Major health stories last week

These are some of the stories that dominated the health sector last week.

Budget 2019: Buhari proposes N315 billion recurrent health expenditure

Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, has proposed a recurrent expenditure of N315.62 billion for the ministry of health in its 2019 appropriation bill summited to the National Assembly on Wednesday.
This is about N46.3 billion increase from last year’s recurrent expenditure, which was N269.3 billion.
Mr Buhari, while reading his budget presentation at the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja, said the allocation to the ministry represents a significant increase over votes in previous budgets.
The president explained that “there is a focus on health because it is an important aspiration for human capital development”.

NHIS: NMA directs doctors to shun state health insurance schemes

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has directed all doctors not to participate in any State Health Insurance Scheme (SHIS) until there is ”meaningful engagement” between the government and stakeholders.
This was part of resolutions at the end of NMA’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital.

13% of Nigeria’s FGM performed by medical professionals

Thirteen per cent of women – about one out of every ten – who have been genitally mutilated (Female Genital Mutilation) in Nigeria were cut by medical professionals, Eugene Kongnyuy, Acting Country Representative, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said.
Despite the increasing campaigns against the barbaric act, many medical professionals have been engaging in the act, thus causing a setback to the eradication process of the practice.
This new trend is being referred to as the “medicalisation of FGM.”

Speaking at the meeting, the minister of health, Isaac Adewole, said the medicalisation of FGM was one of the major bottlenecks of the achievements of the fight to end the negative traditional practice in the country.

Six-week-old baby miraculously survives Ebola in Congo

A six-week-old child simply called baby Benedicte has survived a deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo.
The infant has been dubbed “a miracle’’ by Congo’s Ministry of Health for surviving Ebola which she caught as a newborn.
“The little girl is called Benedicte and she was born on Oct. 31, so she’s about one and a half months old,’’ Jessica Ilunga, a spokesperson for the ministry told dpa.
Sadly, Benedicte’s mother died during childbirth while also infected with Ebola which has so far killed more than 300 people in eastern Congo.

NMA decries inadequate cancer reportage, legislation

Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has decried inadequate cancer reportage and legislation and called for laws to curtail environmental carcinogens in the country.
The association made the call in a communiqué issued by Francis Faduyile, NMA President, at the end of its National Executive Council meeting (NEC) in Abuja.
It said that exposure to tobacco smoke and industrial pollution and poor enforcement of existing laws on cancer control and limited diagnostic and treatment facilities added to the risk of cancer

Thailand becomes first in Asia to introduce tobacco ‘plain packaging’

The World Health Organisation has commended stronger tobacco control measures being adopted by Thailand.
The nation has become the first in Asia and the first low and middle-income country to adopt plain packaging for tobacco products.

“Thailand’s bold steps against tobacco – the single most important cause of preventable deaths worldwide – is commendable and reflects the country’s earnest efforts in promoting health and well-being of its people,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director World Health Organisation South-east Asia.

Malnutrition kills 132 children in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Nutrition Officer, Hauwa Usman, said that no fewer than 132 children have died of severe acute malnutrition out of the 12,858 hospitalised between January and October 2018 in the state.
Ms Usman said this while giving an update on the nutrition situation in the state at a two-day meeting in Kaduna. She also said that 10,604 out of the 12,858 have been cured.

Type 2 diabetes: How migraines affect risk

Women with a current migraine have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.
The study also found that migraine declined in the years preceding a diabetes diagnosis.
Although migraine and Type 2 diabetes are both common conditions, data on a link between the two “are scarce,” said the researchers.

Diabetes, hypertension drug combo kills cancer cells

New research, published in the journal Cell Reports, reveals a drug combination that kills cancer cells by depleting them of energy.
Metformin is a common drug in the fight against Type 2 diabetes. It lowers blood sugar by slowing the release of glucose from the liver and the absorption of sugar from food in the gut.
Recently, scientists have brought more uses of the drug to light.
In new research, scientists now show how this drug cocktail works.
The combination of metformin and the antihypertensive syrosingopine cuts off cancer’s energy supply, resulting in the death of cancer cells