The Federal Government, on Thursday, said smoking would soon be banned
in the country as soon as the Anti-Tobacco Bill before the National
Assembly was passed into law.
It also disclosed its readiness to
convene a Universal Health Coverage to help boost strategies towards
improving healthcare delivery.
Minister of Health, Professor
Onyebuchi Chukwu, who spoke in Abuja, at a ministerial platform,
insisted that the Federal Government could no longer condone smoking.
He asked rhetorically: “Why are you smoking? Why are you taking what will kill you? What benefit do you derive from smoking?”
Professor
Chukwu listed his achievements in office in the last two years to
include establishment of National Trauma Centres in the University of
Abuja Teaching Hospital and the National Hospital, Abuja; completion of
Federal Staff Hospital, Jabi, Abuja; completion of Laboratory and
Administrative building of the Nigerian Institute of Pharmaceutical
Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, and rehabilitation and
equipping of several teaching hospitals in the country.
The minster
disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan increased funding for polio
eradication to N4.7billion and made further commitment of N2.5billion
this year with a Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication
constituted to help in the fight against the disease.
He said, “today
in Nigeria, seven of our teaching hospitals can do kidney transplant.
This month, we are expecting International Certification Team on the
Elimination of Guinea Worm in Nigeria.”
No comments:
Post a Comment