The Lagos State Government has trained no fewer than 200 health workers drawn from 60 public health facilities, including the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), 15 General Hospitals and 44 Primary Health Care Centres, on how to provide breast and cervical cancer screening for citizens.

The eight-day programme was sponsored by the state government, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to increase access to cancer screening services in all state health facilities.

Speaking at the close of the workshop, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, noted that partnership between the state government and UNFPA on cancer control programmes is geared towards making cancer screening services more accessible and readily available in public health facilities in Lagos.

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Ogboye, who was represented by the Director Disease Control in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Rotimi Agbolagorite, explained that the workshop was part of the partnership to improve access to cancer screening. “The ministry’s efforts to make cancer screening services more accessible and readily available in all state health facilities, has been further strengthened with the recent support from one of our development partners, UNFPA.

“Apart from the capacity building workshop for the 200 state health workers, the Ministry is being supported by UNFPA with the donation of 15,000 units of disposable speculums, 180 pieces couch rolls and 260 pieces of K-Y jelly, which are requisite consumable for the provision of effective breast and cervical cancer screening and management services.”

He added that UNFPA is also supporting the state government to improve community sensitisation on the free breast and cervical cancer screening in 60 designated public health facilities across the state.

The Permanent Secretary said the state government had  screened a total of 53,762 women since inception of the free programme in the 60 designated health facilities.

“A total of 53,762 women have been screened since inception, out of which a total of 2,635 representing 4.9 per cent of women screened were screened positive for cervical precancerous lesions and 2,348 (89 per cent) of these positively screened women were treated with thermal ablation and saved from possibly developing cervical cancer in the future. Furthermore, a total of 99 women representing 0.2  per cent of the total women screened were referred with suspicious lesions and possible early stages of cancer, for prompt diagnosis and early treatment which would result in an improved management outcome,” he said.

To mark its 60th anniversary, the management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, has announced plans to perform its first bone marrow transplant for cure of sickle cell anaemia.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Chris Bode, made this known during the opening ceremony and unveiling of anniversary logo to herald the diamond jubilee.

The three-month celebration would feature an art exhibition, sports, seminars, health walk, gala night, student funfair, visit to Oba of Lagos, presentation of awards, among others.

Also, according to the CMD,  many landmark projects would be inaugurated.

“We shall be performing our first bone marrow transplant for cure of sickle cell anaemia. A new 30-bedded Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is about to be completed and put to use. A new outpatient complex is under construction. This complex comprises five buildings, each comprising four floors to house 256 consultation rooms, 16 waiting areas, 16 nursing stations, eight meeting rooms, eight patients’ lifts and many other facilities, including a car park, cafeterias, shops, amongst others,” he said.

Bode said since LUTH admitted its first patient on August 9, 1962, the teaching hospital has gone on to continue its commitment to improve public health through innovative solutions as well as contributed in the training of medical and paramedical personnel both within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

“Over the years, LUTH has remained one of the best teaching/specialist hospitals in the country. The hospital is designated a centre of excellence in dentistry. A major breakthrough of the successful conception and delivery of the first authentic test tube (In-Vitro-Fertilisation) baby was performed by the duo of Prof Osato Frank Giwa-Osagie and Prof Oladapo Ashiru at the LUTH.

“The hospital also renders services in specialised areas of medicine like neuro-surgery, haemo-dialysis, radiation, oncology, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, cardiothoracic surgery, urology, paediatric surgery, maxillofacial surgery, ear nose and throat surgery, haematology, medical microbiology, community health, child dental health, restorative dentistry, maternal health, psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery, etc.

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“LUTH has the highest concentration of skilled medical and paramedical staff in different areas of medicine. This explains the reason the hospital is always the focus when foreign countries, oil companies and even highbrow private hospitals in Nigeria are on recruitment drive for manpower.

“It has pioneered small incision cataract excision surgery in Nigeria and trained over 40 doctors from all over the country in the procedure in the past years. The hospital has also commenced laparoscopic general and gynaecologic surgery, which has dramatically reduced the duration of hospitalisation after surgery.

“LUTH boasts a comprehensive diagnostic centre and VIP clinic, state-of-the-art laboratories, radio-diagnosis, radiotherapy and renal dialysis facilities. From a humble beginning of 330 beds, LUTH is the largest teaching hospital in Nigeria with over 1,000 beds and with the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, LUTH is involved in the training of hundreds of medical, dental, pharmacy and other allied health science students.

“The hospital has produced thousands of nurses, laboratory scientists, health records officers, biomedical engineers and other para-medical cadres. Various members of the consultant staff have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in major areas of medical science, notably in the separation of conjoined twins and In-Vitro-Fertilisation.

‘’LUTH is a unique institution in not only having such a large catchment population, but also having a large concentration of highly specialised manpower that enables it to respond to a variety of health conditions and trainings.

“It has also taken advantage of the FGN Public Private Partnership Initiatives, and partners private organisations in providing state-of-the-art facilities. The flagship of such partnership is the multi-million dollars NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC), the first of its kind in West Africa.

“Others are LUTH Blood Banking System, Radiodiagnosis Centre, Independent Power Project, Sickle Cell Centre/LUTH Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, and Olusola Dada Dialysis Centre and Renal Institute.

“LUTH is the only Federal Teaching Hospital with independent power project that generates its electricity, and, therefore, has been enjoying uninterrupted power supply since December 2017.

“The biggest renal institute in Nigeria, Isaac Olusola Dada Dialysis Centre and Renal Institute, is already inaugurated and functional. Alima Atta Oncology Wards (60-bed wards) is near completion.

“LUTH has also partnered  Smile Train since 2007. With this, Smile Train has supported free surgical treatment of patients with orofacial clefts, with over 800 surgical repairs of cleft lip and/palate done in LUTH so far.

“Other areas of care being supported by Smile Train include orthodontics care, speech therapy and nutrition for patients with orofacial clefts.

“Kids Operating room [KidsOR), a global health charity focused on brining equitable access to safe surgery for  children, and Smile Train supported LUTH with a grant of over $500,000 for the renovation, furnishing and equip two state-of-the-art (paediatric) theatres, dedicated only for children surgical procedures.”

While appreciating the Federal Government as well as the management and staff of LUTH, he enjoined stakeholders to work towards the betterment of the institution.

“As we look to the future, we must reflect on the past 60 years and imagine what LUTH shall be at its centennial in another 40 years. Let us dream dreams and come up with lofty goals which shall be our own legacies to be celebrated by posterity.

“As we celebrate, we are also engaging stakeholders to define the new goals and projects for the future of our institution,” Bode added.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has commenced the implementation of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative in Nigeria to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination.

Through this partnership, the Federal Government has launched its mass vaccination campaign, ‘SCALES 3.0.’

The implementation of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative will synergise the efforts of the government, Africa CDC, and other partners in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

The implementation campaign will focus on risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), vaccine capacity, logistics, and vaccine surveillance to enable Nigeria to reach its COVID-19 vaccination target.

“Today, as the Federal Government of Nigeria is launching the SCALES 3.0 strategy, the African Union and Africa CDC is honoured to partner  the country in ensuring that the goals set out in the SCALES 3.0 strategy succeeds, providing resources to the country through the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative.

‘’The Programme will support the demand for generation activities and the administration of vaccines in 11 states across Nigeria,” said Dr. Bakary Sonko, Country Coordinator (Nigeria), Africa CDC Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative.

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In this support, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) have planned to deploy 5,002 vaccination teams in 11 states, targeting to vaccinate over 1.3 million persons every week.

During the launch of the country’s SCALES 3.0 Strategy, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), emphasised the need to take the vaccines to the people, noting that what the country is dealing with is not the shortage of vaccines but vaccines hesitancy by the people.

“Nobody is safe until Nigeria has achieved 70 per cent vaccination of its eligible population. Integrating the COVID-19 vaccination with routine immunisation will help achieve greater results. As of August 3, 2022, only 24.4 per cent of the eligible population are vaccinated. By our target, even as Presidential Steering Committee, we ought to have gone beyond this,” Mustapha said.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the SCALES 3.0 Strategy would help to accelerate the integration of COVID-19 vaccination into routine immunisation to ensure that none is done in isolation.

He thanked the partners for their support and contribution to the vaccination drive in Nigeria. “We have a long way to go; the total performance falls short of our desired goals as only three states – Nasarawa, Jigawa, and Kano– have vaccinated over 50 per cent of their eligible population,” he said.

Also, Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaibu, stated that after the launch of SCALES 2.0 Strategy six months ago to ramp up integrated vaccination, Nigeria’s vaccination coverage progressed from a 17million to 40 million, which represents over a 100 per cent increase.

“The SCALES 3.0 would be using a human-centered demand generation design to address low COVID-19 perceptions in the country,” he said.

The ultimate goal of the Africa CDC, through the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is to accelerate the achievement of the goal set out by the African Union to have 70 per cent of the African population vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of 2022.

Recently, Nigeria recorded cases of monkeypox outbreak, which has also taken lives of few carriers.

Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans that occur sporadically, primarily in remote villages of Central
and West Africa near tropical rainforests.

Here are five things you should know about monkeypox:

1. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 157 cases of monkeypox across 26 states in the country.

2. The rash from monkeypox is painful. Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headaches, swollen parts of the body, back pain, and sore muscles. Typically, the face, palms, and feet are where the rash appears. It is quite painful and itchy. They also result in wounds and scars on the body.

3. In Congo, monkeypox was first identified among monkeys. The monkeypox virus is what causes the disease. The first instance of it was found in 1958 in lab monkeys. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, monkeypox was first detected in a human being in 1970. (DRC). Since that time, numerous nations in central and western Africa, including Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, Liberia, and many others, have recorded cases of monkeypox.

4.Contact is how monkeypox spreads. Through intimate contact with those who have the disease, monkeypox can spread. It enters through the mouth, nose, eyes, and any skin breaks. Infected animals, such as monkeys, rats, and squirrels, as well as contaminated objects, can also spread the disease through sex and direct contact.

5. Taking precautions such as hand hygiene is especially important following interaction with diseased or suspected infected animals or humans. Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Lagos State born CEO and alternative medicine practitioner, Moretti Joy, has stated that she intends to export Nigeria’s growing herbs to the rest of Europe.

Moretti gives an insight into the practice of alternative medicine while focusing on the need for Nigeria to tap its unexplored potentials in the health sector.

“Nigeria is blessed with so much diverse natural herbs, unavailable in most western countries. This is an untapped export market. These herbs have very high financial potential outside the shores of Nigeria, as they are widely sought after,” the 32-year- old alternative medicine practitioner said.

Reviewing her challenging moments, Moretti said she has tried exporting herbal products from Nigeria but its been a very difficult process due to strict export policies for such products.

On collaboration with farmers, she said: ” I plan to work with local farmers for mass production and better market value, for some identified herbs we use in herbal medicine production.”

As part of partnership, Moretti told fans she is strategising on circumventing the systematic challenges with exporting herbal products, and will collaborate with government stakeholders who are responsible for policy formulations, to see how they can partner with the Nigerian government in exploring the potential of herbs as an export product.

Reacting to the avalanche of requests from clients, she said:”Currently, my demand exceeds my supply capacity. When I established my company, I knew it would grow but not at this rate.

“We have expanded so much that with very little advert, bulk orders come in weekly. I have the human capacity for production but access to enough herbs is limited in Europe, where I am primarily based.

“This is why I’m interested in exportation of herbs from Nigeria to Europe and other parts of the globe. It will increase my production rate and scale up my supply capacity. I also have a branch in Nigeria and would like to expand its capacity when I’ve worked through the barriers limiting export from the country.”

A firm, Medismart Ltd., has launched a telemedicine platform to enhance healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

It said the platform was necessitated by effect of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare in Nigeria, which exposed the needs to leverage technology in delivering services.

Medismart Ltd co-founder, Obinna Osuji, said the firm reviewed all the gaps/challenges and decided to come up with a solution that made it easy for any healthcare provider to start offering telemedicine solutions without having to worry about technology.

He said the firm developed a plug-and-play technology, simplifying the process of integrating into existing systems of healthcare providers.

On how the innovation works, he said: “Our telemedicine solution is essentially designed with flexibility in mind. A healthcare provider reaches out to us in need of a telemedicine solution.

” We simply find out from them if they have an existing EMR software which they would like to plug the telemedicine solution into.

“If they have an existing EMR software we may charge a token to integrate our platform with this software and this immediately makes synergy possible between the two applications.

“The list of the doctors and their calendars are made available to the telemedicine platform via this integration thereby making it an extension of their existing platform. Our aim is to achieve the simplest possible workflow for healthcare providers so that the handshake is natural.”

He explained that to fit into the schedule of doctors, the platform makes it possible to schedule appointments just like regular hospital visits.

“A patient gets a notification once the appointment is booked and the doctor also gets a notification and has his/her calendar blocked for the scheduled time. Once it is a few minutes to the appointment time, an email goes out to both the doctor and the patients reminding them of the upcoming appointments and also puts a link to join in the body of the email. At the appointment start time, the patient and the doctor can click on the link to join the session.

“If the healthcare provider does not have an existing EMR solution then we are able to handle all of the set up for them. This starts with uploading the calendar of their doctors, thereby making scheduling possible and appointments can be booked by patients to see the doctors via our telemedicine platform.

“During the session, doctors can take notes, capture diagnosis, make prescriptions, view past history of medical records, order for tests and upload test results. Since our platform has voice, video and chat capabilities, it enhances the overall experience for the patients,” Osuji said.

Despite the unfriendly socio-economic realities in the country, Fidson Healthcare Plc, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Nigeria, has restated its commitment to continue to champion innovation and capacity expansion to address customers’ need for affordable and high-quality drugs. This vow was made by Mr. Segun Adebanji (FCA), Chairman, Fidson Board of Directors, during the company’s 23rd Annual General Meeting, which held recently in Lagos.

Although he acknowledged the effects of the economic challenges such as the foreign exchange situation, rising operating costs, poor government funding of the health sector and the incessant closure of markets, especially in the South-eastern parts of Nigeria, which disrupted supply chain and regular supplies of pharmaceutical products around the country, Adebanji stressed the resolve of the company’s leadership not to drop the ball.

“The board and management of our company remain determined to sustain our industry position as the pharma company of choice, not only in Nigeria, but also in the entire African continent. We will continue to champion innovation and capacity expansion to meet the strategic goals and priorities of our company to address our customers’ need for affordable and high-quality drugs,” he said.

The company’s shareholders were promised a dividend of 50kobo per share, as unanimously approved by the shareholders at the 23rd AGM – a 100 per cent improvement on the 25 kobo per share declared in the 2020 financial year. It was also reported that Fidson recorded a turnover of N30.860 billion in the year ended 31st December 2021, compared with N18.275 billion in 2020, representing an increase of 69 per cent. Operating profit grew from N3.097 billion in 2020 to N5.862 billion in 2021, representing an increase of 89 per cent. Also, profit after tax increased from N1.205 billion in 2020 to N3.097 billion during the year under review, representing an increase of 157 per cent.

Given the outstanding performance recorded in the year under review, the Board in addition to the dividend, was pleased to propose a bonus of 1 new ordinary share for every 10 ordinary shares of 50 kobo held by shareholders as at the record date – a decision the shareholders unanimously approved. The highlight of the event was the interactive session where shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the performance of the company under the leadership of the Managing Director, Dr Fidelis Ayebae, for the success story even in the face of daunting economic conditions. Despite the macro-economic conditions and the operating environment, Fidson, driven by its investments in local manufacturing, said it will continuously pursue its vision to be the healthcare provider of choice in Africa. The company said it is committed to meeting the demand for pharmaceutical products across Nigeria with deliberate increase in production capacity to deliver across dosage forms in key therapeutic areas. Fidson, which currently boasts over 250 NAFDAC-registered brands, is expanding production capacity at its current World Health Organisation Good Manufacturing Practice (WHO-CGMP) compliant facility in Sango Ota, Ogun State, regarded as the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of measures to mark this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, Micronutrient Laboratories Limited, producers of Cognito Micronutrient Powder, a vitamins and minerals fortification mix, has explained why it has joined hands with the Lagos State Government: to tackle child malnutrition issues in the state.  The company urged all pregnant women to give priority to what they consume and ensure adequate care for their nutrition by fortifying their bodies with essential micronutrients.

This admonition was made during an event organised by Micronutrient Laboratories to mark this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, which held at the Maternal and Child Centre, Eti-Osa, Lagos. While encouraging women to breastfeed their children exclusively for the first six months of life, the company stressed the importance of a child’s first 1000 days, adding that no child should be denied of this essential window of opportunity to build a solid foundation for future growth and normal adult life.

According to the Chief Innovation Officer, Micronutrient Labs Limited, Dr Kenny Acholonu, Cognito MNP responds to a challenge and societal need for local production of micronutrient powder. Cognito MNP is an essential blend of vitamins and minerals to support bodily functions. Experts said it has proven beneficial to the reduction of infant malnutrition in children under five years old. Cognito MNP is now being recommended for adults as well.

“Cognito assists Nigeria to tackle the problem of micronutrient deficiency. It fortifies food lacking in vital nutrients that many of our citizens eat and serve their children. Cognito MNP has been part of the World Bank and Federal Ministry of Health programme to fight the scourge of malnutrition in the country. The product comprises 15 micronutrients of which 10 are Vitamins and 5 are highly effective minerals needed to fight the deadly scourge of micronutrient deficiencies ravaging nearly 80 million Nigerian children and adults and significantly providing superior, improved health status to this segment of our population.”

Also, the Technical and Regulatory Manager of Micronutrient Laboratories, Mrs. Rachel Amadasun, said the wide acceptance of Cognito MNP has been very uplifting for the company given the detailed attention to all quality and food safety parameters deployed to ensure that the consumer enjoys a wholesome and efficacious product offering. She explained that the product can be enjoyed by both children and the whole family using the recommended dosages: three sachets per week for children and two sachets per day for all adults above 18 years. It would boost the immune system and reduce the debilitating effects of both bacterial and viral infections.

According to the Sales and Marketing Consultant, Micronutrient Labs, Maryanne Okoye, the event is also an opportunity to create awareness of the need for nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively and to also recognise the need for them to switch to Cognito after six months to ensure their baby has a good start in life.