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Northern Ireland Office may directly instruct trusts to offer abortion services

abortion services

Northern Ireland Office may directly instruct trusts to offer abortion services

Brandon Lewis could override the Northern Ireland executive and directly instruct the nation’s health trusts to provide abortion services, warning leaders in a leaked letter that the continued delay is unacceptable conduct in public office.

The Northern Ireland secretary wrote to the first minister, Paul Givan, and his deputy, Michelle O’Neill, warning he would soon “have no alternative but to take further steps to ensure that women and girls have access to abortion services as decided by parliament, and to which they have a right”.

The Northern Ireland Office could explore working directly with health trusts to implement the abortion provision if Stormont does not take steps to ensure they do so. Lewis warned in his letter that continued failure could leave Stormont in breach of the European convention on human rights.

In a separate letter to the health minister, Robin Swann, Lewis demanded to see a detailed assessment of progress to date and a roadmap to meeting the March 2022 deadline. He said NIO officials had been blocked from attending meetings with the department – which he called “unacceptable.”

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019 after a Westminster vote led by the Labour MP Stella Creasy. But since Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has not commissioned or funded any services, leaving some trusts to try to provide a service without funding or a framework.

Previously in Northern Ireland abortions were allowed only if a woman’s life was at risk or if she was at risk of permanent damage to her mental or physical health. It meant in most cases that women seeking the service were forced to make sometimes traumatic journeys to England, risking prosecution.

Earlier this year, Lewis said he would take unprecedented action and use parliament to give himself new powers to commission the services. Stormont has been formally directed to commission the services before the end of March 2022, but there has been little material improvement.

A high court judge ruled this month that Lewis had failed to uphold his duties to provide full abortion services in Northern Ireland after a judicial review was brought by a woman told to travel to England for an abortion during the pandemic.

Lewis said earlier he was disappointed in the ruling, adding that he had been the only party to take steps to try to force the executive to provide the services.

In the letter Lewis warned Givan and O’Neill he was prepared to take further unprecedented intervention in Northern Ireland’s health service, saying it was “entirely unacceptable” to attempt to block a legal duty.

“I firmly believe that there is also a moral duty to women and girls to ensure they are afforded their fundamental human rights – the same rights afforded to women and girls in the rest of the UK,” he wrote.

“The executive cannot continue to delay in this matter and the court could well conclude that a decision not to agree to proposals for the commissioning of services breaches article 8 of the ECHR.”

Lewis said he agreed with the judge who called the delay “dispiriting”.

“In fact, I would go further. Those in public office must comply with their legal obligations whether or not they agree with the law in question,” he wrote in the letter.

Lewis said if it became “clear to me” that the Department of Health or executive were “not making sufficient progress, or are intent on blocking this issue, I will have no alternative but to take further steps to ensure that women and girls have access to abortion services as decided by parliament, and to which they have a right”.

Health

NCDC issues public advisory on Lassa Fever, warns of increased spread

FG issues Lassa fever alert, death toll hits 102, cases now 4,632

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC has issued a public health advisory on Lassa fever warning of increased case detection and spread of the viral infection.

The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, raised the concerns following increased reporting of the outbreak by its surveillance teams across the country.

At a press briefing in Abuja, Dr Idris said the death toll from Lassa Fever in Nigeria has risen to 174 out of 1,035 confirmed cases across 28 states and 129 LGAs as of October 13, 2024.

”Lassa fever outbreaks are highly virulent and the loss of human lives resulting from disease are not just statistics but represent the death of beloved family members, spouses and parents.

”In 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 LGAs. In 2023, 28 states and 114 LGAs reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths.

”While we continue to intensify efforts using an all-of-society approach, the public is hereby advised to note that the virus spreads through direct contact with urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats. Contact with objects, household items, and surfaces contaminated with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.

”Consuming food or water contaminated with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats or person-to-person transmission through body fluids of an infected person.

Dr Idris also warned health care professionals to be alert as Lassa fever presents like other common illnesses accompanied by fever, headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting,

While noting that early diagnosis and treatment of the disease greatly increase the chances of patient survival, Dr Idris highlighted the economic cost of Lassa Fever to communities and the healthcare system.

”The disease is also associated with significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages. Heads of households are unable to work when exposed to Lassa fever and when other household members are infected, the cost of care and treatment of the disease strains existing household income pushing households toward poverty.

”Healthcare workers are also vulnerable and the loss of experienced medical personnel due to infection further strains the country’s limited healthcare workforce.”

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Health

Ayedatiwa rolls out free health services for Ondo residents

As parts of efforts towards ensuring residents of Ondo state are in good health at all times, the state government has concluded a three-day free medical outreach across the 18 local government areas of the state.

The medical outreach approved by Governor Aiyedatiwa was implemented the Ondo state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, OSPHCDA under the leadership of the Permanent secretary, Dr Francis Adegoke Akanbiemu and was effectively monitored by primary healthcare coordinators at the council areas.

During the programme which ran simultaneously across the 18 local government areas between Thursday 7th and Saturday 9th of November, 2024 across the eighteen local government areas, beneficiaries including artisans, civil servants, traders, farmers among others were screened for both communicable and non-communicable health conditions.

The beneficiaries were checked for Hepatitis B, Hernia, hypertension, Diabetes and malaria.

Those tested to be having the medical conditions received free drugs and counselling on how to successfully manage the ailments while those that required surgical intervention had been slated for the procedure in tertiary health facilities free of charge.

Some of the primary healthcare coordinators who supervised the exercise were Dr Poghikumo Iduwoni in Ese-odo, Debo Oyewole in Ose, and Dr Olawanle in Irele local government areas.

Speaking with journalists, the coordinators described the turn out of residents for the free medical outreach as impressive.

They said the programme would further lower morbidity rate among the people of Ondo state.

Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs Ebunoluwa Oke, Modupe Ayelomi and Mr Ugochi Benedict who confirmed that they were screened for some ailments and treated at no cost appreciated Governor Aiyedatiwa for giving priority attention to the health of Ondo state people especially at this time when some Nigerians with health challenges could not afford their drugs due to economic hardship.

They expressed their support to the administration of Governor Aiyedatiwa so that they could continue to enjoy free healthcare services.

In a remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ondo state healthcare development agency, OSPHCDA Dr Francis Akanbiemu explained that the free medical outreach was approved by Governor Aiyedatiwa towards ensuring that residents of the state have access to free healthcare services as part of dividends of democracy.

Dr Akanbiemu said the governor had also approved that the programme would now be carried out every three months to make it go round the nooks and crannies of the state.

The permanent secretary restated the commitment of the state government in leading a healthy state through various free healthcare services programmes already being implemented by his administration.

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Health

453 people die from Diphteria In 18 States – FG reveals

The Federal Government has recorded 11,587 suspected cases of diphtheria in the country, with 7,202 confirmed cases from 105 local government areas (LGAs) in 18 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) revealed the figures on Monday, September 25 in an update.

“Most (6,185) of the confirmed cases were recorded in Kano. Other States with cases are Yobe (640), Katsina (213), Borno (95), Kaduna (16), Jigawa (14), Bauchi (8), Lagos (8), FCT (5), Gombe (5), Osun (3), Sokoto (3), Niger (2), Cross River (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1) and Zamfara (1),” the statement said.

The majority of confirmed cases – 5,299 (73.6 percent) – occurred among children aged one to 14 years, with those aged five to 14 suffering the brunt of the disease.

“So far, 453 people have died in confirmed cases, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 6.3%.” it added

It also stated in response to an escalating outbreak involving 80 percent unvaccinated cases, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, established a national emergency task team.

Diphtheria is a dangerous infection caused by a toxin-producing bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

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