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The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has been urged not to allow itself to be used as an agent of destabilisation in Nigeria’s health sector.Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who made the call following the ongoing nationwide strike by the medics, yesterday, in Abuja, noted that dialogue remained the best approach to conflict resolution, adding that the Federal Government has been prompt in attending to labour issues revolving around the sector.

He said the demands of the medical professionals had been extensively discussed by all parties with the implementation of resolutions adopted by relevant bodies, led by the Ministries of Health and Labour and Employment.

Stating that since health is an item on the residual legislative list, Ehanire submitted that NARD had been advised to also meet with state governments to resolve matters of specific concern.On continuing negotiations for review of hazard allowance, the minister said the current administration had earmarked a lump sum for its settlement once the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) reached a compromise.

He, therefore, advised NARD to work with NMA for payment instead of blaming the government.

Maintaining that the Federal Government has so far paid N9.3 billion to insurance companies for group life policies and death benefits, Ehanire added that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was working to pay the balance of the COVID-19 hazard allowance, even as he sued for understanding.According to him, the ministry is in receipt of 131 cheques totalling N159, 233,234 from various insurance companies for 46 NARD members across 52 health facilities for group life insurance, with additional 95 cheques being processed from the insurers under due diligence.

New data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), yesterday, showed that weekly COVID-19 deaths in Africa reached a record peak in the week that ended on August 1, marking the highest seven-day toll since the onset of the pandemic in the continent.The data released during a virtual press conference facilitated by APO Group, showed over 6,400 deaths were recorded, a two per cent rise compared with the previous week, with South Africa and Tunisia accounting for over 55 per cent of the fatalities.

Death trends are on the rise in 15 countries, and 12 have reported higher case fatality rates than the African average of 2.5 per cent over the last month.

With more than 172,000 deaths, Africa accounts for over four per cent of the 4.2 million COVID-19-related deaths recorded globally to date.The data released during a virtual press conference facilitated by APO Group, showed over 6,400 deaths were recorded, a two per cent rise compared with the previous week, with South Africa and Tunisia accounting for over 55 per cent of the fatalities.

Death trends are on the rise in 15 countries, and 12 have reported higher case fatality rates than the African average of 2.5 per cent over the last month.

With more than 172,000 deaths, Africa accounts for over four per cent of the 4.2 million COVID-19-related deaths recorded globally to date.In Nigeria, the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has continued to ravage as the country on Wednesday night recorded four new deaths and 747 cases, ranking the highest daily infection figure in nearly six months. The last time the country confirmed cases above 747 was on February 18 when 877 cases were recorded.

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Field Officer in Maiduguri, Phuong Nguyen, has advocated a six-month paid leave to facilitate exclusive breastfeeding of children in a friendly environment.

According to her, breast milk is a complete, inexpensive, and readily available food and nutrition with great benefits for children, women, and the nation.

Nguyen spoke, yesterday, in Maiduguri, while flagging off the 2021 World Breastfeeding Promotion Week to protect breastfeeding children in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.She said: “The turnout today leaves no one in doubt that breastfeeding is a lifeline for millions of our children.

“Supporting new mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months is the best method of child nutrition in these critical times.”

She disclosed that breast milk contains antibodies that boost immunity of children, adding that “breast milk is also an important indicator of short and long-term health benefits for children.”

“Research has indicated that children, who receive exclusive breastfeeding for, at least, six months have a higher brain power.

“This is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders and governments to provide a friendly environment for women to support children,” she said.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned against the use of Azo dyes, which cause cancer in palm oil and the dangers in using Sniper to preserve any type of food or keep flies away from meat. The agency, which warned Nigerians on the dangers of buying medicines from hawkers, stressed urged Nigerians to only buy medicines from licensed pharmacies and medicine stores. 

Speaking at a drug sensitisation programme against fake drugs, organised by the agency in Abuja, Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reminded Nigerians of the dangers in wrong use of pesticides and insecticides, wrong use of chemicals and their hazardous effects and the use of formalin on food and its associated health hazards. 

Despite threats by the Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, to enforce the ‘no work no pay rule against striking resident doctors today, indications emerged last night that the strike, now in its eighth day, is not likely to be called off soon, just as the parent body of all medical doctors in the country, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has refused to comment.

President, NMA, Prof. Innocent Ujah, yesterday, refused to pick calls from The Guardian on efforts the association is making to resolve the impasse between the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Federal Government.

Reacting to the threat from the Federal Government, President, NARD, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, yesterday told The Guardian: “They have not invited us for any kind of meeting, neither have they met our demands. Rather, we are getting threats of no work no pay. We can see which party is sincere to resolve the issue.”

NARD is the militant body of all medical doctors in the country and there are about 16,000 resident doctors working in Nigeria out of over 40,000 medical doctors.NARD had last Monday began a nationwide industrial action over unpaid salaries, benefits to families of members that lost their lives to COVID-19 pandemic and hazard allowances, improved conditions, and failure to domesticate Medical Residency Training (MRT) Act 2017 in states, among others.

Less than four months ago, between April 1 and 10, they were also on strike over the same issues and the strike was called off following a memorandum of understanding signed by the Federal Government and the leadership of NARD.

Okhuaihesuyi stated further: “There is no going back on plans to shut down public and government hospitals due to inability of the Federal Government to keep to its promise to the doctors in meeting their demands.“Even if they communicate to us now, there is no going back. It is now over 120 days after we signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). They should be ashamed for not being truthful. We cannot be working and not get paid. You make commitments with doctors and you don’t keep them,” he said.

On the negative effect the strike is having on ‘common’ Nigerians, he said: “The doctors are also human beings. Abia State owes doctors 19 months salary; Imo State eight and Ekiti two months. Those doctors who lost their lives have not got their insurance benefits and most of us are yet to get the paltry hazard allowance of N5,000. You bring out circulars that you are going to pay and yet you don’t. What will the doctor tell his or her landlord?

No fewer than 816  persons have  been killed by cholera in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between January1 and August 1, 2021.There were 31,425 suspected cases across the country out of which 311 were confirmed during the same period.

The states that recorded the 816 deaths are Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Enugu, Kwara,  Benue, Kogi and Plateau.

Others are  Zamfara, Gombe, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Jigawa, Yobe, Adamawa, Katsina and Borno.

According to an epidemiological report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 27 percent of the suspected cases comprised children aged five to 14. It added that 51 percent  were males and 49 percent, females.

NCDC  further explained that since the beginning of the year, 709 samples were collected with positive cases as follows: 234 rapid diagnostic test (RDT) positive only; 77 culture positive; 311 RDT and culture positive. The test positivity rate (TPR) for laboratory confirmation by culture was put at 25 percent.It said there has been a decrease in the number of new cases in the last two weeks with Bauchi State  recording  773;   Niger, 183;  Katsina, 120 and FCT, 64.

The agency said it had begun response activities in states to  curtail  the spread of the disease and manage identified cases.”There is ongoing surveillance in all states through the routine integrated disease surveillance (IDRS) and response and event-based surveillance (EBS),” it explained in the report.

NCDC also said it was  advocating hygiene promotion, provision of safe water, water chlorination, household disinfection, sensitisation on dangers of open defecation in high-risk communities  as some ways to check the spread of the disease.

The agency added that it had supported testing of samples received from Benue, Niger, Plateau, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Katsina, Enugu, Adamawa and Bayelsa states as well as the FCT at its National Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Abuja.