The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria currently bears the highest burden of tuberculosis and pediatric HIV.
It says the country also accounts for 50% of neglected tropical diseases in Africa.
WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo made the disclosure during the 6th annual conference of the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHEJ) organised in collaboration with the WHO at Akwanga, Nasarawa state.
It was themed ‘Universal Health Coverage (UHC): How Can Nigeria Get it Right – the Role of the Media’.
Represented by Ahmed Khedr, Field Presence Cluster Lead, WHO, he said although the prevalence of malaria is declining from 42% to 23%, the country contributes 27% of global cases and 24% of global deaths.
“Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 29% of all deaths in Nigeria with premature mortality from the four main NCDs; hypertension, diabetes, cancers, malnutrition accounting for 22% of all deaths, ” he said.
“Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 29% of all deaths in Nigeria with premature mortality from the four main NCDs; hypertension, diabetes, cancers, malnutrition accounting for 22% of all deaths, ” he said.
President of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ), Hassan Zaggi , said when people in the rural communities fall sick, the first and nearest health facility to them is the Primary Health Centre (PHC), adding that however most people cannot access services at these health facilities because of Out of Pocket Payment.
He said lawmakers at both the federal, state and local government levels should enact relevant laws that would support and improve the attainment of UHC through heal
DAILY TRUST
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