Health news.
WASPEN President Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds advocates for integrating clinical nutrition care into Nigeria's healthcare system, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach to tackle hospital malnutrition
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a stark warning to states and local governments that Nigeria has a narrow window to close critical gaps in Lassa fever preparedness before the peak transmission season begins. With infections among healthcare workers rising, funding delays persisting, and many treatment facilities lacking functional capacity, the agency has launched an Accelerated Readiness Plan and warned that waiting for cases to rise is no longer an option.
The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has been ranked as Nigeria's best hospital in the 2026 Global Health Rankings, cementing its reputation as the nation's premier tertiary healthcare institution. The ranking, which assesses hospitals across clinical outcomes, patient safety, research output and healthcare innovation, places UCH ahead of other leading Nigerian facilities, reaffirming its status as the pioneer teaching hospital in Nigeria.
Zamfara State has recorded 44 deaths and 367 suspected cases of diphtheria, prompting the government to extend school closures and activate emergency response teams across all 14 local government areas
Despite being preventable, Lassa fever and diphtheria continue to claim thousands of lives in Nigeria due to critical gaps in diagnostics, sanitation, and routine immunization.
The Federal Government has formally transferred title documents for two Yaba properties to Biovaccines Nigeria Limited, fulfilling its 49% equity stake in the joint venture with May & Baker aimed at reviving domestic vaccine manufacturing.
Lagos State's public hospitals are groaning under an unprecedented patient surge, with outpatient attendance doubling in just six months as rising healthcare costs push residents away from private facilities. Health Commissioner Prof. Akin Abayomi reveals that doctors are now seeing thousands of patients daily, working under crushing strain amid a crippling brain drain, as the state prepares to enforce compulsory health insurance to stem the crisis.
eHealth Africa says more than 23 million children were vaccinated against polio and other preventable diseases across 15 Nigerian states in the first half of 2026, backed by digital microplanning tools deployed in over 205,000 settlements.
The Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) has raised the alarm that more than 24 million Nigerians are currently living with sight loss, with a staggering 84 per cent of cases attributed to preventable and avoidable causes. As the society pushes for urgent action, the Federal Government has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy combining AI-powered screening, expanded health insurance, and ambitious targets for free cataract surgeries and spectacles to confront the growing crisis.
A devastating diphtheria outbreak has claimed 39 lives, mostly infants aged six to ten months, across 10 local government areas in Zamfara State, with health workers racing against time to contain the spread. As UNICEF reveals that only 22 per cent of confirmed cases nationally had received routine immunisations, authorities are confronting the deadly consequences of missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent vaccine hesitancy.
A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has issued a stark warning that the belief that reaching a tertiary hospital guarantees survival during childbirth is no longer true in Nigeria. Presenting findings from a national study that recorded 998 maternal deaths and 1,451 near-misses across 42 public hospitals, the expert revealed that systemic failures, acute equipment deficits, severe brain drain, and institutional delays are the new killers, even for women who make it to the facility alive.
Healthcare professionals and stakeholders are championing home-based healthcare as a viable solution to Nigeria's overstretched hospitals, workforce shortages, and patients' access challenges. At a summit in Lagos, experts called for greater adoption of the model, which they said could decongest facilities, create employment for idle nurses, and improve patient outcomes—particularly for the elderly and those with mobility issues.
