Liberia is officially free of the Ebola virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday Thursday, after the country successfully passed 42 days without a confirmed case of this often-fatal disease, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.

“WHO commends Liberia’s government and people on their effective response to this recent re-emergence of Ebola,” said Dr. Alex Gasasira, the organization’s representative in Liberia.

“WHO will continue to support Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to suspected cases,” he assured.

This is the fourth time that Liberia has been declared free of the virus since the epidemic began in December 2013. The most recent flare-up was traced to a woman who had been exposed to the virus in Guinea and traveled to Liberia with her children. They subsequently became infected thereby spreading the virus.

By late last year, when the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak virtually over, the virus had killed more than 11,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three most seriously affected West African countries.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health’s program to modernize core healthcare services at 98 hospitals and government facilities across the country is being heralded as “the first Government-led program of its kind in Kenya – and one of the largest undertaken to date in Africa to support sustainable healthcare development.” As a technology provider, GE Healthcare will supply the radiology modernization tranche of the program as well as training and technical support for medical staff to ensure the optimal operation of the equipment. Read more. More about GE in Africa in this BRIEFING.

In Pic: Patients wait to be treated at Mgabathi Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya on June 15, 2016. Mgabathi Hospital is one of the 98 hospitals in Kenya that will benefit from the program being led by the Ministry of Health to modernize core healthcare services at key government facilities across the country.

The 19th MEDEXPO, East Africa’s biggest event on the Medical & Health Care Industry is to be held at a new venue from June 16 to 18 this year. Seeking more exhibition and parking space, the trade event will be hosted at the Carnivore Grounds. According to the organizers, Expogroup, the event is already 15% bigger this year presenting exhibitors from 25 countries booked already.

“We are overwhelmed with the response this year on both the international and local fronts.” said Divine Anella, the Public Relations Manager for the event.

“We are very positively expecting a much higher flow of visitors as well this year. Having changed the venue, we will have much more parking space which was missing at the KICC, the previous venue “, she added.Continue reading→

Former minister of health Dr Richard Kamwi says eliminating malaria in Africa by 2030 is possible though it will require concerted efforts.

“We have an array of tools which, when used in combination, give us a very effective method of attack against the disease,” said Kamwi, who is one of the Elimination 8 (E 8) ambassadors.

E 8 is a coordinated eight-country effort intended to eliminate malaria in four southern African countries by 2020, namely, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland and subsequently pave the way for the elimination of malaria by 2030 in four more countries, namely, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Continue reading→

The cornerstone for the phase II construction of Tirunesh Beijing General Hospital was laid yesterday. The expansion is meant to provide special treatment to patients and would be undertaken on 5,750 square meter.

Health Ministry Health Infrastructure Development Director Mekonnen Engida on the occasion said that the project is intended to give specialized maternal and child medical treatment. It is also aimed at providing residential quarter to hospital staff to facilitate service delivery, he added.Continue reading→

Arusha — Loliondo division, not only the second largest but also a remotest division of Ngorongoro District, is under a nasty experience as it depends on a single health facility of Wasso District Designated hospital.

But the Wasso Hospital has problems of its own that include acute shortage of over 70 patient beds, limited medical personnel and regular visits from ferocious wild animals and patients who escape without footing their medical bills, aided by the fact that the entire health centre does not have a fence.
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THE government plans to hire about 10,000 health workers before the end of this financial year, to team up with the current workforce in order to strengthen health service delivery in the country, it was announced.

The Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Hamisi Kigwangala, said this in Dar es Salaam during a ceremony to open the new Aga Khan University (AKU) Nursing and Midwifery training facility.
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Pretoria — Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) helps learners to concentrate better and perform well at school.

The Minister on Friday said more than 75% of public school learners receive a balanced meal daily through the NSNP.
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Kyerwa district has set aside over 200m/- in its budget for construction of a district hospital, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kyerwa, Mr Innocent Sebba Bilikwate has said.

Mr Bilikwate told the ‘Daily News’ in an interview that for quite a long time people depended on Isingiro District Designated Hospital (DDH), which is owned by the Catholic Church.
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A new wave of mobile technology, mHealth, is having a dramatic impact on the way health care is delivered to both urban and rural communities in Kenya.

This technology has tremendous potential to strengthen health systems in low and middle-income counties through better access to knowledge and information, improved service delivery and reduced response time during crises.
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