Frontpage News (3256)
The Nigerian government has increased maternity leave to four months. Under the Nigerian Labour Law passed in 2004, a woman working in the country’s civil service has the right to maternity leave of three months, as long as she provides a medical certificate stating she should not or cannot work.
The medical certificate allows her to stay off work for 12 weeks – six weeks before the birth of her baby and six weeks after.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has approved the use of five investigational therapeutics to treat Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), marking the first time such treatments have been available in the midst of an Ebola outbreak in the country, the WHO said.
The WHO said four of the five approved drugs are currently in the country, which are Zmapp, GS-5734, REGN monoclonal antibody combination, and mAb114, under the framework of compassionate use and expanded access.
A new prostate cancer Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material test identifies the one in 100 men who are six times more at risk of developing the life-threatening disease. Researchers identified 63 new genetic mutations that are linked to the condition, which they combined with more than 100 DNA variants that were already known to cause the condition, to create the test, which could cost as little as £30.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics. One percent of men carry many of these risky genetic variations, putting them at a much higher risk of prostate cancer than the average male, a study found today. These DNA mutations tend to occur in cells that regulate communication between the immune system and other parts of the body, which could pave the way for new treatments, according to the researchers.
A coffee cup-sized implant that mimics the functions of the human kidney could be a life-saving option for patients with chronic kidney disease. According to DailyMail UK Online, the implant is expected to begin trials later this year and if successful, it could be available within a few years, saving patients from dialysis or needing a transplant —there are currently 30,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) having dialysis, and 5,000 on the waiting list for a donor kidney.
Mr Tosan Erhabor, the Acting Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), says accreditation of medical laboratories in Nigeria is key to delivering safer results. Erhabor said this at the commemoration of 2018 World Accreditation Day in Abuja on Tuesday also said accreditation of medical laboratories saves lives.
This year’s theme is: “Accreditation: Delivering A Safer World”.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Anas Sabir as the Chief Medical Director of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto for an initial period of four years.
According to a statement signed by the Head, Public Affairs Unit, Buhari Abubakar Sokoto, the appointment was conveyed in a letter dated June 4, 2018, which was signed by the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole.
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has appealed to the Federal Government to pay its members April and May salary in line with their agreement to suspend their strike.
Mr Achimugu Isaiah, the branch Chairman, Federal Medical Centre (FMC Keffi), Nasarawa State, made the call on Wednesday while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after a congress meeting of the union in Keffi.
The Blood Safety Programme Manager, Institute of Human Virology, Nigerians (IHVN), Mr. Abdullahi Abubakar, says regular blood donation improves body fitness and lowers calories. Abubakar explained at a blood donation drive in Abuja on Tuesday to mark World Blood Donor Day that donating one pint of blood (450 ml) removes 650 calories from the donor’s body.
The Borno Government on Sunday commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for rehabilitating 166 healthcare centers across the state. Sule Mele, The Executive Director of Primary Health Care Management Board (PHCMB), made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Maiduguri.
Male said that the centers were some of those vandalized by Boko Haram insurgents.
(Xinhua) A surgeon is preparing to select three women to undergo Britain’s first womb transplant later in the year, following permission granted to British medics to carry out the procedures.
The report says three women are among 50 infertile patients on a waiting list for the pioneering operation and they will be informed: “within a few weeks”.
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As part of its efforts to digitalize patient records at the hospital, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan said it is introducing a smart card to ease patients care and monotony of payment at its payment points.
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the draft Food Safety and Quality Bill as well as the Food Safety Institutional Reform working document.Malaria vaccines reduce cases by 91% as scientists edge closer to AIDS jab
Using two experimental anti-malarial vaccines, which work in different ways, can greatly reduce the number of malaria infections in animal studies. Experimental vaccines, which independently achieve 48 percent and 68 percent reductions in malaria cases, can achieve 91 percent reduction when combined. Presently, each vaccine is at a different stage of human trials, and there have not been efforts to combine them. However, a team led by Imperial College London has now tested the effect when using the two types of vaccine together.
HMO seeks lasting solutions to affordable, accessible, quality healthcare
Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), Hygeia has called on stakeholders to create solutions to the issue of quality affordable and accessible healthcare in Nigeria
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hygeia, Obinna Abajue, said the purpose of the HMO is to help people achieve their dreams and that its fundamental rests on access to quality and affordable health care.
