels such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to protect…
Italy reports first imported human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) in Europe
Italy has confirmed the first imported human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) in the European region, raising fresh concerns about zoonotic disease surveillance, although global health authorities insist the risk to the general public remains low. The case, involving an adult male who recently returned from Senegal, was officially reported to the World Health Organization…
Why Nigerians need to cut down on salt – NAFDAC
Amid rising cases of hypertension, stroke and heart diseases across Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sounded a strong warning that Nigerians must urgently reduce their salt intake or face a worsening public health crisis. At a stakeholders’ engagement on the draft Reduction of Sodium in Pre-Packaged Foods…
Lagos cuts malaria misdiagnosis from 60% to 5%
…adopts science-driven health policies Lagos State has recorded a major shift in healthcare delivery, reducing malaria misdiagnosis in public health facilities from about 60 per cent to five per cent through the use of scientific diagnostic tools and data-driven reforms. The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Tuesday at a high-level…
Clearer Eyesight for All: SEEPCO, VCDF offer free cataract surgeries in Delta
Caption: A patient undergoing free cataract surgery by VCDF’s team. Free cataract surgeries have commenced at Central Hospital, Kwale, Delta State, as Vcare for Development Foundation (VCDF), in partnership with the Delta State Ministry of Health, moves to tackle avoidable blindness. The initiative, supported by Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) under the…