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Published 16 March 2021
The founder of Eko University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lagos, Dr Ibraheem Hameed, has said Nigeria’s manpower in the health sector is inadequate.
Hameed made this known, during the second matriculation of 36 students in the institution.
He explained that the 34 medical schools in Nigeria were not enough to produce professionals who would be able to attend to the over 200 million people in the country.
He said, “With 34 medical schools in place, it may be asked if there is any need for additional medical schools Nigeria. The answer is an emphatic yes. Based on our current population of about 200 million, with a 3.5 per cent annual growth rate from the 2006 census (National Population Commission, 2017), our country is grossly deficient in medical doctors and other health professionals including pharmacists, physiotherapists, nurses, laboratory scientists, etc. “Our health manpower level is so poor that the latest
• Frontline health workers, the elderly may take vaccines first
• Prof. Sofola foresees challenges in storage
Despite assurances on efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is still anxiety as Nigeria awaits arrival of the first consignment this month.
There are questions on the country’s capacity for storage, transportation and who are likely to be first set of recipients. Will it be on alphabetical order, as in states, or geo-political groups; or, will it be first with frontline health workers or the elderly?
In an attempt to douse fears, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, told The Guardian, yesterday: “Every vaccine has occasional side effects; the benefits by far outweigh harm. Nothing else has saved more lives than vaccines,” he said.
• Frontline health workers, the elderly may take vaccines first
• Prof. Sofola foresees challenges in storage
Despite assurances on efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is still anxiety as Nigeria awaits arrival of the first consignment this month.
There are questions on the country’s capacity for storage, transportation and who are likely to be first set of recipients. Will it be on alphabetical order, as in states, or geo-political groups; or, will it be first with frontline health workers or the elderly? x
In an attempt to douse fears, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, told The Guardian, yesterday: “Every vaccine has occasional side effects; the benefits by far outweigh harm. Nothing else has saved more lives than vaccines,” he said.