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Nigeria’s Government To Release N50bn For Primary Health Fund, Issues Executive Order To Curb Escalating Drug Prices

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The federal government will infuse N50 billion into primary health care as the first tranche of the basic health care fund, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammed Ali Pate, said on Wednesday in Abuja.

The health minister said the FG has recruited 2,497 doctors, midwives/nurses, and Community health extension workers.

Speaking at the fourth edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing, he also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will soon issue an Executive Order to address the escalating costs of prescription drugs.

The minister noted that the first tranche of money to be released represented an increase from N25 billion allocated in 2022 towards the basic health care fund.

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He said the infusion of funds will breathe new life into the country’s primary healthcare facilities, ensuring that quality care is accessible to all citizens.

“First and foremost, let me underscore the key role of primary healthcare in ensuring the well-being of our citizens. Since assuming office, we have prioritised the revitalisation of primary healthcare facilities across the nation, ensuring they are adequately equipped and staffed to provide essential services to communities.

“Through sustained investment and strategic partnerships, we have expanded access to vital healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved areas, improving health outcomes and reducing the burden of preventable diseases,” Pate said.

He noted that the country has also recorded a substantial increase in the number of women who attended their first antenatal care to equip them with the right information and care to improve their pregnancy outcomes and reduce maternal and child mortality.

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The minister stated that to sustain and continue to build on the gains, in the last six months, government had also recruited 2,497 doctors, midwives/nurses, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to bridge the gaps due to attrition, while an additional 1,400 health facilities now have Skilled Birth Attendants to assist in deliveries at the health facilities.

According to him, this intervention had increased the number of health facility deliveries to as high as 230,000 deliveries per month.

He added that the federal government had also made substantial strides in expanding health insurance coverage to millions of Nigerians and safeguarding them against the financial hardships associated with healthcare expenses.

He noted that since the beginning of the administration, about 750,000 more Nigerians had been enrolled in health insurance, stressing the commitment to providing access to quality health for all Nigerians through the Vulnerable Group Fund and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

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Pate also announced that since the launch of the HPV vaccine in October 2023 across 15 states plus the FCT, the federal government had successfully vaccinated more than 4.95million eligible girls aged 9-14 years representing 80 percent of eligible girls.

He said the phase 2 introduction is scheduled for May 2024 in Anambra, Borno, Cross-river, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Rivers, Oyo, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Yobe, Plateau and Zamfara.

He described the rising cost of pharmaceuticals as a pressing concern, promising that a decisive action to address the issue would be taken.

He said an executive order will soon be issued to curb escalating drug prices in the short term, while the mid to long-term goal involves the domestication of imported drugs within the next three years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade.

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Po!n, betting sites recorded 162m Nigerian visitors in June – Report

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A report by global data and business intelligence platform, StatiSense, has revealed that more than 162 million Nigerians visited porn and betting websites in June 2024.

According to the platform’s most recent data, which lists the top ten websites that Nigerians saw on their mobile devices in June, a sizable percentage of this traffic visited websites with gambling and pornographic content.

A post on StatiSense’s official X page revealed that a variety of search engines, social media apps, and betting platforms were among the most popular websites.

Notably, two pornographic websites, Xvideos and Xnxx, came in second and sixth place respectively with a total of 80.18 million visits.

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In addition, Nigerian mobile users visited sporting websites 176.83 million times. Of these, 83.1 million visits were allocated to sports betting sites Sportybet and Bet9ja, which secured third and fourth places on the list.

Google and Facebook were also among the sites that featured prominently in the report.

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Reps hail Wike, Tamuno over AICL’s improved revenue, infrastructure

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Members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on FCT, led by Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara have applauded the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike over ongoing infrastructural development projects across the nation’s capital city.

The lawmakers who spoke during an interactive session with the Group Managing Director of Abuja Investment Company Limited (AICL), Dr. Maureen Tamuno applauded her ingenuity towards improved revenue generation since her assumption of office.

While presenting her scorecard and strategy adopted in the turnaround of Abuja Investment Company Limited to the Committee, Dr. Tamuno disclosed that AICL only manages the district markets, not the entire markets across the territory.

According to her, Wuse Markets is owned 90 percent by the individuals who bought the shops while AICL owns 10 percent.

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“For example, Wuse Market is owned 90 percent by the owners, we own 10 percent. What Abuja Management does for Wuse market is to manage the facility there through the toll taking which they do collect on our behalf and then they manage the facilities, they manage the refuse collections and they also work with the market association.”

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Tinubu serious in solving economic crisis — Wike

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Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Friday said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is serious in solving the economic crisis in the country.

Wike gave the assurance during the inspection of the ongoing construction of the 7.3 kilometers Gaba/Tokulo road in Bwari Area Council.

He pleaded with Abuja residents to give the present administration the needed support to deliver the dividends of democracy.

Addressing reporters during the inspection visit, the FCT Minister expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work on the road project and assured that it will be adequately funded to ensure its timely completion by December this year.

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The Minister who revealed that the project was 40 percent complete, said about 70 percent of the contractual sum has been paid to the contractor by the FCT Administration and expressed confidence in the capacity of the contractor to deliver the project within the agreed schedule.

Wike further disclosed that the Gaba/Tokulo road, when completed, will not only enhance transportation in the rural parts of the FCT, but will also improve food security in the nation’s capital by providing access to the farmlands, as well as access to the markets.

He also stressed the commitment of the FCT Administration to providing infrastructure in the FCT Area Councils, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Wike said: “So many people have thought that we are only concentrating in the city. Yesterday, we were in Saburi, today we are in Bwari. Tomorrow, we will be in Kuje, so that people will understand that while we are doing in the city, we are also carrying out development in the satellite towns and the rural areas because by the Renewed Hope Agenda, development is not only to be concentrated within the city but also to take to the rural areas in order to improve the economy.

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“Here is an agrarian area; without this road, how are they going to move their goods? And this is part of the problems we have in terms of food insecurity. People are talking about shortages of food, but if we don’t have means of transportation, that is also a problem.

“We are trying to solve that problem of transportation for farmers to be able to go and bring whatever they have produced for people to consume or to buy”.

Wike, while thanking the people of Bwari for their support for the government, also reiterated that President Tinubu was committed to addressing the economic problems of the country and called for their continued support.

He said: “We thank the people of Bwari and we want to also let them know that the government of President Tinubu is serious about solving the economic crisis we have. All we urge Nigerians is just to be patient.

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