Frontpage News (3256)
Nigeria is losing millions of naira to medical tourism, Gowon laments
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President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to seek better ways of improving healthcare service delivery to Nigerians.
This came as former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), lamented that ‘Nigeria is losing millions of naira to medical tourism.He gave the task at the second National Health Summit (NHS) and the 25th Commonwealth Medical Association Triennial Conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
At the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, needlestick injuries, a common reason some people develop hepatitis B and C and HIV, have occurred in at least 23 health workers, since January 2018.
Dr Kehinde Kuti, speaking at the hospital’s 2019 Health and Safety Day symposium, said preliminary reports on the hospital’s staff given post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment for HIV found the cases more among doctors and nurses, including hospital assistants.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya has said that the state will require over 260,000 units of blood to meet the growing blood demand for transfusion.Why Nigeria’s Manufacturing Sector May Go Extinct, By PSN
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Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has warned that the country’s manufacturing sector may be wiped out, and that the earliest casualty may be the pharmaceutical industry due to global trade wars and impending recession. It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Bill, describing it as the tonic needed to sanitise the pharmaceutical environment and make it more conducive to practice and investment.
The Lagos State Police Command has brought before the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court one Ebuka Duru for allegedly parading himself as a medical doctor. Duru was arraigned on Tuesday on four counts of conspiracy, stealing, impersonation and unlawful possession of medical instruments.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges. It was gathered that Duru paraded himself as a medical doctor and commenced treatment of unsuspecting members of the public of various ailments. News Agency learnt that some medical equipment such as syringes, injections and drugs as well as a Toyota Matrix and Toyota Camry cars, both valued at N4.2m, were found in his possession when he was arrested.
NACA Decentralises Office, Says its To Strengthen Fight Against HIV/AIDS
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Dr Gambo Aliyu, has said the decentralisation of the agency’s office to the six geopolitical zones of the country is to strengthen its fight against the spread of the disease.
Aliyu said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the South-East Zonal Office of the agency in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. He said the measure was meant to take the war against HIV closer to the people, to further identify the carriers and avail them of easy access to the facility and medications.
Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state will begin the training of Radiologist specialists from next year, 2020. The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Emmanuel Ekanem who disclosed this yesterday to newsmen added that the hospital has successfully operated 10 free open-heart surgeries on children.
Ekanem who explained that the hospital was chosen in the country for the pediatric operations because it met the criteria set by the sponsor, disclosed that the successful operations were carried out in collaboration with the Hospitals for Humanities.
People with mental health issues are chained, subjected to hardship and abuse by health workers in Nigerian hospitals and rehabilitation centres, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Monday. The international rights group called on the Federal Government to ban the chaining of psychiatric patients and ensure that those rescued had access to psychosocial support and social services.
HRW also asked the FG to urgently investigate chaining of people with mental issues in state-owned rehabilitation centres, psychiatric hospitals, and faith-based and traditional healing centres in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Sen. Oloriegbe calls for adequate funding of health sector to boost performance
Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, has called for adequate funding to improve health sector performance in the country. Oloriegbe made the call at the third Annual Legislative Summit on Health in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the summit is: “Efficiency in the health sector and the role of legislators”. The senator called for a sober reflection on the nation’s health sector performance.
60% of imported drugs to be manufactured locally – NAFDAC
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it would ensure that 60 per cent of the drugs being imported into the country were manufactured locally. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency, said this at a news conference, on Monday in Abuja.
She stressed the need for the agency to ensure the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector thrived. She said a significant amount of substandard and falsified drugs were creeping into the country. “We want the local manufacturing sector to thrive; we want a situation whereby 60 per cent of the country’s products are manufactured locally,” Mrs Adeyeye said.
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Pure Cocoa Powder Shows Evidence in Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention
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Going by the taste of pure cocoa powder, many fun seekers will dislike it, because of its bitter nature. However, recent studies have shown that pure cocoa powder is a power food item packed with antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and the building blocks of neurotransmitters with far-reaching implications for treating cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.
Theobromacacoa, the scientific name of the plant from which raw cocoa is made and the main ingredient in chocolate, literally means “food of the gods.” It is a famous plant with a lengthy and rich history; a symbol of love that cuts across cultures; and other “feel good” hormones.
New Provisions in Pharmacy Bill Will Strengthen PCN, Transform Pharmacy Practice
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The new pharmacy law will help in no small way to transform pharmacy practice in Nigeria, as it has comprehensively brought all participants and bodies involved in drug distribution under the regulatory ambit of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. N.A.E. Mohammed, registrar, PCN, has said. Speaking on the topic: “Pharmacy Practice Reformation in Nigeria:
The Significance of the New Pharmacy Law,” at the recent 36th Marquis Memorial Lecture, organised by Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and held at the Marquis Lecture Theatre, the PCN registrar stated that, with the new pharmacy law, everyone involved in pharmacy practice, including those in the open drug markets, will now be regulated by the PCN.
Consultant physician urges examination of child’s frequent bed-wetting
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Dr Stanley Ogbonna, a Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, has advised that children that frequently bedwet should be made to undergo medical examination for diabetes.
Ogbonna gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia on Thursday, saying that bed-wetting in children might be a sign of diabetes. He urged parents and other family members not to bully such a children but subject him to proper medical investigation.“Bed-wetting can occur in children normally. But why we are drawing attention is that type 1 diabetes occur commonly in children. “This may not show any sign or symptom apart from the fact that the child is bed-wetting.
Pneumonia: Nigeria has highest number of child deaths globally – UNICEF
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Nigeria has been listed as the leading country with the highest number of child death to pneumonia globally. According to statistics by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 19% of child deaths were due to pneumonia in 2018, and it was the biggest killer of children under-five in 2017 in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to the Daily Times, the acting UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, revealed that while most global child pneumonia deaths occurred among children under the age of two, and almost 153,000 within the first month of life, more children under the age of five died from the disease in 2018 than from any other.
