Category: Health

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has condemned the stagnation of pharmacists in the civil service, saying it is saddening that most pharmacists in the public sector are not allowed to reach level 17, which is the peak of their career. This non-advancement to the zenith of their careers, PSN insisted, has led to incessant dampening of morale of public sector pharmacists.

The above was part of the highlights of an address by PSN President, Prof Cyril Odianose Usifoh, to herald its 95th Annual National Scientific, holding in Jos, Plateau State, from the 31st of October to the 4th of November, with the theme “Medicine Security in an Unstable Economy.”

“We request for the promotion of pharmacists to level 17 as it is being done to other professionals in the public service across board,” he said. According to PSN boss, the current scheme of service for pharmacists came into existence in 2005 and is long overdue for review. “We hereby request for the immediate review of the scheme of service for pharmacists. This new scheme of service is expected to incorporate the enhanced entry point and enhanced call duty allowance for Pharm. D holders and the approved Consultancy Cadre for pharmacists.”

Regarding the implementation of the Pharmacists’ Consultancy Cadre, Prof Osifoh lamented that following the approval of the Consultancy Cadre for Pharmacists in 2019 and subsequent release of several extant circulars from 2020, it is unspeakable that pharmacists have been denied their rights to consultancy in the public sector. “We hereby request for the implementation of this circular across board without further delay. The salary structure of the pharmacists have remained the same for over a decade while that of their medical counterparts have been reviewed upwards twice in rapid succession. We hereby request for the upward review of the salary structure for pharmacists (CONHESS) to reflect the current realities as adjusted for CONMESS. This should be done as the plans are on to review all health workers salary in the nation.”

On the pharmacists in tertiary health institutions, the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) and National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) “have perpetually denied our members working in tertiary health institutions their rights to some privileges, claiming that only the above mentioned agencies could give directives for implementation. We wish to request the Federal Ministry of Health or any other agencies issuing out circulars to also direct the above agencies appropriately.”

To improve the survival rates of people with kidney dysfunction, the Lions Clubs International (LCI) in alliance with Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has launched a 32-bed dialysis centre and renal institute at the hospital premises in Lagos. The centre, which was named in honour of the initiator, the late Lion Isaac Olusola Dada, was said to have cost over N260million to build.

Speaking during his visit to the arena, Chairman Past International President (PIP) Douglas Alexander described the project as a foremost dialysis centre and renal institute in West Africa. Alexander, who came from the United States, said Lions Clubs International Foundation will continue to provide grant funding to support the compassionate works of Lions, empowering their service and addressing the needs of their communities both locally and globally.

“Late Lion Isaac Olusola Dada in whose honour this Dialysis Centre and Renal Institute was built had as his theme ‘New Partnership In Service.’ This represented his resolve to seek creative ways to involve our host communities and other organisations in our quest to ensure that the myriad of needs, which exist, receive adequate attention. We as Lions must, however, bear in mind the fact that success of this partnership can only be achieved if prospective partners find us attractive and credible. We must be prepared to make whatever changes are necessary in our individual and collective conduct and in Club/ District Administration.

“It is therefore with great pleasure and seep sense of humility that I proudly convey my appreciation to you all for your outstanding contribution and unalloyed support for the completion and use of this project. I convey the LCIF special appreciation to the Isaac Olusola Dada Family, Chief Tunde Afolabi, Management of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, for their sense of professionalism and leadership prowess.”

On his part, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH Prof. Chris Bode said the facility has continued to attract the positive attention of donors and investors since the completion of the project.  “A Japanese company recently donated 15 brand new dialysis machines and we’ve installed all in this facility. Also, the University of Lagos announced a grant of a billion naira to erect a renal institute in this facility and even the Lagos State Government has partnered with us on the Ilera Eko initiative.”

The CMD appreciated Alexander with a special award for touring the facility while describing the late Dada as a dreamer who didn’t see the promised land but his selflessness and humanity service will continue to live on.

As Nigeria hinges closer to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially with respect to stopping new infections across the country, there is an urgent need for the government, particularly at the state level to take ownership of the response activities – case finding and management.

So far, out of 1.8 million people living with HIV in Nigeria, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has successfully placed over 1.6 million of them on lifesaving treatment. This laudable feat has placed Nigeria among the foremost countries now on the watch list in terms of the race to control HIV. Although this achievement did not come without the collaboration of partners like PEPFAR, Global Fund, USAID, UNAIDS, and other local and international partners, the global community has hailed Nigeria’s efforts in tracking HIV cases and placing them on treatment, especially during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order for Nigeria to effectively address its priorities in the HIV response, which includes: epidemic control; reduced transmission from mother to child; ensure quality of care; and strengthened data management, NACA facilitated the re-alignment of the country’s HIV response in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National AIDS and STDs Control Program (NASCP) and donor partners.

With the successful roll-out of alignment 1.0, stakeholders have begun to ask themselves what needs to be done to make the country’s HIV programme more sustainable, and discussions have commenced as to what Nigeria would like Alignment 2.0 to look like. Expectedly, governments at all levels, donor agencies, implementing partners, civil society and community people living with HIV have different interpretations of what Alignment 2.0 means.

There is therefore a need to bring all the thoughts of stakeholders to the table and build a consensus for the country in defining Alignment 2.0, and by extension the sustainability of the HIV response. In a chat, the Director-General of the NACA, Dr. Aliyu Gambo, explained that the alignment is essentially a process that looks at the country’s response and sees how gradually it can take ownership and sustainability of its response activities.

He said: “As we approach epidemic control, we are approaching a situation, where virtually everyone with HIV is identified, and now HIV is kept within people that have the disease. There are two things that always happen about HIV: case findings and case management. So, we are coming to the era of slowing down on case findings, because we have found virtually all the cases that are there.

“So, any money that is being used for active case tracking and findings, would now be regional. And this is the second phase. The second phase is keeping all the patients that are identified to have HIV, on treatment to make sure that the virus is restricted within them. The virus is not allowed to come out and affect other people. So, this is the stage where the country would be required to respond. The country would be required going forward to be responsible for the response.

“The Global community, especially the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has helped many countries to arrive at that bridge. And after they arrive at that bridge, then the country is expected to own it, and is expected to sustain it with continual assistance from the PEPFAR programs. So, this is what we started three years back. We are aware that we may be approaching epidemic control, but when we approach epidemic control, then what happens next?

“Instead of waiting for this time to come, three years back we started working on this. We said; ‘okay! Before the government takes over, and before we talk of Government ownership and sustainability, we must create one national program.’ That is, one National HIV Response instead of PEPFAR, USA program doing one thing separate, Global Fund doing another thing separate, and Government of Nigeria are doing another thing separate. And they ended up duplicating each other. In most of the places they do. We said ‘okay, bring everyone under one roof and let us assign responsibility to each other, in such a way that that duplication would be eliminated.’ Once you eliminate that duplication, it gives you more resources that cannot be reallocated.”

He added: “So, we started with four things: First, there would be no collocation. Which means we should not find PEPFAR, Global Fund and Government of Nigeria implementing programs in the same state. Second, if PEPFAR is implementing programs in this state, we allow PEPFAR to be in charge. If the Global Fund is implementing a program in this state, we allow the Global fund to be in charge. However, the treatment package should be standardized in such a way that the treatment a patient receives from PEPFAR state, if they go to Global Fund state to receive treatment, it is the same treatment. Nothing changed in terms of the package standard of care.

“Third, we should have a unified supply chain system. Instead of the Government of Nigeria bringing commodities and moving them out to various locations, as well as Global Fund and PEPFAR doing it at the same time, why don’t we pull all the resources together in one place, and then now we move them together to various locations at the same time. Using the same system, one agency.

“Fourth, we want to see more Government investment. Because the Government cannot own this response. We cannot talk of sustainability without the Government driving the entire team, whether it is at the center or at the state. And the Government cannot drive without making investment.

“Going forward, and this is what alignment is all about. With Alignment 2.0, we now want to see more local investment, more local resources coming to support HIV response. These local resources must not only come from the Government, it can come from the private sector. And that was the reason for launching the HIV Trust Fund of Nigerians at the beginning of this year, in February. It is structured to bring more resources that are local into the equation, as the Government of Nigeria at the center brings in more.

“Under Alignment 2.0, we would want to see more of these investments from the Federal Government, from the private sector, as well as from the State. And under Alignment 2.0, we want to give the State more responsibility, we want to put the State in the driver’s seat, instead of having implementing partners, implementing programs at the state, using state structures, we now want state to use its own structure to implement the program, which we believe it is doable.

“At the moment, the implementing partners go into the State, they use the State’s hospitals, they use the State’s structures in terms of Human Resources. Health care workers that provide services at the hospital are being used to provide these services, they are not people from outside that used to come, they are the same people within the facility that provide these services, and at the same time, coordinate the treatment, as well as prevention services. This is what we want the state to do, going forward.”

Speaking about the expectations of the Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), the National Coordinator, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said: “So what we want to see now in the alignment 2.0 is the ensure that priorities are given to other interventions such as sensitization, right protection, fighting against stigma. And also, sensitising people more about their HIV status and people are taking their medications as when appropriate and also to ensure that community programme like NEPHWAN and our subordinates are really empowered and adequately supported in terms of funding and systems strengthening so that we can be able to have a strong organisation that we can be able to do other interventions without any problems. Global Fund resources are really meant to support all of that which has really been sidelined. Even though the resources have been there in alignment 1.0, it has not really gone down to the communities.”

By ​Mutmainat Asamu

Sleep mostly is underrated especially by teenagers. Having an elaborate knowledge about good sleep, however, can change your mindset and hopefully get you to sleep more.

Sleep is like a break from all forms of emotions one has bottled up inside. It is like taking chilled water under a scorching sun.

Sleeping generally helps the body to relax, release tension, and refreshen the body to wake up like a new person. If you are not convinced, here are the reasons why you should get high on sleep.

Here are five benefits of having enough sleep/rest:

Improves concentration and productivity:

Lack of sleep alters one’s concentration which leads to less or no productivity. Good sleep enhances memory performance/ decision-making skills. Children/teenagers are required to have 9-10 hrs of sleep at night, and adults have 8 hours of sleep.

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Aids the immune system:

The immune system is essential to the well-being of a normal human being and sleeping consistently guarantees the development of one’s immune system. Adequate sleep ensures a strong defense against diseases, infections and anything life-threatening. This is because while sleeping, breathing and muscle activities slow down which gives room for the immune system to function properly.

Prevents depression:

Lack of sleep exposes people to the risk of being depressed. It hinders emotional regulation and stability which might lead to symptoms of depression

Maintains a healthy weight:

Studies have shown that sleep helps to achieve weight loss and hence maintain a healthy weight. The human body exasperates more energy if it is subjected to a lack of sleep.

Boost your mood/makes you less cranky

Being stressed makes people act irrationally sometimes but sleeping alleviates that. Studies have shown that sleeping well helps you relax your body, release negative emotions and boost your mood.

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The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said that the rate at which doctors were migrating for greaner pastures implied a serious manpower crisis in the health sector.

The doctors raised the alarm at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Anambra Chapter’s Physicians’ Week and Scientific Conference held in Nnewi.

The theme of the Week is “Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System And The 2023 Democratic Transition: A Time To Change The Narrative”.

Dr Jide Onyekwelu, the Secretary General of NMA, who delivered the lecture, said the burden of brain drain on the country was huge as it was expensive to train a medical doctor.

Onyekwelu said while the UN standard recommended an average of one doctor to 500 patients, the ratio had dropped to about 1:5000 due to the declining number of doctors in the country.

He called on the Nigerian government to find out what made practising outside the country more attractive to Nigerian doctors.

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“Brain drain has devastated our medical sector. Nigerian doctors are well trained, which is why they are well sought after elsewhere but our government does not appreciate the quality of our doctors, so they leave to other countries.

“But they still travel to those countries where they are to see them, the same people they refused to make comfortable here,” he said

Mr Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, described continued migration of Nigerian trained medical doctors to other countries as unacceptable.

Obi was represented by Prof. Chinyere Okunna, the Commissioner of Economic Planning/Budget, Office of MDGs and Development Partners during his administration as Governor of Anambra.

He said it took a high sense of patriotism for any doctor to still practise in Nigeria in the face of the challenges bedeviling the sector.

According to Obi, any doctor still in Nigeria and working is displaying great patriotism.

“This is because the environment is unfriendly, equipment are not there, payment is not attractive and there is insecurity of doctors.

“Sadly, doctors, especially young ones, are leaving the country in their numbers,” he said.

Obi said during his administration in Anambra, there were challenges in the health sector, including a period of industrial action by doctors, the problems were amicably resolved and the sector was in its optimal functional state.

He said industrial action was a legitimate instrument of bargaining but what mattered was how the parties settled the differences and how the system came out of it.

He said his government collaborated effectively with the mission to build a virile health sector, including building the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka from scratch.

“I am happy with the theme you have chosen for this Year’s Week celebration because the time to act is now, if you have good governance here, the health sector won’t be as poor as it is now.

“Strikes and picketing are legitimate ways workers can express their grievances or draw attention to areas of making the system get better, I don’t blame anybody for embarking on a strike.

Dr Jane Ezeonu, chairman of NMA in Anambra, said the Week was organised in conjunction with Nnewi Branch to draw the attention of government to the dwindling medical human resource challenges and its impact on the sector in Nigeria.

Ezeonu said the NMA would deliver free medical services to 2,000 patients during the physicians’ week and hold its maiden zonal sports competition among the five zones in the state.

The award of Physician of the Year was presented to Dr Chukwudi Ihekweaba, a staff member of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital by Prof. Gerald Uduigwe, Provost, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Medical College.

(NAN)

Nearly a fortnight after the World Health Organisation celebrated World Mental Health Day, 15 Nigerian artists under a not-for-profit umbrella of The Art of Healing (TAOH) have decided to team up to support this cause.

According to the organisers, TAOH is derived from the Yoruba word ‘Ona Iwosan’. It is a charity project that aims to reach people with mental health disorders across Africa through art as a form of therapy. The exhibition will be held October 22 – 25, 2022.

 

With regards to Africa, the World Health Organization on the 10th of October 2022 announced that more than 116 million people were estimated to be living with mental health conditions across Africa even before the COVID -19 pandemic. The pandemic had however contributed to an estimated 25% global rise in depression and anxiety hence, the exhibition according to the TAOH founder Ms. Nengi Omuku was to create awareness about unnecessary stigmatization of people living with mental health conditions.

She said: “Mental health patients need all the help they can from the government and all sectors of society, and we’re pleased to step in through the arts. “We help people in challenging circumstances by painting hospital rooms with art created by leading
contemporary artists to provide wholesomeness and hope and generally improve their experience as patients.”

One of the artists, Kwadwo Asiedu, a Ghanaian who had lived in Nigeria for 29 years alluded to the fact that these individuals in question are no different from everyone. According to him, this opportunity will serve as a way to further probe the importance of the arts to mental health. He said:

‘I feel like this is a great opportunity to assess how we can further explore how art can be very good for patients. For me, these experiences are highly enlightening. I find it quite interesting that they (patients) are no different from us. They have hopes and dreams and aspirations. So this is a great opportunity to further delve into how we can see and document over an extended period how art can work as a form of therapy within these institutions.

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TAOH took on its first project at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where she is working to transform the interiors of the Psychiatric ward into one that would become the benchmark for other healthcare environments across the African continent. She has installed four murals in the ward and engaged service users and staff in a series of therapeutic art workshops.

Ms. Omuku said, “The art workshops at LUTH demonstrated the positive impact of artistic and creative expression on mental health. This programme of work will go on to inform the murals that are created and ensure the new environments have a relationship with the people who encounter them. We are targeting the minds of mental health patients through what they see by creating an environment that helps them heal. We thank our partners and artists for their support and invite art enthusiasts and members of the public to be part of a worthy cause.”

The exhibition, with the theme We See; We Dream; We Hope will serve as a fundraiser to enable the project completion at the LUTH and continue refurbishing the interiors of mental health institutions in Africa. It will feature the works of Akanimoh Umoh, Deborah Segun, Edozie Anedu, Gerald Chukwuma, Kelani Abass, Kwadwo Asiedu, Nengi Omuku, Niyi Okeowo, Nzubechukwu Ozoemena, Olayemi Fagbohungbe, Olumide Onadipe, Richardson Ovbiebo, Roanna Tella, Tega Akpokona, and Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu, and will be curated by Tony Agbapuonwu.

The exhibition is In partnership with Alliance Française de Lagos, a not-for-profit
organization that has been active in Nigeria since 1959, promoting Francophone and national cultures.

Wife of Oyo Governor Mrs Tamunominini Makinde on Thursday sensitised girl children in the State on the need to maintain hygienic living during their menstrual period.

She said menstruation is normal and healthy part of female life, lamenting some girls still suffered stigmatisation because of the clean hygiene it requires.

Speaking in Ibadan at “a Day With Girls in Oyo State”, a programme to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Mrs. Makinde urged them to choose clean life during menstruation because that is the time to be healthy and productive.

She called on parents, guidance and teachers to ensure the culture of hygiene surrounding the menstrual period.

She said: “Always use hygienic and sanitary materials whenever you are on your period. Stay away from dirty and unhygienic menstrual products so as to avoid infection and other diseases that can be contracted from using unhygienic menstrual products.

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“Female teachers should know that it is their responsibility to protect the girls and break the culture of silence around menstruation within the school environment. It is your duty to assist and support these girls, draw them close and give them the advice to guide them through their menstrual period so that they can feel comfortable among their male colleagues and teachers.”

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barr Abdulrahman Abdulraheem encouraged teachers to imbibe Makinde’s wife spirit of motherhood and love, adding that the girls are the future of tomorrow which should be handled with care.

He said the girl child needed support in actualizing their dreams so that the myth that the end of the girl child is the kitchen will be erased.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Christianah Abioye and her counterpart in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Grace Oderinde urged the girls to always keep their virginity, saying it is the only pride they can give to their husbands.

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The Lagos State Government has advised residents to adopt good eye health care practices and a healthy lifestyle to prevent avoidable blindness and vision loss that may hinder their ability to eke out a livelihood.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, gave the admonition during a briefing to herald this year’s World Sight Day commemoration in Lagos.

He explained that citizens should improve the health of their eyes by eating healthy diets, going for regular eye checks, protecting the eye from injury and trauma, avoid self-medication, avoid patronising quacks and wear sunglasses that offer ultraviolent protection to prevent radiation from the sun damaging the eyes.

According to Abayomi, other good eye health care practices include avoiding playing with sharp objects, avoiding instilling injurious substance into the eyes, avoiding smoking, exercising regularly, visiting only certified ophthalmic eye hospital if you have eye complaints, wearing only prescribed glasses from an eye care provider and checking and controlling blood sugar and blood pressure levels. He noted that the need to create awareness and draw attention to eye health as a local and global health issue cannot be emphasised, stressing that eye health impacts the quality of life, education, employment and all areas of life of every individual.

“There is so much to see in this beautiful word but this is only possible if your eyes are in good condition. The occasion of the World Sight Day, presents another opportunity to remind us that we must all give attention to our vision and protect our eyes from blinding eye conditions; vision is what must come first and protecting eyesight is what is extremely important.”

The Commissioner promised that the state government will intensify its eye healthcare education, sensitisation and enlightenment campaigns, especially in rural and riverine communities and hard-to-reach areas to raise the consciousness of citizens on blindness prevention and good eye care practices.This, he said, would be done employing methods used for community and rural outreaches.

“The objective of this kind of activity is to raise public awareness and public understanding around a public health issue, and the public health issue we are talking about now is the protection and maintenance of one of the most important senses that we have as human beings, which is the sense of visual, sight and more importantly, visual acuity.

“So, on occasions like this, we try to raise the importance of public health measures to protect and preserve accuracy of eyesight. The eyes are a very delicate organ; they are actually an extension of our brain that comes out onto the surface of your face, and any slight injury or slight alteration of the environment, either by infection, trauma or the application of the wrong drugs or drops, can cause significant damage,” Abayomi stated.

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He noted that common diseases like sickle cells, high blood pressure and diabetes, if not detected early and treated by the medical professionals, can affect the eyes and cause serious damage to the eyes. “The statistics tell us that eight out of every 10 impairment cases of sight are caused by conditions that can be easily prevented or, when they occur, can be treated. And so there are eight people out of every ten blind people that are walking around with lack of eyesight because they failed to have access to prevention or treatment strategy. That is a very sad statistic.

“So as small as these eyes are, they are so important to our wellbeing and our state of mind and our happiness and loss of eyesight is one of the commonest causes of depression, because when you lose your sight or your sight is becoming impaired, you recognise how important that gift that you had of good sight is or has been. And so today, we join the rest of the world to raise the understanding and to bring to the attention of our citizens the importance of protecting your eyes and doing things that will stop you from losing visual accuracy and know the right places to go to receive significant intervention,” Abayomi said.

He explained further that the state government, recognising the importance of eye health, has continued to champion and implement programmes and policies aimed at blindness prevention and good sight for citizens.

He added that the state government, through its Blindness Prevention Programme, has screened over 600,000 people for eye defects, offered free refractory eyesight glasses to 240,000 citizens and provided free surgical intervention to 30,000 others across the state, which have been able to transform their inaccurate vision to good visual perception.

“The Lagos State Ministry of Health has a very large eyesight programme. In the last years, we’ve reached out to over 600,000 people to examine their visual capacity, and out of that group, about 240,000 have received free refractory eyesight glasses, which have been able to transform their inaccurate vision to good visual perception.

“Also out of that number, about 30,000 have received free surgical intervention to either remove a cataract or to repair the damage caused by raised eyeball pressure that we call glaucoma or some kind of laser treatments that correct the problems caused by sickle cell diseases, hypertension and diabetics.”

Director of Medical Administration, Training and Programmes, Dr. Olufunmilayo Shokunbi,  aside the briefing, which seeks to draw attention of citizens to the need to take proper care of their eyes, the Ministry of Health, through the Blindness Prevention Programme Unit, will also offer free eye screening, including provision of free eye glasses to people with refractive error, free eye drugs for minor eye disorders and free cataract surgery for restoration of vision.

According to her, the free screening and surgery will be carried out on October 12 and 13 at the General Hospital, Ikorodu, adding that the intervention would also be carried out at Badagry, Epe and Lagos Island at a date to be announced soon.

“This strongly shows how much importance this present government has placed on eye care for the citizens of the State. The Ministry of Health is committed to implementing policies and programmes that will ultimately reduce and eliminate blindness amongst the citizenry,” she said.