Are you following Nigeria Health Watch on Twitter? If not …you should. When we started this blog in 2007, Twitter did not exist and we sometimes tried to summarise health stories for you here. But with Twitter – there is a much more efficient way of doing this. Not only do we share health stories out of Nigeria, and give our opinions – you can give yours too – all in real time. So, follow us on @nighealthwatch and never miss a story on health in Nigeria. If you find something interesting yourself – share and tag us and we will re-tweet!
Below are the tweet highlights from May alone – just 2 weeks into the month and what a month it has been for the health sector. With the doctors strike in Lagos that has led to the sacking of 788 doctors and the employing of over 300 new ones by the Lagos State Government – issues seem to have come to a head. Maybe the time is right for these issues to be settled once and for all – as the Nigerian patient can bear no more of the associated pain and suffering. But the strike was not the only thing happening! From renewed fears about lead poisoning in the North West to the yet uncontrolled Lassa Fever outbreak; from kidnapped doctors to newly elected leadership of the Nigerian Medical association; from new government promises on polio to the unfortunate death of one of Nigeria’s foremost footballers after years of apparent psychiatric illness. We brought you the stories as they broke or re-tweeted from the growing and vibrant Nigerian Twitter “community”.
But despite all these my tweet of the month has to be that from one of our most prolific Tweeters – Tolu Ogunlesi when he reminded us of that famous quote from General Abacha’s take over –
“
@toluogunlesi: “#health services are in shambles, our hospitals reduced to mere consulting clinics without drugs & equipment.”Abacha;1983″
….Enjoy our Twitter summary for the first two weeks of May below and join us on @nighealthwatch and do share with all those interested in the health of Nigerians.
- Incredibly positive story of how #Nigerian Seun Adebiyi is starting Nigeria’s 1st national bone-marrow registry http://nyti.ms/M9F4kF#health
- If you thing you have seen it all – watch this footage from
#LUTH‘s theatre – #Nigeria‘s foremost teaching #hospital http://bit.ly/M9lncN
@SaharaReporters: UNILAG Vice Chancellor Dies After Heart Attacks http://fb.me/1Lz5Fjsp2” ….so sad! I dare not ask about the#ambulance
@USEmbPretoria: MSF says#Nigerian government has not done enough about lead poisoning in gold mine http://aje.me/ISNZX0 (Al Jaz)
- Father petitions minister over daughter’s death at childbirth in tertiary care centre – FMC, Umuahia,
#Nigeria
#MSF spends over $5 million yearly to treat people affected by lead poisoning in northern#Nigeria since 2010
@my123health – this is serious!!! LASSA FEVER: 5,000 NIGERIANS KILLED, 300,000 INFECTED ANNUALLY – EXPERT; read full story – http://bit.ly/HP7b8b
@CitizensPlatNG – The Enugu State Ministry of Health has received a drugs revolving fund worth N700 million from the Department for International Development.
@BBCAfrica: MSF has called on the#Nigeria government to do more to deal with lead poisoning. http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18031001” ….oh#Nigeria#
@NigeriaNewsdesk: Lagos ACN has berated those who criticised the state government for sacking the striking doctors in its employ.”#noteasy
@omojuwa – Doctors are the only civil servants that are allowed to practice privately without breaking any law!
@PremiumTimesng Sacked doctors are to vacate government quarters immediately or be forcefully ejected
- “
@peteagida:@elrufai. Sir, should the govt blackmail doctors with the oath?”…no need, they willingly and voluntarily subscribed to it…
@DeleOlojede:@elrufai@demho11 Certain kinds of people who should not – or should not be allowed – to strike in public interest”#doctors
- Chukwu – Hospitals will remain open despite strike by labour unions
http://bit.ly/KTbV7I…open is one thing – treating patients another.
@solomonsydelle – Ranbaxy setting up 2nd manufacturing plant in#Nigeriahttp://ow.ly/aO1ME big#pharma coy to produce drugs for#Africa#jobs
@ogundamisi: Jonathan vows to eradicate polio by 2015 (Channels Television, April 24, 2012)#GEJVOWS“…..not by vowing…..
- Imagine any other city with 10 million people and no public sector healthcare – no
#doctors, no ambulances – #onlyinLagos #lagdr
- As LASG continues power tussle with
#doctors….Not a good time for#Lagos citizens to fall ill. It could be a death sentence. #lagdr
- The Nation – ‘Why doctors were fired’ –
#Lagos State Governmenthttp://bit.ly/IXRa0C #whattobelieve #Nigeria
- Thisday –
#Doctors‘ Dismissal in #Lagos, #Nigeria Is Final, Says Lagos Govt http://bit.ly/IXQY1f #whattobelieve
- As
#Lagos#doctors strike continues, 25 general hospitals and Lagos State Univ Teaching Hosp discharges all patients
- The
#Nigerian Medical Association threatens to shut down health sector but LASG says it is not intimidated http://bit.ly/JeNIJr#health
- The new President of the
#Nigerian Medical Association is Dr Osahon Enabulele, a Consultant Physician in UNIBEN. What a time to lead the org
#Lagos State fires 788 medical doctors following their refusal to suspend their 13-day-old industrial action
@olumidecromie A consultant ophthalmologist in OOUTH has been kidnapped for 3 days now. Kidnappers demanding a ransom of N100million@ogundamisi
- Adeoyo Specialist
#Hospital, off Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State in total darkness http://bit.ly/J6YJhE#health#nigeria
- Former Chairman and Secretary of ALGON accused of stealing N2.5bill from
#Nigerians earmarked for PHCs in all 776 LGAs
- Expect Malaria-Eradicating Vaccine by 2025 –
#Nigerian#HealthMinister http://bit.ly/KaOJF9…you would think we are leading the effort!
#Lagos State Government completes 7 new maternal and child care centres across the state http://bit.ly/K1z9xo#Nigeria#health
- Executive Director of NHIS,
#Nigeria, Dr. Abdulrahman Sambo – only about 2.4 million people were enrolled by NHIS
@NigeriaNewsdesk The Ogun government is to start community-based health insurance scheme (CBHIS) in August.
- New study – High rates of
#obesity and#hypertension among Igbos, especially in the urban settings. Thttp://1.usa.gov/J4iiqL#Nigeria
@resourcedat Former Nigeria star Rashidi Yekini has
passed away after suffering from mental illness for the past two years
- AGM of NMA ends with election of new officers. Major achievement of outgoing executive under Dr Idris Omede is “uniting” the Association.
- AGM of
#Nigeria Medical Association holding in#Abuja– Guest of honour @ opening ceremony: First Lady – Dame Jonathan.#interesting choice
- Interview with Dr. Ugo Okoli – National Coordinator of the
#NigerianMidwife Service Scheme http://bit.ly/KtyIXC#health
- DELSUTH, Oghara, acquiring skills & facilities of
#Nigerian medical doctors abroad, to become centre of excellence
@resourcedat CODE OF CONDUCT FOR DENTAL & MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS
- Foreign medical graduates to be tested before practice – MDCNhttp://bit.ly/IChUUb – has always been the rule before “MDCN “exemptions”!
- Chukwu – Boko Haram – new trauma centres at National Hospital & Gwagwalada to soon be completed and commissioned.
http://bit.ly/ICdsVq Boko
- Chukwu – New
#polio eradication emergency plan in#Nigeria different from previous- includes accountability framework
http://www.nigeriahealthwatch.com/
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has…Margaret Mead