Speaking after to the press after the cabinet meeting, Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, said the first task of the department would be to find health products for malaria in ‘our forest.’
At its Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the President, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, the Nigerian government approved the establishment of traditional medicine department at the Federal Ministry of Health.
Speaking after to the press after the cabinet meeting, Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, said the first task of the department would be to find health products for malaria in ‘our forest.’
“This will be the first time that this will happen and that department will really provide us the leeway to research into many of our traditional products and the first mandate of this department will be to look into cure for malaria in our forest.”
The Minister also stated that the government had not reached any prior agreement with the Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU): “ But let me also put it on record that when we came on board, JOHESU approached us that they have an agreement with government but we discovered that they was really no agreement with government.
“What they were able to provide were minutes of meetings held previously and we told them that no responsible government will implement minutes of previous meetings and of the fifteen points demands, we have met 14 of them over the one and half years.”
He, however, stated that a high level body has been meeting to end the strike and study the financial implication of their demands: “Government has actually constituted a high level body to look into all aspects of demand including the financial implications and also to plan for the management of consequences of addressing those demands.
“That high level body met last week Tuesday, met again on Thursday, met on Friday, met on Sunday, yesterday and will also be meeting tonight. So we are really at work with respect to this we have done quiet a lot of computation, we have met with finance, we have met with budget and national planning. We are looking into all issues relating to this strike.”
Council also approved funds for the construction of a trauma center in Oweri- the Imo state capital, to handle accident patients along the Port Harcourt, oweri, Enugu axis: “We expect that it will serve as a first class center of care for accident and trauma cases along Port Harcourt, Owerri, Enugu axis and will really change the dynamics of care in these areas,” the Health Minister said.
Furthermore, FEC licensed the agreement between the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NAPRED and May & Baker Plc, for the development of a sickle cell drug called Niprisan.
“This drug was first used in Oyo State over 20 years ago and NAPRED conducted clinical trials to ensure that we are able to document that it is safe, it is efficacious and drug was licensed at an international organization which went into bankruptcy.
“What we have done is to reactivate the product and it will now be marketed in Nigeria through this agreement and we believe that the marketing and production in Nigeria will bring a lot of comfort to millions of Nigerians who are infected with sickle cell gene.”
Adewole emphasized the importance of the drug, by pointing out that 25% of Nigerians have the sickle cell gene.
“As you might be aware, sickle cell disease is a common problem particularly among blacks in Africa, South East Asia and Latin America and it is estimated that about 25 percent of Nigerians carry the sickle cell gene and over two million people have sickle cell anemia, that is having the two genes combined.
“And for many of them, when they are under stress, take ill, what happens is invariably they develop severe bone crisis, they develop infection and some of them will die from this."