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The problems could cost the equivalent of US$57 billion, around 22 per cent of the total national health budget China, plagued with famine six or seven decades ago , is facing an obesity crisis, prompting warnings that more than 65 per cent of adults could be overweight or obese by 2030. Beijing is racing against time before chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular problems place further pressure on the country's healthcare system. Last year, the National Health Commission (NHC) and other government departments launched a three-year plan to tackle the problem, which includes diet and exercise recommendations. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Last month it stepped up its efforts by announcing a plan to introduce m...

Medical experts have said no hospital or doctor deliberately rejects patients but rather refers them to specialist hospitals if their cases exceed the capacity of the facility. The clarification follows a recent outcry by a man, Akinbosola Folajimi, who alleged that a hospital refused to treat his pregnant wife, Kemi, despite being in visible distress. In separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the physicians emphasised that referring a patient should not be misconstrued as rejection or refusal to provide treatment. The health experts also advised Nigerians to seek medical attention early to ensure timely and adequate care, noting that early presentation increases the chances of survival, especially in cases where referrals are necessary, thereby helping to prevent avoidable health emergencies. They urged Nigerians to enrol in health insurance plans, stating that doing so would help prevent cases of referral due to an inability to pay medical bills. ...

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for greater private sector participation in ongoing healthcare reforms, stressing the government cannot singlehandedly shoulder the burden of transforming the nation’s health system. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing critical deficits in the health sector through strategic partnerships and investments. Speaking on Saturday during the commissioning of the newly completed Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Trauma Centre in Sagamu, Ogun State, the Vice President described the facility as a critical addition to Nigeria’s emergency care infrastructure and a symbol of the administration’s resolve to prioritize healthcare delivery. Shettima revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a “comprehensive Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, including the creation of over 8,800 new Primary Healthcare Centres across the country and the upgrade of existing tertiary institutions to handle trauma, oncol...

New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday hailed the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Delhi as a "historic step", marking the national capital's formal inclusion as the 35th state and Union Territory under the Centre's flagship healthcare programme. Speaking to the media, Delhi CM Gupta said the move would finally extend the benefits of the scheme to Delhi's residents. "Hearty congratulations to the people of Delhi. Today, the Ayushman scheme has been implemented in Delhi, and the people of Delhi are finally getting what they are entitled to. I thank the central government and PM Narendra Modi for this," she said. Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh alleged that the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of delaying the scheme's rollout. He announced that the registration process for beneficiari...

Although not an expert in the global health, but the future for Nigeria's healthcare intervention looks bleak. Over the decades, we have over depended on foreign aids in managing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal mortality, and malnutrition. Looking at it critically, it seems only few medical conditions are not supported by foreign aid. Of course it's true regarding the huge chunk of our budget these medications would cost if left to be funded domestically. As someone who works and mingles in the ladder below, I have witnessed a lot of sorrowful occurrences. Ordinary Nigerians and even the healthcare professionals have not help in making the matter good. The gross mismanagement, working solely for the remuneration, and how the locals themselves can manipulate things just to make sure funding for the polio and measles virus vaccine campaign kept coming is abominable. Local community health workers are ravenously taking what little came for th...

Dar es Salaam. Stakeholders have put forward a range of measures to address the ongoing payment disputes between health facilities and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which jeopardise the financial stability and operational capacity of the healthcare providers.The proposed solutions include claims review, regular training and seminars, independent mediation or expert reviews, revisions to national treatment guidelines, and the enforcement of legal and regulatory reforms.Other recommendations call for reducing fraud, improving transparency, enhancing the role of the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (Tira), and strengthening monitoring mechanisms.On April 4, 2025, The Citizen’s sister publication, Mwananchi, reported on the ongoing issues, with sources proposing immediate measures to address the crisis surrounding Tanzania’s health sector.In the 2022/23 fiscal year report, Controller and Auditor General (CAG) Charles Kichere recommended a system to review all rejected c...

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has allayed the fears about the safety of health data even as he urged Kenyans to be patient with the government reforms in the health sector. Appearing before the Senate Delegated Legislation Committee, Duale assured Kenyans that the new health system, which seeks to, among other things, unify patients' records, is tamper-proof. “I would like to assure Kenyans that their health data will be safe with the health data controllers implementing secure network infrastructure,” Duale said. The CS disclosed said the infrastructure is permeated with firewalls, intrusion detection systems and vulnerability assessments. He added that the digital health system will help track down the supply of drugs to health facilities by the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency. The former Environment and Defense CS also dispelled claims that the system is being hosted in a foreign country. “We cannot give the heal...

In a nation where cost often stands in the way of necessary treatment, ordinary citizens are mobilising resources and innovative ideas to bridge the gap. Local clinics are springing up in neighborhoods, community health insurance schemes are pooling funds to reduce treatment costs, and digital platforms are connecting patients to essential services. These initiatives reflect a commitment to mutual support and social justice. In the following guide, we explore how Nigerians are uniting to overcome obstacles and create a more equitable healthcare system for all. ALSO READ: 7 Key lessons for managing healthcare costs in Nigeria during uncertain times EXPLORE: Healthcare breakthroughs transforming wellbeing in Nigeria The commitment of Nigerian communities to improve healthcare affordability is a powerful example of resilience and collective action. By working together through innovative approaches and mutual support, communities are...

By Florence Afriyie Mensah Kumasi, April 4, GNA – Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, Deputy Finance Minister, has reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening medical education and healthcare infrastructure in Ghana. Attesting to this, the Minister said in the recent budget presented in Parliament, the government allocated over GH₵2 billion to healthcare infrastructure between now and 2028. This amount includes GH₵200 million in 2025 alone for critical projects. Mr Nyarko Ampem said the government had among others, ordered for the National Health Insurance to be uncapped, set aside huge funds for key interventions including Free Primary Healthcare and the Ghana Medical Care Trust. Speaking at the 50th Anniversary Launch of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, he noted that, these initiatives reinforced the dedication that every Ghanaian had access to quality health...

Dar es Salaam. While some health centres are grappling with delayed payments and claim rejections, leaving them unable to operate, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) asserts that it is paying valid claims on time.The health centres are complaining about delayed payments of up to six months due to accounting issues and fraud allegations, saying some claims are completely rejected.As a result, some health centre owners claim they have been forced to stop providing services to NHIF members, while others have shut their doors entirely due to operational challenges.However, NHIF's Director General, Dr Irene Isaka, dismissed these claims, telling The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi, on Thursday, 3 April 2025, that:“These claims are not true. The fund is paying valid claims on time, and no centre has been closed due to delayed payments. Centres are closing due to operational issues within the centres themselves.”Health centre owners argue that services for the elderly and chi...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Africa's health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa's already fragile health systems as ODA is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa's spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025--surpassing anticipated external financing inflows--further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. The Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national bu...

Services will include remote monitoring, blood tests, and ultrasound imaging. Farrer Park Hospital and Alliance Healthcare Group Limited have partnered to introduce a new home recovery programme to reduce hospitalisation time and allow patients to recover safely at home. The programme will be managed by Jaga-Me Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Alliance, in collaboration with the hospital's specialists to support patients receiving treatment at home. Key homecare services will include remote monitoring, blood tests, ultrasound imaging, nursing procedures, and intravenous medication administration.

The centre will focus on five key disease areas. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the National Healthcare Group (NHG) have set up a research centre dedicated to health behavioural sciences. The Asian Centre for Health Behavioural Insights and Interventions (HABITS) will focus on five key disease areas, namely infectious diseases, ageing and palliative care, mental wellness, cancer, and metabolic syndromes, with plans to expand its scope over time. HABITS will examine factors influencing health concerns in Singapore and other Asian populations to impact public health policies and support national programmes such as Healthier SG. The initiative brings together over 30 researchers from NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, along with multidisciplinary clinicians from NHG.

Health is “a vast field of action” for Franco-Moroccan cooperation, which is now gaining new momentum, Morocco’s Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tehraoui said, at the kick-off of a scientific day on the evaluation of health cooperation between Morocco and France. At this meeting, attended by diplomats and members of the scientific and medical realms of both countries as part of the “Franco-Moroccan Health Day”, organized jointly by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the National Academy of Medicine of France, the Minister highlighted the excellence of relations between Morocco and France, particularly in the fields of health and scientific research. Recalling that His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of the latter’s recent state visit to the Kingdom, jointly expressed their keenness to strengthen the strategic partnership between Morocco and France, including in the field of health, Tehraoui deemed the action o...

Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Secretary Azmat Mehmood visited Mayo Hospital on Wednesday to review healthcare facilities. He was accompanied by Special Secretary Operations Tariq Mehmood Rahmani and Additional Secretary Technical Dr. Muhammad Waseem. During the visit, the Punjab Health Secretary interacted with patients, inquired about their well-being, and sought feedback on medical services. Expressing displeasure over doctors not wearing overcoats, he emphasized the importance of adhering to professional dress codes. The visit also included a thorough inspection of medicine availability, doctors' attendance, and the functioning of the Chief Minister's Complaint Cell. Azmat Mehmood issued on-the-spot directives in line with the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif to improve patient care services. He instructed hospital authorities to prominently display duty rosters in key locations and questioned official...

Key Takeaways More Americans than ever are unable to afford health care or prescriptions. About 35% of Americans could not afford health care if they needed it Rates are even higher among Black and Hispanic Americans WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 (News) -- The inability to pay for health care has reached a new high in the United States, a new study says. More than one-third of Americans — an estimated 91 million people — say they couldn't afford to access quality health care if they needed it today, according to the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index. “The rising trajectory in the inability to pay for healthcare is a disturbing trend that is likely to continue and even accelerate,” said Tim Lash , president of West Health Policy Center, part of a group of nonprofit organizations focused on healthcare and aging. “Policy action at both the state and federal level is urgently needed, or even more Amer...

By Joyce Chimbi The distance between Kenya’s most vulnerable populations and the health services they need to thrive and contribute fully within our society has always been wide. Our oldest and youngest citizens, people with disability, the chronically ill, people living in poverty, and women are too often left behind in our health system despite multiple programs and investments meant to ensure their care, including the Beyond Zero Initiative that sought to bring maternal and infant mortality down to zero. Kenya’s capital, Nairobi is home to nearly 2.5 million people living in about 200 informal settlements, representing 60 percent of its population. Located just outside Nairobi CBD, Kibra, Africa’s biggest informal settlement and one of the biggest in the world, is home to an estimated 600,000 to 1,000,000 people . “Very bad things happen to poor people. If you are a woman and a person with disability, you will face many problems such as disc...

By Shalini Bhardwaj New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI): The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) is likely to conduct training programs for health professionals in Delhi under the Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme. According to official sources, the Government of India is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Delhi for the scheme's implementation. Speaking to ANI, Dr. Dheeraj Shah, Director of NIHFW, said, " Ayushman Bharat -related training, we have a collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA), and then these courses are designed, which are related to even the technology related to Ayushman Bharat , like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. And these courses also take care of, sometimes, the management of the systems, management of the health systems,...

The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Vietnam Women's Union, Vietnam Television, andMSD, has launched a nationwide campaign to raise public awareness and promote the prevention of diseases related to the human papillomavirus (HPV). The event brought together leaders from the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Women's Union, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper, representatives from international health organizations, medical professionals, and media representatives. Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen speaking at the event. Photo by Thao Nguyen HPV is known to cause several serious health conditions, including cervical, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancers, affecting both men and women. According to Globocan 2022, Vietnam reports approximately 6,200 HPV-related cancer cases annually, with over 2,500 women dying from cervical cancer each year. Projections suggest that without timely intervention, as many a...