Our Correspondent|20 June 2017
The Calabar Pharmaceutical Company, CalaPharm is set to partner with the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in Pakistan in the cultivation of Artemisia Annua for Artemisinin production to fight Malaria. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong and the Managing Director of the company Mr Farhan Khan made this public during a briefing at the Ministry headquarters recently.
NegroidHaven learnt, Mr Farhan said some Genetic Engineering specialist amongst others will re-engineer the Artemisia seedlings to suit the soil structure in Calabar and also give insights on how to grow the plant when they visit CalaPharm site. He said this is all in a bid to make malaria drugs readily available as it is one of the most endemic diseases in the country. The scientists are billed to come to Cross River State within the next quarter.
Artemisinin and its semi-synthetic derivatives are a group of drugs used against Plasmodium falciparum malaria but in this context the dried leaves of the plant will be used as regular tea served in customised CalaPharm teabags with no chemical processing or preservatives.
In related news the wife of the Governor, Dr Linda Ayade yesterday in Calabar launched the first ever Home Health Care in Nigeria. She said the launching of the Home Health Care further pulls us closer to the official launch of AyadeCare scheme. She further expressed her delight as she hopes Cross River State in the nearest future would be a hub to refer to in Nigeria in terms of medical care.
The Chairman of the event, Dr. Inyang Asibong, Honourable Commissioner for Health said Vital Signs’ Home Health Care is a component of the Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme, AyadeCare which will kick off in October this year with the aim of making quality Healthcare available, affordable, feasible and accessible for everyone.
The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu lauded the innovation and declared the Agency had donated a building already for the Home Health Care as she expressed her satisfaction.
Giving her remarks, the CEO of Vital Signs and the Chief Hostess of Home Health Care, Dr. Genevieve Barnaby Ephraim said, the programme will slow the growth of Healthcare cost for families, businesses and government.
Same as AyadeCare the programme is designed for everybody, both indigenes and non-indigenes alike and at the same rate of N1000. It is also designed for older people, people who are very sick and cannot make it to the hospital, etc. The event had in attendance all the bigwigs in the Cross River State Health sector including the Ndidem of the Quas, top government appointees, residents of the Calabar metropolis and partners of the health sector.
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