Nigeria Health Watch
By Ibukun Oguntola and Onyinye Oranezi (Lead Writers) Emergency Operations Centres, first used in Nigeria during the national polio response, were valuable assets in Nigeria’s polio response, and they continue to be a vital resource now. Transitioning Polio EOCs into public health EOCs will help boost efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national and subnational health security. Many […]
When Nigeria conducted a Joint External Evaluation (JEE) in 2017, there was no way of knowing that the COVID-19 pandemic was just three years away. The whole essence of the JEE is to assess a country’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies, and it could be said that the 2017 JEE gave Nigeria a […]
A team from Nigeria Health Watch attended the Global Health Security Conference 2022 in Singapore. This article highlights key takeaways from the conference on what the world needs to do to prepare for the next pandemic, as well as lessons for Nigeria to #BuildBackBetter post COVID-19. As the world moves towards recovery from the COVID-19 […]
When the #PreventEpidemicsNaija Campaign was launched in 2018, it was likened to the story of the boy who cried wolf. Why should the country dedicate resources to prepare for an epidemic that might never happen? Today, the project has helped increase awareness and funding — among policymakers and the public — for epidemic preparedness at national and sub-national levels. […]
By Chibuike Alagboso and Beti Baiye (Lead Writers) On Monday, 18 July 2022, Ghana declared the first-ever outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg virus in its southern Ashanti region. Efforts are currently underway to investigate and trace contacts as well as to respond to and prevent further spread. Following so closely on the heels of […]
…Multiple Stakeholders gathered to discuss Nigeria’s health security To strengthen health security and a decentralized health system in Nigeria with regards to epidemic preparedness, the Federal Government of Nigeria has been encouraged to not only pay keen attention to strengthening human resources for health security but also set data and accountability structure at the national […]
There is a global consensus on the importance of strengthening health systems to deliver quality and affordable healthcare to communities, to make them more effective and efficient, and to prepare, detect and respond to disease outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means that all individuals and communities receive adequate […]
By Tosin Akinola (Guest Writer) Technology was pivotal in ensuring that healthcare services could continue to operate even as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. Countries like South Korea leveraged on technology to support their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They used different tools for aggressive contact tracings, such as security camera footage, facial recognition technology, bank […]
20th May 2021 | The annual Legislative Summit on Health is a product of the Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage. The Network consists primarily of legislators (National and States) with members of the Executive Arm of Government (State and National) and non-state actors collaborating to provide institutional contexts focused on the health sector. It […]
By Ibukun Oguntola & Gabriel Oke (Lead Writers) The health security of a nation comprises the activities that lessen adverse public health incidents and ensures a healthy and productive population. It is vital to developing strong and resilient health systems that can prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, wherever they occur. Nigeria has […]
By Dr. Chijioke Kaduru (Guest Writer) There is widespread consensus around the globe on the need to strengthen health systems and make them more resilient. A health system includes all of the different institutions, actors and resources involved in delivering healthcare to individuals. Despite this accord, there is continued debate exactly how individual countries should […]
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has formally launched its collaboration with Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), an initiative of Vital Strategies. RTSL is a global public health initiative that works with governments to implement strategies for epidemic prevention and improved national health security. Since 2017, RTSL has supported key areas of work carried […]
Global leaders and health experts will come together at the continent’s seminal health-focused event to identify workable solutions that will strengthen African health services, deliver more effective health security and make significant inroads towards achieving universal health coverage. The Government of Cabo Verde and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa are hosting the second WHO Africa […]
“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 […]