HEALTH – Page 45 – KMAUPDATES

Jan302020 by ShafiqNo Comments

FEATURE STORIES: Ugandans in China advised to delay return until situation normalizes.

The government through the Ministry of Health has advised Ugandans who are currently in China to ‘delay their return until situation is in control. Government has also cautioned Ugandans not to travel to China. This follows an outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) and by January 28, 2020, a total of 4593 confirmed cases with 106 deaths had been reported in China. Another 56 confirmed cases had been reported in 14 countries outside China including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, France and Germany. Dr. Charles Olaro, the Director of General Health Services at the Ministry of Health has now issued a statement to address Uganda’s risk situation and preparedness following this outbreak. In a statement...

Jan292020 by ShafiqNo Comments

UGANDA: Ministry of Health hid UGX27b donor fund from govt.

AFRICA, HEALTH, UGANDA

The just-released December 2019 audit report has revealed that the Ministry of Health hid Shs27b it received as donor funding from Government in 2019. The report by Auditor General John Muwanga highlighted that off-budget financing received by the Ministry of Health to a tune of USD. 6,202,468.79 approximately Shs22,801,849,818.38 and Shs4,678,591,035 totaling to Shs27.480Bn was not paid into the Consolidated Fund contrary to the PFMA, 2015. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance will have to explain to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee why she paid Shs2.742Bn to ghost pensioners after auditors revealed that the funds were paid out as pension without the Responsible Officers verifying the salary, gratuity and pension payment files sent to the IPPS/IFMS....

Jan282020 by ShafiqNo Comments

HEALTH: All you need to know about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL

By January 7 2020, it was confirmed that a new coronavirus now named 2019-nCoV had spread from animals to humans. As of Monday January 27,2020, 80 people had died from 2,744 cases in China. While there have been confirmed cases in Asia, Europe and the United States, WHO is yet to declare it a global health emergency. WHO is working with authorities in China to fill the information gaps, and contain the outbreak. “We don’t know the source of this virus, we don’t understand how easily it spreads and we don’t fully understand its clinical features or severity. WHO is working with our partners… to fill the gaps in our knowledge as quickly as possible,’‘ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General said. Origin Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that normally ci...

Jan272020 by ShafiqNo Comments

HEALTH: Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 81 as China extends holiday

HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL

The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread. On Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and centre of the outbreak. The number of deaths in Hubei province has climbed from 56 to 76, with five deaths elsewhere. Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans. In Shanghai, the government has stopped businesses from returning to work until 10 February. The ban applies to all companies apart from utilities, medical firms, medical suppliers, and supermarkets. Meanwhile, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is in Beijing to discuss the outbreak with the Chinese government and health experts. ...

Jan252020 by ShafiqNo Comments

CHINA: Death toll rises in China as coronavirus spreads.

HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL

The death toll from a newly-discovered coronavirus in China has risen to 41 on the day of the Lunar New Year. Another 15 deaths in Hubei province, where the outbreak began, were announced on Saturday. Health officials are struggling to contain the outbreak as millions of people travel for the Chinese new year, one of the most important events. Many festivities have been cancelled. There are now more than 1,200 confirmed cases in China. The virus has also spread to Europe, with three cases confirmed in France. The UK is investigating a number of suspected cases, with officials trying to trace around 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from Hubei province. Australia has also confirmed several cases in Melbourne and Sydney, joining a handful of countries treating...

Jan242020 by ShafiqNo Comments

UGANDA: “89 sub-counties lack health centers”, Sarah Opendi

HEALTH

The former minister of health in- charge of General Duties, Sarah Opendi has said that the Ministry of Health has failed to extend health centres to all sub-counties across the country. She was on Thursday speaking at the handover ceremony to Robinah Nabbanja, the incoming Health Minister in charge of General Duties. Opendi who heads to Ministry of Energy said that 89 sub-counties don’t have a single health facility. She said that the absence of health centres affects the delivery of health services. She who was appointed State Minister for Energy urged colleagues that she leaves in leadership at the Ministry of Health to prioritize improving health services in mountainous areas. Other key areas and issues that she leaves incomplete, Opendi mentioned the National Drug ...

Jan242020 by ShafiqNo Comments

HEALTH: What 100 years means to your health.

HEALTH

Kenya's first Attorney-General Charles Mugane Njonjo is celebrating his 100th birthday today. At 100, Mr Njonjo, also referred to by other monikers like "Sir Charles" or "Duke of Kabeteshire", has surpassed the current global and local life expectancies pegged at 80 and 60 respectively. Longer lifespans have been attributed to improved medical care, diet and nutrition, as well as general wellbeing. But an expanding ageing population is a double-edged sword. With age comes the wrinkles and grey hair. But do you know how aging will affect your teeth, heart and sexuality? Biologically, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This, the World Health Organisation (WHO) notes, leads to a gradual decre...

Jan242020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Avail yourselves for cervical cancer screening, First Lady urges women and girls

AFRICA, Business, EAST AFRICA, HEALTH

NAIROBI,KENYA First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has challenged women and girls to avail themselves for cervical cancer screening as the world commemorates cervical cancer month. <!-- /* F First Lady Margaret Kenyatta tours various free clinics during the 5th edition of the Beyond Zero Medical Safari in Nairobi County. Also present is Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki. The First Lady said cervical cancer has become a major health concern afflicting many Kenyan families with significant social and economic implications. “January is the month when globally, and as a country, we escalate our call for the elimination of cervical cancer – this is the leading cancer afflicting our women in Kenya,” the First Lady said as she launched a free three-day medical camp at Uhuru Park...

Jan222020 by ShafiqNo Comments

UGANDA: Health ministry gets CoST Uganda 2019 Infrastructure Transparency Award

HEALTH

The Ministry of Health has been awarded the CoST Uganda 2019 Infrastructure Transparency Award for exceptional commitment in adoption & promotion of CoST approach of; Disclosure, Assurance, Multi-Stakeholder Working, and social accountability. The award was received by SPRO, Ainebyoona Emmanuel While giving the award, the Minister for Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala lauded the Ministry of Health on the infrastructural developments across the country. “Congratulations MOH on a well done Kayunga Hospital project” The health ministry was further appreciated by CoST Uganda for following PPDA procedures during the bidding process and promoting local content. Timely delivery of projects within scope and quality was also highlighted as a key area of success – as...

Jan182020 by ShafiqNo Comments

AFRICA: African leaders in Togo to help fight fake drug menace

AFRICA, HEALTH

Seven African leaders are in Lome, capital of Togo, as a summit against fake drugs kicked off on Friday (January 17). The two-day summit is under the aegis of the Brazzaville Foundation. It is the first time African heads of state are gathering on the issue of fake drugs on the continent which continues to plague especially sub-Saharan Africa. Discussions at the political and health level are on the agenda to build a reliable strategy. President Faure Gnassingbe is hosting colleagues such as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Congo Republic’s Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Niger’s Mahamadou Issoufou, Macky Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Adama Barrow from The Gambia. The Togolese described the phenomenon of fake drugs as a daily humanitarian scandal and that the ...

Jan172020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Fake drugs: How bad is Africa’s counterfeit medicine problem?

AFRICA, HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL

The proliferation of fake medicines in Africa is a public health crisis that can no longer be ignored, according to a UK charity. There's a meeting of seven African countries, in Togo, this week, to combat the problem. Congo, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Uganda, Ghana and The Gambia will discuss measures to clamp down on trafficking in fake medicines, says the Brazzaville Foundation. But how big a problem is counterfeit medicine in Africa, and what impact does it have? How many counterfeit drugs are there? Globally, the trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals is worth up to $200bn (£150bn) annually, with Africa among the regions most affected, according to industry estimates. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 42% of all fake medicines reported to them between 2013 and ...

Jan72020 by ShafiqNo Comments

New Alert to our Fellow-Citizens living in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria

AFRICA, Business, HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL, KENYA, UGANDA, Zambia, ZIMBABWE

Our community living in those regions is called to follow-up carefully the situation through the apps as mentioned in previous posts CANBERRA, Australia, January 7, 2020/ -- The recent fires burning on either side of New South Wales and Victoria are still expected to merge later this week despite relief, especially following yesterday’s rains, from severe weather conditions. As there is a concern over fires burning out of control in both states could form a "mega fire", our community living in those regions is called to follow-up carefully the situation through the apps as mentioned in previous posts. In case any emergency arise, our fellow-citizens are called to follow the instructions below:

Jan32020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Region on the brink: FRESH Ebola scourge

HEALTH

40 new cases hit remote areas The Democratic Republic of Congo is on the brink of an Ebola outbreak a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated These after 29 new cases were reported from 18 to 31 December 2019, in the usually vulnerable North Kivu province. The recorded cases were reported from eight health areas in four health zones: Mabalako , Butembo , Kalunguta , and Katwa . The report highlights three of the four cases reported in Butembo that are linked to a transmission chain of more than 50 people that originated in Aloya Health Area, Mabalako Health Zone. It has been confirmed one individual classified as a relapse case of EVD, infected several other individuals within the family In just the past 21 days, 40 confirmed cases were rep...