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Background: Nigerian Government established National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) including Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) to reduce out-of-pocket health expenses of enrollees, strengthen and ensure access to quality healthcare services. The functionality of the schemes however, revolves round health facilities being able to meet the expectation of the enrollees. Study Objectives: The study assessed the adequacy of the designated health facilities in offering quality healthcare services to the enrollees or potential enrollees under the CBHIS, and to identify likely challenges. Study Design: This is part of a larger prospective cross-sectional study that assessed the implementation of the Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) in selected local government areas of Kwara in the north central and Ogun in the South Western part of Nigeria. Place and Duration of the Study: Health facilities of selected wards from two Local Government Areas in Kwara and Ogun States were assessed between February and May 2015. Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires and health facility assessment checklist were used to assess services rendered, storage of drugs and the vaccines, manpower, training opportunities, available infrastructures and perceived challenges to smooth operation of health facilities designated for CBHIS. Results: A total of twenty designated health facilities were visited and assessed (Seventeen public and three private). Services claimed to be available at the facilities included clinical, nursing, pharmaceutical and laboratory services. The assessment showed inadequacy of some critical human resources for health. Seventeen of the 20 health facilities (85%) had evidence of recent renovation while 3 (15%) had no evidence of renovation. Twelve (60%) had backup supply of electricity from generator or solar panel. Other challenges that could impede quality healthcare service delivery under the CBHIS were identified. Conclusion: The study showed that inadequate personnel, paucity of training opportunities for health workers, poor infrastructures (lack of ambulance services, poor electricity supply and lack of portable water supply) were the main challenges impeding delivery of quality healthcare services to the CBHIS enrollees patronizing the studied facilities.

The deployment of molecular biology techniques for diagnosis and research in Nigeria is faced with a number of challenges, including the cost of equipment and reagents coupled with the dearth of personnel skilled in the procedures and handling of equipment. Short molecular biology training workshops were conducted at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), to improve the knowledge and skills of laboratory personnel and academics in health, research, and educational facilities. Five-day molecular biology workshops were conducted annually between 2011 and 2014, with participants drawn from health, research facilities, and the academia. The courses consisted of theoretical and practical sessions. The impact of the workshops on knowledge and skill acquisition was evaluated by pre- and post-tests which consisted of 25 multiple choice and other questions. Sixty-five participants took part in the workshops. The mean knowledge of molecular biology as evaluated by the pre- and post-test assessments were 8.4 (95% CI 7.6-9.1) and 13.0 (95 CI 11.9-14.1), respectively. The mean post-test score was significantly greater than the mean pre-test score (p < 0.0001). The five-day molecular biology workshop significantly increased the knowledge and skills of participants in molecular biology techniques. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):313-317, 2017.

Nigeria still has a high prevalence of communicable diseases and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases with communicable diseases accounting for 66% of the total burden of morbidity in the country [10]. The top 10 health problems