Category: Health

The Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) has donated medical items to Ifako-Ijaye General Hospital, Lagos.

The gesture, the company said, is to mark this year’s Valentine Day, which is in line with objectives of its personal corporate social responsibility (P-CSR) of the company.

The company, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Folake Soetan, also shared gift items in the Children’s Ward. “At Ikeja Electric, it is in our DNA to always give back. That is why we continuously explore opportunities to give back to the communities we operate, through our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives hinged on the pillars of Health, Education and Empowerment.

“While we acknowledge the efforts of government at all levels in providing health care to the citizenry, there is no doubt that they also need some level of support from the private sector as the demand is enormous. This is why private organisations like Ikeja Electric throw their weight behind initiatives that support government and drive development.

“We all know what has happened during the pandemic, and we all know how important it is for health care workers; so many sacrifices they made to ensure that we are safe and we are well. So, I want to first use this opportunity to say a big thank you to every health care workers today. The least we can do as an organisation is to at least support, on behalf of myself, the board, the management and the staffs of Ikeja Electric, please accept our token of love and appreciation today. We brought so many medical supplies and this is just the beginning; you’re going to be seeing more of us,” Soetan said.

The Medical Director, Dr. Bamidele Mustapha, commended Ikeja Electric and called for support for the hospital from other well-meaning Nigerians, stressing that the government cannot do it alone.

“On behalf of general hospital Ifako Ijaiye, we say a very big thank you to Ikeja Electric. We have a good relationship in terms of regular supply of electricity and regular gifts such as this. We appreciate and we welcome you, and we also look forward to more of this and we also want to use this opportunity to call on others to please take a clue from Ikeja Electric and let us do the needful because government cannot do it all alone. We need all the support we can get. Once again, I say a big thank you to Ikeja Electric for this huge donation.”

 

The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), has tasked citizens to donate blood voluntarily in other to ensure availability of safe blood and blood products for transfusion in health facilities across the state.

This admonition came from the LSBTS Executive Secretary (ES), Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, during the deployment of its newly procured bloodmobile, a mobile blood donation vehicle equipped with everything necessary for a blood donation procedure, to the public and corporate organizations.

Osikomaiya, who emphasised the huge demand for blood and the need for voluntary blood donation, said about 37 per cent of the population are eligible and clinically fit to donate blood, stressing that someone is in need of blood every two seconds.

She noted that one pint of donated blood could save three lives, adding that this is why efforts were being intensified by the state government to meet and surpass the blood requirement through recruiting and retaining voluntary blood donors.

“Voluntary blood donors are heroes who deserve to be celebrated every day because the gift they give is the gift of life. We encourage citizens to join this league of lifesavers by donating voluntarily,” Osikomaiya said.

She listed the benefits of donating blood, stressing that voluntary blood donation gives a psychological improvement in the state of mental health. She enjoined citizens who are in good general health and between 18 and 65 to imbibe the culture of voluntary blood donation and donate blood at least once every three months.

“Blood donation helps to stimulate production of more blood thus maintaining good health, voluntary blood donors have access to blood without demand for replacement from LBSTS blood banks. Your blood is tested for hemoglobin, packed cell volume (blood level), viral diseases, blood group, Rhesus factor and genotype. It may uncover potential health problems such as elevated blood levels and low blood levels.

“It also helps to maintain iron stores at healthy levels, which is linked to low cancer risk and gives an opportunity to blood donors to have their clinical vitals done, including blood pressure, pulse rate, weight, and height.”

Noting that the bloodmobile would be going round the state, especially to the public places on donor drives, the ES stated that citizens could also work into any of LSBTS dedicated voluntary blood donation centres at General Hospital, Lagos and General Hospital, Gbagada or the voluntary blood donation centre at the Accident and Emergency Centre at the old Toll Gate and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, to donate blood.

Speaking at a donor drive at the headquarters of Ibile Oil and Gas, Ikoyi, where the bloodmobile was recently deployed, Osikomaiya explained that the procurement of the mobile blood donation center was approved by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to aid blood donor drives and ease the conduct of community blood donation outreach campaign across Lagos.

She explained further that the bloodmobile, which was designed, configured and assembled out of a new coaster bus by a local engineer based in Lagos, has some remarkable features typical of a standard blood donation center including compartments for registration and blood donor procedure, post donation and relaxation spot, blood storage compartment, two electrical donor chairs and an inbuilt air conditioner.

“With this specialised vehicle, our team can conduct donor drives in Lagos communities and public places seamlessly without the encumbrances of having to improvise and repeat set up of blood donation procedures for every donor drive.”

Haima Health is an Non-Governmental Organisation created to ensure that demand for blood is adequately met in Nigeria.

Since 2015, it has partnered LSBTS on monthly blood drives to improve donor culture among youths.

Haima Health began operations by linking voluntary blood donors with sickle cell patients. It has since expanded support to patients in need of transfusions, thereby reducing  stress, expenses and mortality.

 

 

The National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), has said that 73 per cent of Nigerians were ignorant of the high burden of tuberculosis (TB).

The NTBLCP, noted with concern that only 27 per cent were enlightened about the infectious disease in a country of more than 206 million people.

The National Coordinator of the programme, Dr Chukwuemeka Anyike, said this on Thursday in Abuja, at a two-day media engagement and sensitisation meeting, organised by NTBLCP.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO), had ranked Nigeria 7th, out of 30 countries globally, with the highest burden of TB, and 1st in Africa.

WHO reported that in 2019 alone, an estimated 440,000 new cases were recorded, out of which 46,000 were also HIV-positive.

It said about 150,000 Nigerians died from TB, accounting for more than 10 per cent of all deaths in the country, adding that every hour, nearly 30 people were dying from the disease, in spite of the availability of effective treatment.

In his submission, Anyike noted that TB was deadly and required urgent treatment that was available, but most Nigerians were unaware of.

“In fact, majority of people infected with TB will never get sick, they will not experience symptoms or become infectious.

“It is a condition known as latent TB, in which the bacteria that causes TB simply stays dormant in the body,” he explained.

He, therefore, said active TB case-finding was vital to reducing the burden of the disease in the country, because Nigeria had more than 440,000 TB cases, and 300,000 were estimated to be missed annually.

“If you notice any changes in your respiratory tract, both upper and lower, ensure you meet your doctor for proper diagnosis.

“Shortness of breath, hemoptysis, anorexia, coloured sputum, chest pain, waste of muscle, unstoppable cough and fatigue is a sign/symptoms of tuberculosis,” Anyike explained.

According to him, most TB patients often fail to recognise TB symptoms because of societal stigma attached to the disease.

“The way people treat those with TB, especially close contacts, is also a source of worry to the patients.

“This may lead to delay in reporting to the hospital, and consequently increase mortality from the disease.

“It may also make it difficult for the patients to comply with the long duration of TB treatment,” he said.

He stressed that TB remained an important cause of illness and deaths in Nigerian children.

“The emergence of HIV has further increased the burden of the disease. Childhood TB is under-diagnosed and under-reported in Nigeria.

“The diagnosis of TB can be made in most children based on a careful clinical evaluation.

“History of contact with a person with pulmonary TB is a very important component in the diagnosis of TB in children,” he explained.

Also speaking at the event, Dr Bolatito Aiyenigba, Deputy Director, Malaria and Tuberculosis, Breakthrough ACTION, Nigeria, (BA-N), an NGO, said her organisation would continue to partner with the Nigerian government to accomplish the goal of the NTBLCP.

READ ALSO: $268m funding gap hampering tuberculosis control

Aiyenigba said the partnership would ensure access to comprehensive and high-quality patient-centered and community-owned TB services for all Nigerians.

According to her, it is important to find the missing TB cases as the current case finding is only around 26 per cent.

“Meaning 74 per cent of cases are not detected or reported, and these people may be transmitting TB to others in the communities.

She noted that the gap should not be that wide, adding that the aim of the campaign was to encourage people vulnerable to TB to approach health facilities to get tested.

“We are hoping that the campaign will be nationwide for maximum reach and impact,” she added.

On her part, the Head, Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation, NTBLCP, Mrs Itoghowo Uko, expressed delight over the media engagement and sensitisation meeting.

“Knowledge they say is power, when you give an individual the right information, he or she would be able to take decision on his or her life from an informed position.

“We have been able to sensitise Nigerians on the simple signs of Tuberculosis and the reason they need to go for test.

“But, with what we have done today, and the responses we have gotten, we believe that the media will do the right thing through their reportage to tell Nigerians the danger of TB,” Uko said.

She added that the more aware Nigerians were about TB, the sooner the burden would reduce. (NAN)

A not-for-profit organisation Patela Care Foundation (PCF) has donated items at the Paediatric Oncology Wards of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.

The donation was in commemoration of the 2022 International childhood cancer day.

PCF joins the global collaborative campaign in promoting childhood cancer awareness, advocacy and expressing support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.

Some of the donated items include chemotherapy drugs, pharmaceutical items and love gifts.

The PCF was received by the Head of Pediatric Oncology unit and President of Nigerian Society of Pediatric Oncology, Prof Biobele Brown, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Clinical Nursing, Mrs Popoola ADN Oki, Dr Adeniyi, Dr Adigun; Paediatric Oncology Senior Registrars and some members of the team of Paediatric Oncology Unit, UCH.

The Executive Director PCF, Dr Foluke Sarimiye, who is a consultant radiation and clinical oncologist, said scientific data shows more than 400,000 children and adolescents below 20-years are diagnosed with cancer every year.

The rate of survival, she said, depends on the region, with 80 per cent survival in most high income countries but as low as 20 per cent in low and middle income countries such as Nigeria.

She said this disparity is as a result of several factors such as low community awareness, cultural belief, poor knowledge about early basic childhood cancer signs and symptoms, financial constraints, lack of appropriate diagnostic tools and access to specialist care especially in rural settings.

She reiterated that commemoration of International Childhood Cancer Day started by Childhood Cancer International (CCI) in 2002, now in collaboration with International Society for Pediatrics Oncology (SIOP), WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) and all Paediatric Oncology Communities is an international, collaborative awareness campaign dedicated to spotlighting the critical need for heightened commitment in the fight against childhood cancer.

She called for greater awareness, advocacy and provision of psycho social support for the children who are battling cancer and their family caregivers.

This commemoration, according to her, is an avenue to honor the gallant heroes who fought a good fight.

She added it is also a means to remind policy markers and researchers that childhood cancer deserves same attention and commitment that adult cancers currently receive.

THE Chief Medical Director (CMD), Optimal Specialist Hospital, Surulere Lagos. Dr. Celestine Chukwunenye has been conferred with an award by the Southern Assembly of Nigeria (SYPAN).

SYPAN National Speaker Jonathan Segun Adekunle said the award was aimed at honouring and celebrating Chukwunenye for his contributions to the health care sector in particular and society in general.

It is also to charge him to do more and partner him to assist our group, he added.

He noted that the group is a youth parliament based in 17 States of the south whose objective is to build themselves and the nation. “As a youth organisation, we need to come together to meet up with opportunities of the society. Hence our focus is on youth empowerment to energise us.

READ ALSO: CMD lauds govt over funding

“We have entrepreneurship and youth summits where we equip youths with skills,’’ he added

Chwukwunenye, while thanking SYAN for the gesture, said he was overwhelmed by the award.

He recalled that he had received awards from several groups in parts of the country. He said he had helped youth groups and would not be tired to assist them.

He advised Nigerians to take care of their health. Noting that health is wealth, he said: ‘If you are rich and unhealthy, it is not good. Thus health ranks higher in our priority. So, we must improve on our health. It is in that spirit that we should invest in our health whether as individuals, community or nation.’’

At the event were the Deputy CMD of the hospital/Head Clinical Services, Dr Ajoke Chukwunenye; chief Matron, Ejeagwu Chiamaka; Head of Pharmacy, Itunu Sogoyoje; Manager, Corporate Services, Paul Okoro; and Head, Customer Service Tajudeen Ogunlola. Others were SYAN member, South, Yusuf Olatunji.

The Rotary Club of Eko Atlantic, in partnership with Kimberly-Clark and Daraju Industries Limited, has committed to providing a supply of hygiene and sanitary kits for 300 students of Girls Junior Secondary School, Marina, Lagos. The donation will be done every month, said the President of the club, Mamta Debroy, adding that donation is part of Project Ominira, which means freedom in Yoruba and is aimed at empowering the girl-child under the Rotary International Focus Area – Disease Prevention and Treatment.

She said the club took the initiative to empower the girlchild and create awareness about feminine hygiene as well as taking the initiative to provide support for 300 girls to stay clean and understand the importance of hygiene in everyday life, especially during those days when the girls are most prone to infection and in turn suffer from various diseases, which may lead to long-term suffering and unhealthy motherhood.

“Ominira is one of Rotary Club of Eko Atlantic’s Flagship projects, which is a rollover project from the Rotary year 2018-2019. But in the current Rotary year, the club has taken up the project more aggressively under the leadership of President Rtn. Mamta Debroy, Secretary Rtn. Kisshor Bendre and the project is very efficiently led by Project leader Rtn. Shweta Srivastava, where the club has committed to providing a supply of hygiene and sanitary kits for 300 girl-child every month at Girls Junior Secondary School, Simpson Street, Marina Lagos.”

The Nigerian Business Coalition against AIDS (NIBUCAA), a coalition of private organisations in Nigeria with the aim to complement government’s effort in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has tasked the Nigerian news media to deepen their support and collaborate further with all relevant stakeholders in efforts to eradicate HIV in the country by 2030. This was the charge to journalists when NiBUCAA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Isaiah Owolabi, led a delegation to The Nation’s head office in Lagos recently on a courtesy visit.

With over 1.5 million Nigerians currently living with  HIV, the NiBUCAA boss said it is imperative to seek the help of the media to create more awareness about HIV/AIDS and to stop stigmatisation issues. According to him, the media has a huge role to play in changing behaviours and improving health-seeking behaviours and also providing the right information. To help the media achieve in this regard, Owolabi said his organisation will be working to train the media or train representatives from the media on reporting HIV.

Speaking on stigmatisation as one of the biggest crisis frustrating efforts to eradicate HIV, he admitted that Nigeria is yet to be where it should be, but a lot of progress has been recorded. “Technically, Nigeria is not where it should be in terms of responses to stigmatisation because if you compare countries like South Africa, you’ll see a lot of people taking excuses in offices to go and get their anti-retroviral. We were in the HR training last year and I was asking about over hundred HR professionals that what do you think make people absent at workplace; some of them said headache, malaria and other sickness.

“And I asked one of them, has anyone ever come to you to say I want to go and take my anti-retroviral and he said no. Do you think there’s no one that has HIV and is on anti-retroviral in your organisation? Definitely they are, but why aren’t they confident enough to do that? It’s because of stigmatisation. Another thing that also drives that is the inequality of the response to HIV for the poor and for the rich is quite different. “The rich can afford anti-retroviral; they don’t necessarily have to queue for it. They can go into the health facility and get it whenever they want. However, the poor cannot afford a lot of things. What they have to do is this: they have to join this huge long queue, which is already over-burdened in many cases and when you also consider the fact that many health care professionals are not even trained to respond to the needs of persons living with HIV.

“One of the things at national level and some of the programmes that we are supporting is also focused on the fact that we need to support healthcare professionals and we need to also support people to come out more and create a pipeline of support for people.”

He reeled many programmes his organisation has carried out since he assumed leadership of the private sector body. In 2021, Owolabi said NIBUCAA started HIV awareness programme in Abuja, Ebonyi, Edo in 2021, with the first phase of the ‘’I know My status’’ project successfully. The project, which was developed from the End HIV Campaign, was designed and implemented to increase the knowledge of vulnerable people on their HIV status and enough safe sexual practices through HIV Testing Services and dissemination of Sexual and Reproductive Health information.

“The I know My Status Project is expedient to reduce the incidence of HIV in Nigeria, there is a need for continuous dissemination of sexual and reproductive health information; HIV prevention and treatment information; continuous HIV Counselling and Testing especially among adolescent and young people, women, and transport workers. This is because these populations fall within the high prevalence age bracket.”

The Radiography Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) has shutdown 20 illegal medical diagnostic centres in Nasarawa State. Mr Ebere Onwugbuchu, head of Inspection and Monitoring Unit of the board, disclosed the development at the end of a two-day exercise organised to supervise medical diagnostic centres in the state.

He said that the exercise was aimed at monitoring the activities of medical diagnostic centres and ensures that they adhered to standard practice. Onwugbuchu said that the centres were shut down for operating without registration, thereby constituting dangers to the society. He said that some of the centres were not registered, while others employed radiographers that were not qualified.

“The activities of quacks in the profession have led to wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment, thereby, causing health complications and even death. We cannot allow quacks to continue to operate freely and killing people for financial benefits,” Onwugbuchu said. He explained that the board would also carry out similar exercise in other states of the federation to get rid of quackery in the profession.

Onwugbuchu had earlier expressed determination to partner the Nasarawa State Government toward ensuring that only professionals and certified radiographers are allowed to practise. He also urged medical facilities in the state to register with the board before they carry out scanning and other radiography activities. Responding during a courtesy call, Ahmed Yahaya, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Health, expressed gratitude to the board for the visit.

The Commissioner said that the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration was ready to work with the Federal Government and other partners for better service delivery. He, therefore, promised to assign a desk officer to serve as a link between the state government and the board. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the board visited the Sandagi Medical Centre, the Umma Ultrasound Diagnosis Centre in Lafia and the Tamaiko Medical Centre in Doma Local Government Area.

Determined to boost treatment outcomes and increase the survival rate of cancer patients in the country, MeCure Healthcare Limited has unveiled the first comprehensive cancer centre with Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET/CT) in Lagos State. It is said to be the first of its kind in Nigeria and West Africa.

With PET/CT, which is a combination of PET and CT scan, treatment outcomes will be enhanced and survival rate will be increased as the machine can help to detect cancer cells even before they manifest as cancer in the body. It is a nuclear medicine technique that combines, in a single gantry, a positron emission tomography scanner and an x-ray computed tomography scanner, to acquire sequential images from both devices in the same session, which are combined into a single superposed image.

While stressing the importance of early diagnosis of cancer, the chairman of MeCure, Mr Samir Udani, said it was unfortunate that many cancer cases in Nigeria are often detected at late stages, resulting in huge harvest of deaths yearly. He spoke during this year’s World Cancer Day event organised by the company in Lagos, urging oncologists to treat cancer scientifically in order to increase the survival rate and reduce mortality from the disease.

Speaking during a media tour of the new facility, Udani tasked physicians to change the narrative in the treatment of cancer through the support science provides in treating cancer. Stressing that the world is changing fast with technologies changing as well, he said caregivers need the support of the third eyes, which PET-CT gives to the physicians so that cancer can be scientifically treated on time. With the PET-CT machine project, valued at about $40 million, MeCure boss said the dynamics of the equipment is based on radiopharmaceutical or radiotracers injected in the patient’s body.

Udani lamented that there are about 125,000 new cases of cancer in Nigeria yearly. “It is sad that most of these cases are detected at late stages. The PET/CT increases survival rate of patients, in that, with the radioactive tracer drug used for PET scan and non-ionizing drugs used for CT scan, injected into the patient, we can accurately detect where the cancer is, thereby helping the doctor to decide the best treatment option for the patient.

“PET uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers or radiopharmaceuticals, a special substance and a computer to evaluate organ and tissue functions. These radiopharmaceuticals cannot be imported because in two hours it loses half of its potency. Without these drugs, PET-CT is not possible.

“During the cause of treatment, the PET/CT can help to detect if the treatment being given to the patient is working or not. Six months after the treatment, the machine can help to detect if the cancer has been completely treated or if there are some cancerous cells still remaining in the body,” he explained.

Udani regretted that despite the importance of the PET-CT machine, Nigeria is just talking of the first in West Africa; while Egypt, also an African country, has 60. He explained that the PET-CT ensures accuracy in diagnosing cancer, which includes the location, size and shape and the fact that guides managing physicians on proper treatment plans for their patients. Noting that cancer is a social problem and a burden on the nation’s economy, he expressed hope that in the next five years, MeCure will be able to have 10 PET-CT machines in Nigeria.

He said with N495,000, a patient can access treatment with a PET-CT machine in MeCure; unlike in the United States where the cost is as high as $3,500, and in Kenya, $800. Udani said the company is working towards crashing the cost of cancer treatment, especially with PET-CT to as low as N50, 000.

While throwing more light on the workings of PET-CT, a consultant radiologist at MeCure, Dr Durojaiye Adeuja, described the new machine as a landmark achievement for Nigeria, as it improves the diagnostic quality of managing all cancers. “In our clime, we found that breast, colon, prostate and cervical cancers are on the rise. Patients come to the hospital, they get detected, get surgery and go for radiotherapy or chemotherapy. These cases need to be followed up, but we have issues following them up because we usually follow them up with CT or MRI, but PET-CT has more advantage because it doubles the diagnostic quality with a combination of PET and CT as a whole.

“So if you are infusing both, PET itself helps to identify functionality while the CT identifies the morphology, the structure as it were.  If you now combine both, there is an advantage because you are able to pick what is current, what is normal; you are able to pick what is residual. You are able to pick what is reoccurring, you are able to pick what is progressing or what is actually regressing or remission.  Essentially, it is like you are using two parameters to evaluate a single variable, which means you are improving the specificity of your diagnosis and PET also increases the sensitivity of the diagnosis.”

The Chief Strategist at MeCure, Dr Kunle Megbuwawon, said the company has set up crowdfunding for PET/CT to help those who are unable to get the required funding to access the facility. “We plan to work with non-governmental organisations that are funding the treatment of cancer patients. In the next five years, we plan to have 10 additional PET/CT machines across Nigeria. By then, the cost of running the scan would have reduced and the service would be more accessible to Nigerians,” he said.

A family has requested financial support of N6 million for a boy, Ramadan Shedrack, who needs to undergo chest infection surgery.

According to information made available to The Nation, an echocardiography conducted on January 6, 2021 disclosed Shedrack has three holes in the heart.

They are Secundum ASD; right partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection and moderate PAH.

Following recommendations by medical experts, the family is opting for Babcock University Teaching Hospital instead of flying him to India, owing to financial constraints.

Shedrack, according to a medical report signed by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), has been placed on anti-failure medication, and as a result requires urgent financial support for the surgery.

The boy,who was admitted to LASUTH 10 months ago was found to be centrally diagnosed with oxygen saturation values in room air between 45-77 per cent.

Shedrack’s mother, Tolani explained he has been due for the surgery since November 2021 while appealing for donations to: 0253889676, Wema Bank, Ramadan Shedrack Mayaleeke.