Nigeria Health Watch
If you make your way along the busy Herbert Macaulay road in densely populated Yaba, Lagos State, you may hardly notice the building housing the Co-Creation Hub (CCHub). The building looks like any other you may find in this high density part of Lagos, however the building houses the hub that has raised the profile […]
It’s cold and dusty, a typical harmattan morning for the residents of Barnawa, a suburb of the city of Kaduna, in Kaduna South local government area. This morning, in front of the community’s Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), about 20 women sit around a table, seemingly unmindful of the cold and dust. On the table, there […]
Alheri Community in Yangoji Village, Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is home to more than 500 people, made up primarily of persons affected by leprosy and their families. The settlement which has 90 apartments was built by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in late 2006. In addition, there are 22 […]
It is not unusual to talk about challenges and at the same time seek out available opportunities. Speaking about opportunities presented by Lassa fever can be likened to the biblical saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Lassa fever is a disease that is endemic in Nigeria and has been a source of persistent outbreaks over […]
A one-year-old child with suspected measles is lying in one of the small rooms outside the emergency paediatric unit of the General Hospital, close to the Emir’s palace in Katsina city. He was brought in two days ago and is surrounded by his mother and two other relatives. The boy is just one of the many […]
“A disease outbreak anywhere is a risk everywhere”. – Tom Frieden, Former Director US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Infectious diseases seem to be featuring increasingly in the news in Nigeria. Either it is meningitis in the north-west, Lassa in the south-west or Monkey pox in the South-south. With its increasing population, tropical […]
‘Delivering a baby is what gives me joy the most’, explains 26-year-old midwife Aliya Lawal Adam as she takes time out to attend to her one-year-old daughter, her third child, outside the delivery room of the Akilu Memorial Hospital, the only Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Unguwar Galadima, Madobi Local Government Area, Kano State. Aliya […]
“I know that immunisation is important and obviously I want the best for my child, but the schedules are quite confusing, especially as I do not have anyone explain what the different ‘drugs’ are for. The nurses are too busy to answer my questions or remind me when to come for the immunisation after I’ve […]
Goodness** (name changed to maintain anonymity) is a young woman in south-eastern Nigeria living with a hearing disability. Unlike most of her friends who also live with impaired hearing, her family supported her education. While waiting to gain admission into the university, Goodness got pregnant. For her and other young Nigerian women in similar situations, […]
Nigeria’s healthcare investment is grossly inadequate, and resources are overstretched. A little over N356 billion is allocated for healthcare in the 2018 budget. With a population of 180 million, that is roughly N2000 per person for the whole year. The country also has 21 teaching hospitals, 20 federal medical centres and 13 specialty hospitals which […]
How do you raise the funds you need to scale up a healthcare venture in Nigeria? How do health sector entrepreneurs attract investors and funders? How can government create an environment for investors to fund health care projects and where health innovations thrive in Nigeria? Nigeria Health Watch together with the World Bank Group put together […]
Rijiyar Lemu Model Primary Health Center (PHC) along Kano – Katsina road on the outskirts of Kano city centre is unlike many other PHCs in Nigeria. Although the building is somewhat rundown and could do with some renovation, the PHC is large enough to accommodate several offices and there is a moderate staff force. Besides […]
The women who access family planning services at Okeolola Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Oyo town, Oyo State have a local name for their preferred family planning method. It’s called “alapa” and refers to the implant family planning method. “Apa” translates to “arm” in Yoruba and because the implants are inserted in the arm, demand […]
‘Daddy, you know this would never have happened when you were working in Lincoln, right?” Dr. Olujimi Coker, Medical Director of Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos was telling an enthusiastic audience of 400 people at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, how his awestruck children reacted to his cancelling a family weekend trip, because he had been asked to […]