Major Commission on Health

Church Yesterday

Kim Warman, our intern minister, gave the sermon yesterday. She presented it with the title, “”Women and Faith: Then Go On and Work.”

Before the sermon, she had several women read the critical steps of trying to get to “equal.” The first person read each section of the constitution or bill of rights or another document. This person read, “1761” or something similar with no mention of women’s rights. The next section also mentioned slave rights as 2/3 of a person.

When the reader mentioned 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was declaimed. In 1865 President Johnson began the process of Reconstruction which lasted just until 1877. Several more bills were named. 1920 was the women’s suffrage act, though it did not stress the right to vote for women of color. Native women until 1924 and some Asian women until the 1950s did not have the full right to vote.

The upshot of all this is to say that women do not yet have the equal rights of men. Why? Because women do not have equal status. We lack sufficient strength in our numbers, even though they exceed the men’s numbers! I believe we have to follow Kim’s advice: Then Go On and Work!

Nigeria Health Watch

Nigeria Health Watch tells us this: The Lancet Nigeria Commission Calls for a New Social Contract on Health!

But what is it? It is a round-up all the needs for the social contract on health without any specifics! I read it all, and was expecting to see some results. But it is just that – a commission.

It is a list of all the concerns that our government needs to address.

The report provides insight into the challenges of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and recommendations to change health policies, improve health outcomes for all Nigerians, and ultimately achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – ‘One Nation, One Health’.

That is a huge order! But it is a start. This commitment is a step in the right direction.

What Stands Out for Me

This stands out for me: A combination of a high burden of maternal and child mortality (and) a reduced yet significant burden of infectious diseases particularly malaria. The poster shows a report detailing an event in June 2022.

So what is the government to do? For me, number one is to reduce the rate of maternal and child mortality. This is a very high number and bodes ill for the country. Can we reduce the numbers? It will take a major initiative to reduce these to an “acceptable” rate, at least a little nearer those of European countries.

But as I think about the number of women in the North who don’t have easy access to medical care. It is staggering.

A few districts have implemented the efforts of the town-wide or district-wide initiatives with training. Many more can follow, provided there is more training. That way fewer women are left on their own.

This and the reduced burden of infectious diseases, especially malaria, will go far. And how will the government take care of this rate of disease?

Buy bed nets! This will certainly not stop all the infectious diseases, but it will do a little. I believe a little will go a long way to reducing the burden of disease as people see the results.

As for the remainder of the Lancet Commission, it will take more than the next few years. But it is a start!