Medical malpractice is becoming costly, with litigation costs ranging from 2%-10% of total healthcare spending. Obstetrics is under particular scrutiny as amongst the highest litigation settlements. Specialists perceived as being under higher liability risks are likely to practice ‘defensive’ medicine, leading to an increase in unnecessary clinical procedures.  

Abuja, 02 September 2015: A midterm review to assess the performance of two implementation research projects supported by WHO in Nigeria and implemented by the Centre for Integrated Health Program (CIHP) and Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) has ended in Nigeria’s capital Abuja with promising results.

Pretoria, August 2015 - The WHO Country Office is providing technical support to the National Department of Health on various aspects of VMMC with support from the US Government through PEPFAR to be able to meet the ambitious Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) targets by 2016.

To support the National Department of Health’s policy development, the WHO Country Office commissioned a review of policies and programs used to improve the quality of medical care and reduce practice variation.  The review found that quality of care is measurable, and variations in practice have been documented in most countries. Variations in the use of cost‐effective health procedures have important implications for efficacy and cost, and health outcomes.

Banjul, The Gambia, 1st September 2015 - Every year World Malaria Day (WMD) is commemorated on 25th April and the Gambia joined the rest of the international community to mark this event. As part of preparations to mark WMD 2015, a taskforce was formed comprising of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOH&SW), WHO,UNICEF, Catholic Relieve Services (CRS), ActionAid The Gambia, Nyama (CBO), Bill Clinton Foundation and other partners working in health.

Lusaka, 31t August, 2015 - The WHO Representative, Dr. Jacob Mufunda made a donation of 11, 297, 000 tablets of Albendazole 400mg tablets worth K2million to the Ministry of Health for deworming against soil transmitted helminthes in Children.

The launch for the Polio Second Round campaign in Kenya kicked off this weekend with a passionate appeal to parents and care-givers to open their doors for Polio teams so children could be vaccinated.

The campaign targets 11 counties most at risk including  Migori, Garissa, Wajir, Turkana, Marsabit, Tana River, Lamu, Mandera, Narok, Homa Bay and Siaya

WHO and other development partners are assisting the National Department of Health (NDOH) to develop a District Implementation Plan that responds to interventions to ensure that South Africa reaches the HIV and TB 90-90-90 targets. Robust plans are required at district level which need to be integrated with the district planning process and linked to district health plans. Several Country Office professional officers are members of the NDOH Technical Working Group and are facilitating the process at provincial level.

On August 31, Mozambique celebrates the 13th African Traditional Medicine Day on Praça dos Héroes in Inhambane, at 8 AM. Regulation of Traditional Health Practitioners in the African Region is the theme this year, organized by the Institute for Traditional Medicine with support from WHO.

The road to the 200-bed Redemption Hospital in Monrovia is unpaved. During the rainy season it is full of potholes and mud. Patients may have difficulty arriving, but they come, because Redemption is the only public facility in the area and serves some 90 000 people. In August 2014, the hospital was at the center of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. It quickly became overwhelmed and, for a time, had to close its inpatient department.