Category: Health

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially commissioned ten newly completed health infrastructure projects at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, as part of his administration’s ongoing efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system Represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Tinubu described the development as a crucial component of his administration’s comprehensive strategy to modernize healthcare facilities and ensure universal access to affordable and quality health services across the country. Nationwide Health Reform in Motion Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, Prof. Pate conveyed President Tinubu’s commitment to building a robust and inclusive healthcare system for all Nigerians. He emphasized that the improvements at UATH are part of a broader plan affecting all federal tertiary hospitals, medical centres, and specialized institutions across Nigeria. “This is only one example. Across all federal tertiary hospitals in Nigeria, similar projects are ongoing,” Pate said. “These include infrastructure upgrades, advanced medical technology installation, and strengthened human capacity to provide quality healthcare services.” The Minister further noted that over the past two years, the Federal Government has made significant investments in modernizing hospital equipment, retaining skilled professionals, and developing operational frameworks to ensure efficient and cost-effective healthcare delivery. Focus on Cancer Treatment and Primary Healthcare According to President Tinubu’s message, cancer care has emerged as a central priority in the government’s health reform agenda. Six major cancer treatment infrastructure projects are currently underway—three are expected to be commissioned next month, and the remaining three are scheduled for completion by Q3 2025. Tinubu also reaffirmed his administration’s strong commitment to improving primary healthcare, citing over 37 million patient visits to primary health centres in the first quarter of 2025, under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF). He noted that more than 4,000 caesarean sections had been reimbursed under public health programmes during the same period. Additionally, he highlighted an increase in health insurance coverage, with over 2.4 million Nigerians newly enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the first part of the year. Commendation for UATH Leadership The President lauded the leadership of Professor Bissallah Ekele, Chief Medical Director of UATH, for his visionary and results-driven management of the institution. He noted that Ekele’s efforts serve as a model for federal tertiary hospitals across Nigeria. Prof. Ekele, in his remarks, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health for their continuous support and timely release of funds, which enabled the hospital to acquire essential equipment for both clinical services and training purposes. “Our functions at UATH go beyond clinical care. We’re involved in undergraduate and postgraduate training, research, and unique programmes such as the remediation of foreign-trained medical graduates,” Ekele said. In 2024 alone, 94 foreign-trained doctors enrolled in UATH’s remediation programme, with 90 passing their qualifying exams in Ibadan. Details of the 10 Commissioned Projects The ten newly commissioned medical infrastructure projects at UATH include: These projects aim to enhance clinical efficiency, boost patient care quality, and improve training environments for future medical professionals. With more such initiatives planned across the country, the Tinubu administration is positioning healthcare reform as a central pillar of its “Renewed Hope Agenda,” with the ultimate aim of ensuring every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare, regardless of geography or social status.

The Spanish government is tightening enforcement of its long-standing ban on surrogacy by prohibiting its embassies and consulates from registering children born through the practice abroad. New regulations, set to take effect Thursday, will cancel all pending registration cases and bar diplomats from accepting foreign birth certificates naming Spanish citizens as parents of surrogate-born children. Although surrogacy has been illegal in Spain since 2006, Spanish couples have long bypassed the ban by securing court rulings in countries where surrogacy is legal and presenting those documents at consulates to register the child in Spain. That loophole closed in December 2023, when Spain’s Supreme Court declared the practice of recognizing foreign surrogacy rulings as illegal. The crackdown comes amid growing political consensus against surrogacy. While rare in Spain’s polarized politics, the move has united voices from both the far right and far left, who oppose the practice on ethical and feminist grounds. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s left-wing government has been especially vocal, labeling surrogacy a form of exploitation in recent legislation and court submissions. In the 2023 reform of Spain’s abortion law, surrogacy was described as “violence against women,” and the Supreme Court echoed this sentiment, calling it a violation of the surrogate’s moral integrity and a commodification of children. The new regulations require that a child’s legal parentage can only be determined after the child arrives in Spain. In such cases, only the biological parent — typically the father — may be registered, while the non-biological partner must apply for adoption after the surrogate formally relinquishes custody. Spain is not alone in cracking down on surrogacy. Italy, under right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has criminalized traveling abroad for the purpose of surrogacy and restricted birth certificate registrations to biological parents only — a move seen as part of her broader campaign targeting LGBTQ+ families. Further restrictions in Spain are expected in a forthcoming human trafficking bill, which could codify even stricter measures against surrogacy.