Category: Medical & Health

“Tunisia activated the health monitoring system at its borders and set up a joint committee which will meet shortly to take the necessary measures to prevent the bed bug from getting into the country after its recent spread in France,” said Environment Health Director at the Health Ministry Samir Ouerghemmi. Tunisia stepped up control at all border crossings, the official further told TAP. The bed bug had not entered Tunisia so far. Bed bugs are insects that live in houses, damp places, mattresses , closets and especially beds and are linked to poor hygiene, Ouerghemmi said. “They spread rapidly, prefer darkness and feed on human blood,” he added. Bed bugs die in temperatures of over 60°C. France, the official said, had been hit with the fast spread of bed bugs in houses, public spaces and means of transport for around two weeks now. Morocco detected Monday bed bugs on a boat from France and immediately activated its health monitoring system.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Angolan Vice President, Esperança da Costa, this Monday reinaugurated the Neves Bendinha Specialised General Hospital, in Luanda, after it uderwent deep rehabilitation, refurbishment and re-equipping.

With the rehabilitation, the new infrastructure, also known as “Hospital dos Queimados”(burn hospital), will gain new beds, three laboratories, Intensive Care Unit, and a Telemedicine Centre, as well as new wards.

With the new, fully-equipped laboratory, the Neves Bendinha Hospital will be able to carry out microbiological tests to determine the degree of infection in a safe and concrete way.

With the new operating room, the medical team will be able to streamline and increase the number of surgeries, reducing the waiting list.

Neves Bendinha, whose rehabilitation works lasted four years, has the capacity of 96 beds for in-patients.

After doing the unveiling act, Vice President Esperança da Costa – accompanied by the Minister of State for Social Affairs, Dalva Ringote, ministers, and the Luanda Province governor, among other Health Ministry’s senior staff – watched an institutional video on the different stages that involved the rehabilitation of this specialised hospital.

The Vice President also took a tour of the infrastructure through which she received information on the functioning of several areas.

Neves Bendinha General Hospital was operating provisionally in the Zango Urban District in Viana Municipality and, according to the director, the process of transferring the patients is already underway.

Meanwhile, a new Burn Hospital has been under construction since 2022 in the Kilamba Sattelite City and it should be completed by March next year.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

The Vice-President of Angola Esperança da Costa is due to re-inaugurate Monday, the Neves Bendinha Burn Hospital located in Luanda, after being given a facelift that enabled the expansion of the premises.

With the expansion, the hospital will have 93 new beds to accommodate patients, three laboratories, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and telemedicine.

According to a note that reached ANGOP, burn patients, who had been treated and those admitted to a municipal hospital will begin to be transferred to Neves Bendinha burn hospital from October 3.

The facelift enabled the Block 1 to be equipped with a state-of-the-art laboratory, sterilization, a drug store with specific drugs for burns and others in common use and an 81-seat auditorium and administrative areas.

The Block 2 has been equipped with a library and meeting room with video conference, while Block 3 provides maintenance and supportive services.

The ICU has been equipped with 13 beds, three isolation beds for infectious diseases. The laboratory service has three rooms, two for clinical analysis (internal and external) and one for microbiology.

President João Lourenço had instructed the repair and expansion of the burn hospital based on the allocation of financial resources from the oil bonus for this purpose, this occurred after he leant about the advanced state of decay the hospital was found during a visit he paid in 2018.

Neves Bendinha Burn Hospital is a reference health unit in the country, whose mission is to provide humanized services to burn patients

Source: Angola Press News Agency

The European Union (EU), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have handed over a substantial donation of IT equipment to Kenya’s Ministry of Health. The international partners made a generous donation of IT equipment that comprises seven laptops, 37 desktop computers, 37 Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs), 37 power extension cables, and four access points, all geared towards sustaining public health infrastructure. Speaking while receiving the donation at Afya House, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms. Mary Muriuki expressed gratitude, emphasizing the unwavering dedication of the international allies to the cause of public health. The PS noted that Kenya’s healthcare sector has been diligently working towards transitioning from a curative approach to a preventive and promotive model through Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She highlighted that the transformation rests on four key pillars: Human Resource for Health (HRH), Health Care Financing, Commodity Security, and Digital Health, adding that the strategic distribution of the equipment will align with the UHC Digital Health pillar. According to the PS, the IT assets will be strategically placed not only within the Ministry of Health but also at critical border points such as Busia, Malaba, Mandera, and Moyale. Recognizing that diseases do not respect borders, Muriuki said the goal is to facilitate seamless communication and data sharing among the mentioned regions while the approach aims to enhance coordination and cohesion in responding to public health threats. Muriuki asserted that IT equipment’s real-time monitoring and data analysis capabilities will be instrumental in swiftly detecting and containing outbreaks, preventing them from crossing borders and endangering communities. She added that, by strengthening laboratory systems, these tools will empower scientists and healthcare professionals to conduct precise diagnostics and groundbreaking research. In a flashback amidst the ongoing challenges posed by diseases like COVID-19 and other potential future pandemics, the PS disclosed that the IT equipment stands as the cornerstone of prevention, preparedness, and response efforts. She said similarly, the devices will facilitate scenario modeling, response simulations, and the development of strategies to reduce the impact of future health crises and as a result, the proactive approach aims to build a healthcare system that is not only resilient but also well-prepared to face future challenges. “Furthermore, these assets will revolutionize our Health Management Information Systems, streamlining data collection, storage and analysis. The transformation will empower us to make informed decisions, efficient resource allocation and ultimately enhance healthcare planning,” Muriuki said Accepting the donations, Muriuki emphasized that the IT devices symbolized hope, progress, and the potential to save lives. She maintained that their significance goes beyond technology; they embody the commitment to foster cross-border collaboration and fortify responses to the myriad challenges facing public health. In addition, the PS said that the donation of IT equipment signifies a pivotal moment in Kenya’s collective efforts to strengthen public health systems and promote cross-border collaboration.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The national government will spend more than Sh2.3 billion on the upgrading of health facilities to level three status, the head of infrastructure development in the ministry of health, Michael Thuita, has said. Mr. Thuita, who was speaking at Urenga Health Centre in East Ugenya Ward, Siaya County, during the handover of the site for the upgrading of the facility to a level three status, said that the countrywide project will see each of the counties benefit to the tune of Sh50 million each. The officer said that once complete, the facility will have, among other facilities, an in-patient wing, an X-ray wing, and laboratory wings to enhance service delivery to the local residents. ‘This is a national government project, and the upgrade will take 52 weeks,’ he said, adding that once they are done, the facility will be handed over to the county government for management. Thuita called on the county government of Siaya to prepare to upgrade the staff at the facility to enable the residents to fully benefit from the upgrade. Siaya County Director of Public Health, Kennedy Orwenjo, hailed the national government for funding the upgrade, adding that it will go a long way in improving healthcare services in Ugenya Sub County. ‘The paediatric and post-natal wards, together with the theatres, ultrasound, and laboratory services, will go a long way in improving the facility’s ability to deliver quality health care to the residents,’ said the director. He added that the upgraded facility will also provide an opportunity for the Ugenya Kenya Medical Training Centre trainees to gain practical skills. The head of the facility, Rabin Awandu, said they expect the number of patients seeking services at the facility to improve from the current 1,700 once the upgrade is complete. ‘We also expect the number of deliveries, which stands at 20 per month currently, to increase,’ he said. Ugenya Member of Parliament David Ochieng, who also attended the handover ceremony, called for a cordial relationship between the national government and the devolved units. ‘The Ministry of Health has many things that counties can benefit from, and this can only be achieved when relationships are better and people talk to each other,’ said the legislator. He urged the ministry of health to consider hastening the process of upgrading the facility further to level four once the current upgrade is complete.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Jacaranda Health, Kenya-based non-profit making organization is among the 15 entities in Africa that benefitted from the $25 million funding from multinational Google.org to promote maternal health provision.

Head of Technology at Jakaranda Health Jay Patel said they received $1.2 million in grant from the funds and additional support from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, to extend lifesaving AI-driven support to underserved mothers across Kenya, and wider Sub Saharan Africa.

In a press release he said the grant signified a major milestone in empowering the organization in touching the lives of more mothers in Kenya through our digital solution PROMPTS to facilitate safe maternal health, while ensuring that all newborns received a secure and healthy start in life.

Patel said the organization’s AI-enabled digital health tool PROMPTS supports new and expectant mothers to access care through free SMS messages that improved rapid provision of health services during and after pregnancy, and rapid, targeted referral for potentially-high risk cases. This project marks Jacaranda’s next big step in AI innovation.

‘With Google funding, Jacaranda’s 100% Kenyan technology team will develop and deploy a first-in-kind generative AI model capable of offering context-sensitive information to women in multiple African languages and dialects, and rapidly detecting life-threatening risks before it’s too late.

Lilian Nyamusi, one of the beneficiary of the Jakaranda Health

He said Jacaranda’s ambition was to reach out to at least three million women across Sub Saharan and was keen to create a blueprint for harnessing the full potential of AI for maternal and newborn health support across Africa by leveraging on their open-source model.

‘We know gaps in maternal and newborn health could be addressed by AI especially where local teams can cheaply and easily customize to their contexts to achieve maximum impact by ensuring every expectant mother accesses the right information’ he said.

James Manyika, Google’s SVP of Research, Technology and Society said out of many submitted proposals, 15 were selected for funding adding that all of the projects will be open-sourced.

‘Each of the 15 selected organizations share our vision for using AI to accelerate progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and each organization brings their own expertise to help move the needle,’ he said.

Jacaranda Health is one of 15 organizations receiving support through the $25 million philanthropy challenge for projects that use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate progress towards these goals.

Jacaranda Health Google.org’s AI for the Global Goals Impact Challenge is part of Google’s company-wide commitment to help accelerate progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: Kenya News Agency

An 11-day-old newborn has undergone a successful surgery to remove a catheter (foreign object) that was lodged next to her heart on Sunday at Luanda’s Cardiopulmonary Diseases Hospital Complex.

“This is the first surgery carried out on a child of that weight and age, whose life was at risk due to the catheterization,” said the director of the institution’s Cardiovascular Service, Valdano Manuel.

The doctor explained that the child, who was born weighing four kilos and 200 grams, arrived at the hospital from a private clinic, where a foreign object measuring 23 centimeters was found.

The surgery, which lasted around three hours, with the support of 20 health professionals, was carried out to prevent the foreign object from reaching the lung.

Another concern, the doctor said, was the small size of the newborn’s heart, considering that if the foreign object had reached the lung, it would cause difficulties in getting blood to the lung that could eventually lead to the child’s death.

The director stressed that the surgery was difficult due to the size of the child, which made the procedure complex, sensitive and difficult making it challenging for the medical team.

Anesthesiologist Belmira Luís, one of the members of the operating team, explained that they had to be cautious due to the patient’s age, combined with the conditions in the room: “We had to have the right conditions to carry out the surgery successfully. The child was stabilised eight hours later”, she said.

Cardiac surgery specialist Josyneide de Carvalho said that the operation represented a historic milestone, as it was the first operation on a child of this age. “The patient is stable and could leave intensive care within 48 hours,” she said.

Inaugurated in November 2021, the Cardio-Pulmonary Diseases Hospital Complex employs around 1,890 professionals, from doctors, nurses, diagnostic technicians and administrative staff.

The facility covers an area of 49,940 squares equipped with modern, state-of-the-art equipment that guarantees the diagnosis and treatment of cardio-pulmonary diseases.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

The County Government of Busia plans to establish at least two mental health units in each of its seven Sub-counties.

The County Deputy Governor, Arthur Odera, while speaking Saturday during a forum to mark the international suicide prevention day at Amerikwai Primary School in Teso South Sub County, said that the county leadership is committed to improving the entire health sector.

‘We know that a healthy population is a productive population, which will bring the next generation to take this county forward,’ he said.

Odera, who doubles as the CEC Member for Health, added that the Department also plans to increase the number of staff within the mental health sector so that residents can access the services even at the grassroots level.

‘Right now we only have psychiatrist nurses and counselling psychologists,’ he said, adding that the county leadership will employ a psychiatrist who will establish the unit at the County Referral hospital.

The deputy governor further expressed the county’s willingness to work closely with the relevant non-governmental organisations to ensure that stigma connected to mental health issues is alleviated.

‘We will work with you to spread the message of mental health across this county,’ said Odera.

Erick Wandera, a psychologist from Friendly Innovative Development Solutions (FIDS), noted that men were more susceptible to committing suicide than women.

Wandera noted that according to the WHO, suicide is ranked third among the major causes of death among youth aged 15 to 19.

Javan Olocho, in charge of the mental health department at the Busia County Referral Hospital, said that the facility recorded 54 cases of suicide last year.

‘We managed to handle the cases successfully, but unfortunately we lost seven lives,’ he said, adding that 80 suicide cases have been reported at the facility from January to August this year, with nine of them leading to death at the county referral hospital alone.

Olocho further stated that reports from Sub County hospitals have not been established due to a shortage of staff to serve there.

Rose Wandaki, the Director of FIDS, however, stated that the organisation has come up with empowerment programmes to support women in the community so as to reduce gender-based violence, which is seen as a major cause of mental health challenges.

‘We have done women’s empowerment sensitization so that they can be independent and be able to help the men in providing for the home, and this has reduced the number of cases of gender-based violence,’ she said.

According to the World Health Organisation report, at least 800,000 suicide incidences have been reported per year, which means that every 40 minutes, one person commits suicide.

Source: Kenya News Agency

50 more infections of coronavirus were reported in the governorate of Mahdia from August 27 to September 9, the Local Health Directorate of Mahdia said.
3 patients are currently in the hospital, Local Health Director Sami Boudaoura told TAP on Saturday, adding that medical teams are carrying out rapid antigenic tests on nasal swabs to detect the virus.
Vaccination against the COVID-19 for the elderly is still underway in the governorate, he underlined.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse