By Femi Kusa

 

ANOTHER World Health Day came by on April 7, eight days ago, with no question as tangible as the Corona virus which has been menacing mankind since late 2019. A vaccine against it has been found alright, but there is still growing fear of what the repercusions of getting the jab could be in, say, 10 or 20 years. We cannot dismiss this fear with a wave of the hand because some authorities are still linking the small pox vaccinations of the 1950s with today’s high wave of cancer world wide. Already, there are fears that  Coronavirus vaccines may cause blood clots in some people. This is frightening because blood clots are known to cause not only heart attacks, stroke and lung damage but, also, because the virus itself has been shown to kill its victims by inducing massive blood clots in them. I pity many Nigerians who, torn between the devil and the deep blue sea, as the virus is a reality, and the future of the jab is yet unknown, are compelled by their employers to be vaccinated in order to keep their jobs. A gentleman visited me last week after his jab to ask what he could do to avert blood clotting. His employers in the construction industry compelled all the staff to be vaccinated. This, no doubt, is better than asking them to work from home and not getting 100 per cent returns from the salary bill. So, we spoke for about one hour on dietary home remedies for averting and even dissolving blood clots, with emphasis against the tendency to overdo things, as this may cause the blood to be thinner than normal and cause other challenges. Our discussion covered the grounds below and more.

 Tumeric

This herb is popular in Nigeria now as a digestive aid. I add the powder to my meals when I notice that I am not evacuating easily or well enough. It has two main components….tumeric, the “big brother”, and curcumin, the yellow component which deals deadly blows at inflammation and blood clots. Some proprietary formulas separate them. Thus, I often mention, for example, Curcumin  2000x. This is a combination of Curcumin  and Cayenne, another terrific blood thinner, which the producer claim makes the Curcumin 2,000 times more potent than its natural form alone or in Tumeric.

When Tumeric, Curcumin or Cayenne or any other herbal blood thinner is used to confront blood clots, it should not be forgotten that blood clotting has its own good uses, one of which is to prevent needless blood loss internally or outwardly, and that an abuse may cause leakages through blood vessels if the blood is too thin and cause blood loss challenges.

 CBD oil

The health tonics in Cannabis Sativa or Hemp, known in Nigeria as “weed”, are finding their ways everyday into the prescription pads of many doctors. We now know that it is Tetra Hydro Cannabinol(THC) in Hemp is the psycho active stimulant which literally turns upside down the brains of some smokers of this week. But, as we say in Yoruba land, white meals do come out of black cooking pots. Thus, over about 30 years, medicine has discovered health benefitting oils in these plants which has led to the growth of a vibrant cannabidiol(CBD oil) industry. It took me some time to yield to these persuasive arguments, especially when the Food and Drugs Administration(FDA) in the United States approved it for seizures in children below five years and the equivalent authority in the United Kingdom did the same. Back home in Nigeria, I am witness to how this oil resolved the epilepsy of the nine year old grand daughter of an 84 year old man.  She was a regular patient at Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos and always missed school until he gave CBD oil a try to the joy of many of us.

CBD oil is now accorded herculian value in the upkeep of what has become known as the Master System of the body, or the Endocannabinoid System.  It is now said that the body produces its own CBD oil for the maintenance of this system which, in turn, controls all other systems of the body. So enrapturing is the belief of some complementary and holistic medicine doctors in this new discovery of science and medicine that CBD oil is, for them, a front line prescription in all ailments. The idea seems to be…..straighten up the Endocannabinoid system, and all, including ailing systems, will fall in line.

It is rare to find a health condition in which CBD oil is now not relevant. The only drawbacks may be if the doctor hasn’t heard about it or if he doesn’t believe in it or if the patient cannot stand the cost. In one of the many doctors’ reports I have read about this oil, a dermatologist who had to remone a potentially cancerous mole from the skin of one of his patients was surprised that he bled beyond his expectations. The dermatologist had expected clots to form around the surgical wound and arrest the bleeding. The patient informed her he had taken a “hefty dose” of CBD oil just before the surgery to calm his nerves. Nevertheless, a study published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics said CBD oil did not cure Deep Vain Thrombosis(DVT), a clot in the deep vain which could cause, swelling and lung problems, but eased the inflammation and pain associated with it. But a 2010 literature review suggested that CBD oil prevent brain damage in stroke patients and support recovery by boosting brain function. In 2017, another review said CBD oil increased blood circulation in the brain during a stroke.

According to Ferdinand H.Quinones, M.D.: “A team of researchers at Fukuoka University in Japan recently made a breakthrough in stroke treatment. Their research investigated whether a Cannabinoid found within the cannabis plant called Cannabidiol(CBD) could be an effective treatment option during rehabilitation. This theory has been supported by other preliminary research studies, which all have found that CBD oil shows encouraging post stroke therapy for Ischemic stroke along(one or two types of stroke). The current body of research seems to show speedier and broader recovery in patients and incredible ever protection. Only two treatment options are available, so having another effective option for stroke recovery is compelling news for both stroke victims and their families. There is no hope that CBD therapy could allow more people to lead an independent life after suffering a stroke”.

 Ginger

Like Tumeric, Ginger is now a regular feature in Nigerian kitchens and cuisines. The powder is added to fruit or vegetable juices, to peppers, corn pap, rice, beans, yam porridge, and what have you. It is anti-inflammatory. Its potent acid, acetylsalicylic, gave rise to Aspirin, the pharmaceutical drug for inflammation, pain and blood clots.

For centuries in Indonesia and India, Ginger had been a major components of both folk medicine and cuisines. Modern research shows that those ancient people knew what they were doing. Now we know Ginger contains plant chemicals which world like the pharmaceutical Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs(NSAIDs). It inhibits action of the genes which cause inflammation. When two researchers fed rats with different ratios of ginger extracts, the ones which received the high dosage “exhibited a statistically significant reduction in blood clotting factors and cholesterol levels as compared with the placebo group”. The rats also had “a reduction in inflammation markers”. So, the researchers concluded that Ginger was a useful agent and as a blood thinner. The University of Maryland Medical Centre lends its weight behind ginger as being anti-cholesterol and a blood thinner by citing studies which says so. it is noted that ginger is good for the heart because making the blood thinner reduces the risk of blood clot formation which may cause heart attack or travel to the brain to cause a stroke or a damage in the lungs. At the Cornell  University, the gingeroles in ginger were found to help prevent abdominal blood coagulation.

When it comes to blood Cholesterol levels, which is a pain in the neck for many people, ginger may lend a helping hand. Many people are too frightened by the mention of cholesterol. I hope the reader of this column in Benin I call “Auntie” is reading this. We all need cholesterol in our 100 trillion or so cells as adults. It is a part of the outer portion of the cell wall. It is in our brain, the heart, the genita organs etc. We hear of two major types always, although there are other variants. The two are High Density Lipoprotein(HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein(LDL). Cholesterol is fat and protein. HDL, the good cholesterol, is little fat and more protein, whereas LDL is more fat and little protein. LDL takes fat round the body to feed the cells. HDL returns it from the arteries to the liver which transforms the excess fat into bile salts in the night circumstances which includes availability of minerals and buoyant liver function. Many studies show that ginger cut total blood cholesterol levels, balances HDL with LDL(reducing LDL and increasing HDL), improve liver function, reduce oxidative stress and damage, lower blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

 Garlic

The Bible reports that the first major rebellion of the children of Isreal against Moses in the wilderness was because they no longer had garlic to eat everyday as they did in Egypt. In Egypt, they were slaves and the Egyptians gave them generous amounts of garlic in the diet to keep them healthy and energetic for slave work. Unfortunately, today’s Bible reader and Christian does not take a cue from this. The smell of Garlic irritates many people, none the least of them  my father who died of congestive heart failure due to enlarged heart, a condition Rex Adams says in his Miracle Medicine Foods is curable with Thiamine(Vitamin B1) and Garlic.

Garlic has a molecule called AjoeneJ, which stops blood platelets from clumping to form blood clots. Its role in the successful treatment of hypertension is interesting. Cholesterol plaque blocks the arteries, narrowing them and reducing blood flow, thereby increasing tension in the pumping of the heart. The arteries can be damaged, and diminished supply of blood to the heart may gradually, if not eventually, cripple its muscles. Some scientists  say diminished blood supply to the brain causes shortage of oxygen deliveries and that as many as 1.9 million brain cells may die every minute there is insufficient oxygen supply to the brain. Garlic not only consumes plaque in the arteries but also supports the regulation of Nutric Oxide. This helps the dialation of blood vessels, allows more blood flow, reduces hypertension and saves the heart from overwork and trouble.

Stanford University Medical schools tells us of how useful Garlic is as a cholesterol manager and as an anti coagulant. I have a friend who grinds Garlic to paste and dissolves the paste in wine or spirit. He takes one teaspoonful in the morning and another at bedtime for “police work” in the night hours when most strokes are said to happen. Many women hate Garlic because of the odour and prefer odourless Garlic soft gels. But the healing effects comes from Allicin, the active ingredient which produces the odour when it reacts with atmospheric oxygen. Yet some of them who present dark menstrual blood clots, evidence of deoxygenation in the uterus, or a prospective health challenge such as fibroids in there, can be helped by Garlic. If Garlic is still a taboo to such women, after all said and done, shall we propose that they try the Paul Bragg(With Mother) brand of Apple Cider Vinegar. This Vinegar has two faces. It stops excessive bleeding, even during episiotomies in the birthing process, if it was taken six weeks from D-Day. Conversely, it dissolves all those menstrual dark clots, evidence that all is not well in, and with the uterus.

 Cayenne

Reputed to be the King of Herbs, Cayenne relates with the heart and with the blood circulation. The blood is the River of Life which must flow unimpeded. But sometimes, it flows against blood clot impediments formed in blood vessels to prevent blood leakages when these vessels are broken. Trouble may arise in the heart, lungs and brain if these clots break and lodge in them. Cayenne pepper thins out the clots. Its power chiefly comes from Salicylates which it packs. Thus, eating Cayenne pepper in foods or taking it in food supplements offers good prospects for blood arculation challenges.

 Grape Seed Extract

Thanks to Dr Raymond Strand, author of What Your Doctor Does Not knowAbout  Nutrition May be Killing You. His wife was dying of Fibromyalgia and all his prescriptions could not help her. After she got well on herbs from a supposed lay person in medicine, he added natural medicine to his calling and began to eulogise in particular Grape Seed Extract, which is one of the substances which easily crosses the Blood-Brain barrier. It is such a powerful anti-coagulant in large doses that, it is not advisable to take it with pharmaceutical blood thinners. In fact, it is better to not take any natural blood thinner with a drug blood thinner such as Aspirin or Waffarin as they may potentiate effects of the drugs.

 Vitamin E

Thanks to the Shute brothers, both doctors at Mayo Clinic who used it to treat difficult heart ailments. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and an anti-coargulant. In choosing Vitamin E, the d-alpha variant, the natural one, is preferred to the dl-alpha form derived from petroleum residues. Palm fruit contains not only all the six fractions of d-alpha tocopherols, but also the six variants of the more powerful tocotrienols. Vitamin E is helpful in the management of sickle cell anemia. It maximizes the use of oxygen, provides antioxidant protection for the sickle cell, thereby prolonging its life, and, also, preventing clumping of the cells which may obstruct blood flow.

 Ginkgo Biloba

Traditionally known as Maiden Hair because it made the hairs grow long, strong and shiny on women’s scalp, it is now recognised as a brain herb because it promotes unhindered blood arculation to the brain and eyes(the upper extremities) and enhances micro arculation as well in both regions. It is not advisable to take Ginkgo biloba before surgery.

 Lachesis

This is the homeopathic dose of the poison Lachesis, the Bush  Master, a snake which may grow up to 12 feet long and is second to the Cobra in size. It is useful for a wide range of complaints including fertility questions in women and Deep Vain Thrombis(DVT), among others. I wish Constantine Herring were alive. He probably would have found an homeopathic cure for Coronavirus by diluting its poison to such minutest levels that would effect a cure. Homeopathy is based on the principles that “like cure like” and that the more diluted a poison is the more curative it becomes for the problem it causes.

Herring is widely believed to be the founder of homeopathy in America. In 1827, he was in Surinam, South America, to carry out some experiments on behalf of the government. He was working on the possibility of obtaining from the venom of Lachesis a vaccine that would cure small pox. Accidentally, he poisoned himself with a little dosage of the venom. This would enable him to prove that  homeopathic medicine could come out of Lachesis. He became paralysed in his right side when he continued to try larger and larger doses of Lachesis on that side. This snake poison interferes with nerve impulses and destroys red bood cells. Today, Homeopathic Lachesis is used to treat four broad categories of problems, namely….”menstrual and menopausal complaints, throat and mouth complaints, fear, paranoia, and associated mental complaints, nervous system complaints, circulatory complaints”.

 Gotu Kola, others

We cannot forget Gotu kola, reputed for good blood circulation within the brain and in all organs. The Asians love it because of claims that it made some care givers of old who took it everyday live for about 200 years. We should remember, also, Ferrum Phos, the tissue salt which is reputable for clearing all circulatory blockages. We acknowledge also, Edta(Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid). A patient who used it for hypertension to clear blockages in the blood vessels suddenly experienced significant vision improvement. It turned out that vessels which brought blood to the eyes had significantly become blocked and the eyes were ailing from poor blood and oxygen delivery.

Modern nature has in stock for us more help than can be mentioned here for the protection of blood circulation from clots which may cause heart attacks, strokes, and lung damage, all of which may lead to death. What we do not know as yet are those problems which COVID-19 vaccination may forment in the future.

By Remi Adebayo

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has said the Federal Government is committed to funding child spacing and the health sector as part of its strategic plan to improve human capital development and foster a productive citizenry under the leadership of President Muhammdu Buhari.

She made this known when she hosted a delegation of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria under the Partnership for Advocacy in family and child health at Scale, PACFaH@Scale, in her office on Friday.

The minister, who thanked the delegation for a visit, assured that her ministry will always prioritise the health sector’s funding, especially on issues bordering on the multilateral agreement and other commitments Nigeria has entered into.

While urging advocates also to improve their advocacy work around utilisation and efficiency relating to funds released, she assured that Nigeria would continue to improve the health sector’s funding, as can be seen since the assumption of office of this current administration. “Despite the failure to meet the 15 per cent commitment, Nigeria has progressively funded the health sector with incremental funding.”

She also noted that regardless of competing priorities, the federal government will prioritise funding for health and family planning therein. “Effective utilisation of funds continues to be an issue with MDAs, and with competing priorities. This will be an obstacle to incremental funding. Regarding the BHCPF, which also caters to child and family health issues, the federal government is making moves to fulfill its commitment for the one per cent CRF. Still, the non-responsiveness at the state level to provide counterpart funding has slowed the process. MDAs are also showing low utilisation capacity,” she said.

Ahmed then noted that the federal government is taking innovative steps to improve fiscal transparency through Monitoring and Evaluation for budget tracking on an MDA-by-MDA level via the Budget Office of The Federation’s website. The Accountant General’s office has also initiated a transparency monitor to show governments’ spending. She called on MWAN-PAS to advocate the health MDAs to improve their capacity to utilise the funds released and increase advocacy efforts for the girl child education to improve family planning uptake.

The head of the delegation, Dr. Minnie Oseji, who is the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, briefed the minister on the association’s ongoing international conference and called on the federal government to support the funding of the health sector.

“From the 2017 and 2021 national budget, N6.8 billion has been allocated to family planning, out of which N3.6 billion was released. What was observed was that not all funds allocated were released, especially in 2017 and 2018, where 93 per cent and 33 per cent of the fund allocated were released. Also, the N809 million allocated in the 2021 fiscal year has not been released. Recall that the N900 million funding gap for 2019 was proposed to be released from the Service Wide Vote (SWV).”

Oseji, therefore, called for the release of allocations to enable the achievement of targets set by the administration under local and international bilateral and multilateral agreements.

By Olamilekan Ale

High blood pressure (BP) is the silent killer mainly linked to stroke and a number of heart problems. It’s the force of blood pressing on the walls of our arteries as it flows through the body. It is measured in two numbers, the higher one being the systolic pressure.

High blood pressure (hypertension) most often has no symptoms. So, a significant number of people who have it might not realise it. But it’s impossible to know which risk factors you are faced with unless you visit the doctor regularly for blood pressure checks and other tests.

Improve your heart

When you have high blood pressure, you are three times more likely to die from heart disease. Hypertension is caused by hardened arteries and hardened arteries cause hypertension. This is a vicious cycle that you have the power to break.

Protect your kidneys

When a person’s blood pressure is high, it can stretch the fragile filtering system of the kidneys. Over time, this stretch can become permanent causing the kidneys to be less efficient in filtering your blood. Once this happens, it is known as chronic kidney disease with the end stages requiring costly dialysis or kidney transplants.

Decrease your chance of a stroke

Most people who have their first stroke have high blood pressure. A stroke is when an area of your brain is not receiving enough blood, and therefore oxygen, to operate properly. This can be due to a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or an artery that broke (hemorrhagic stroke). Hypertension causes damages to these arteries that make a stroke more likely to happen.

Reduce out of pocket expenses

Spend a little money now and save a lot later. High blood pressure costs the nation nearly 50 billion dollars each year. By keeping your blood pressure under control now, you can reduce the amount of time you can spend in the hospital and reduce future costs.

By Femi Kusa

Easter 2021 is three days away. It is another opportunity to retreat into Christian life, dust up the teachings, discard untruths or illogicalities and deepen understanding in unassailable greens of truth. This year, I wish, among other cleanups, to discard my old understanding of the soldier who plunged his spear into the lifeless body of the Lord Jesus as he hung on the cross. I will think less of the three wise men who exposed baby Jesus to danger, rather than protect Him, although their failings brought Golgotha about and changed the course and narrative of the mission of the love of God to the earth. I will think about the blood of Jesus and those men and women called stigmatists who, every Easter season, bleed from the head, hands, side and feet, exactly those places from which the Lord bled as he hung on the cross more than 2,000 years ago. The wound marks, known as stigmata, are thought by some Christians to be blessings for which the stigmatists must count themselves lucky and specially blessed to bear. But are they correct? Is the church, too, correct in holding this view and encouraging a pilgrimage of christians to this suffering men and women as if they are holy people? Whatever happened to the teaching of Jesus that whatever a man soweth, that he shall reap?

 

The Holy  Spear

I used to feel revulsion for the man who plunged a spear into the side of the Lord on the cross until I began to read literature about what became of that spear. Like the cup or chalice in which the Lord served His disciples wine during the last Supper, that spear was to become a “hot” cake among nations. It was believed that whichever country took custody of it would prosper beyond the reaches of the others. If, in truth, the spear was resident in Germany at the time of Adolf Hitler, was it the source of the prosperity of that nation? Or, could it be that Adolf Hitler came to the earth as part of another nation, for which He was well endowed and his aura attracted prosperity to Germany? It is said in the history of that spear that the man who thrust it into the side of the Lord Jesus did it not out of hate but love. That statement jolted me. What love, I wondered. My shock was subdued by the explanation for his conduct…. the Romans certified a crucified person dead only after his bones were completely broken. The Lord Jesus presented a more serious problem to the authorities, for he had foretold that he would ressurect from the dead three days after His physical demise. The report says that the aim of this man in ripping open the side of the lifeless body of the Lord was to get the authorities to agree that He was stone dead, and avoid the ritual of breaking His bones. The spear which did this job was to become highly priced among nations. It was reported to have made many rounds before it got into the hands of Adolf Hitler. Only the spear head survived about 2,000 years of handling until it finally ended up in a museum where, as a boy, Hitler used to observe it.

Other accounts suggest that the Catholic Church may be in possession of it in Rome below the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica or in Vienna, where it is displayed in the Imperial Treasury of the Hofburg palace, Austria, or in Echmiadzin, Armenia. The Austrian location appears most plausible. Adolf Hitler reportedly showed interest in it because of reports that any country which possessed it would hold the destiny of humanity in its hands for good or ill. One of the military campaigns of Hitler in the Second World War, therefore, was the capture of the spear in Austria, where an important event in the spiritual history of humanity was already underway. People who are familiar with this event say Adolf Hitler was meant to be a part of it. But when he became Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler misunderstood his coming to the earth and to Germany to not be to offer state protection for this spiritual event but aimed rather to appropriate it for Germany’s political leadership of all nations.

This was similar to the abandonment by Pontius Pilate of his political appointment by Rome over the Jews to protect the Lord Jesus with his high office. It is conjectural what may have happened, and the course the Mission of Jesus to the earth would have followed, if by this reasoning Pontius Pilate freed Jesus. Nevermind that the religious leader of those days, fearing that Jesus was eroding their authority and influence, had handed him over to Pontius Pilate as plotting an overthrow of Augustus Caesar, Emperor of Rome, and political overlord of the Jews. Nevermind, also, that only a few days earlier, generals of the Jewish military resistance and Judas Iscariot, uniting with the populace, had planned a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the Jewish capital, for Jesus during the Passover Feast. Nevermind as well that Jesus, reading the intent to use Him to spearhead a revolution, had openly declared in the temple that my Kingdom is not of this world and preached the brotherhood of all men . Jesus had not come for the political liberation of the Jews from Rome. He had come to light up the world of humanity darkened by Lucifer and to give mankind knowledge that would spiritually empower them to return to their home in paradise before the last judgment. Judas Iscariot had been a leading architect of the plan by the resistance movement to explore the popularity of Jesus and make Him king of the Jews for the overthrow of Roman rule because he wanted a place among the inner caucus disciples of Peter, James and John. The declarations of Jesus in the temple shocked him and the Jewish generals. In his frustration, Judas again turned to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish legislative and judicial court or council. The Sanhedrin had been planning to press against Jesus charges of blasphemy against God and threat to Roman rule. If he could identify Jesus and get them to arrest Him, Judas was certain, Jesus would use divine powers to overcome them and the planned revolution  would gather stream again. This did not happen, and, in shame, Judas Iscariot returned a bribe of 30 shekels he had taken from the Sanhedrin and committed suicide.

Meanwhile, Jesus stood before Pilate. Here was Pontius Pilate who, as Jesus was journeying down from the higher spheres of existence to the earth on His Mission, had offered to serve him, had been annointed and prepared for this job. The mission of Jesus to the earth was a battle with Lucifer and the darkness he had spurn around humanity through their own making. The darkness, led by the Anti-Christ, Lucifer, was bound to hit up.

Who would like his dominion taken away? Four Wise Men had come from the heights to the earth before baby Jesus arrived. Earthly concerns made one to miss the trip to Bethlehem. The three who made it and who we celebrate today as three Kings of the Orient gave Him gifts and departed to their earthly businesses, forgetting the spiritual call which brought them to the earth. They were to have always stayed around Him, protecting Him with their earthly influence and authority. But, rather, they exposed Him to Herod, who massacred all newly born male children in a massive man hunt for baby Jesus under the guidance of Lucifer, the Anti-Christ. Lucifer would follow the adult Jesus everywhere, first tempting Him with earthly riches and splendour. Then He set the Pharisees and Sadducees and the Sanhedrin after Him. And from within the circle of the trusted 12 disciples, Lucifer exploited the ambition of Judas Iscariot.

It is ironic that Christians believe today that Jesus came to die for their sins but no mother or father would name her child or his child after Judas Iscariot, who facilitated that death, a silent spiritual warning that something is wrong with this widely held belief.

In the court of Pontius Pilate, Pilate could, therefore, be described as the last man standing. But he, too, gave way and Lucifer had His way! Three times, Pilate’s wife was guided in dreams to warn her husband to let Jesus go. But each time, his inner strength failed him, he forgot his promise in the Heights and gave way to Lucifer.

But Lucifer was not done yet. He would soon set about distorting  the pure teachings of the Lord. If He could change the pure teachings, and men followed Him, then the labour of Jesus would be in vain, unless these mis-teachings were exposed and mankind could have the right conceptions again. For no one can ascend to Paradise with the wrong conceptions. Even on earth, will a pilot flying an aircraft from London be able to land it at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York if his map deceived him that this airport was in Lagos? Conceptions are the keys for opening the doors, one after the other, on the way to Paradise. The wrong keys cannot open the right doors. Jesus came to give mankind the right conceptions. So, by taking the right keys from humanity and replacing them with the wrong keys after the departure of Jesus, mankind, unknowingly was still under Lucifer’s dominion.

 

The Blood of Jesus

The murder of Jesus, foretold in the parable of the Vineyard and against which all the other beings in creation protested, should have educated humanity that Jesus did not come to take away the sins of anyone. The sun, the wind and the earth were angry. The sun withdrew its light and daylight darkened. The wind rushed, maybe in tornadoes, and the earth quaked. Unseen and angry hands shreddred the curtain in the temple which screened off the Ark of the Covenant from the congregants, implying divine anger. Doesn’t this show that God didn’t send His son to the earth to be killed for men’s sins as the parable of the Vineyard forwarned us? Therefore, the Blood of Jesus is a testimonial of the guilt of man before God. Was the first statement of Jesus on the cross not father  forgive them for they do not know what they do? Could He not have put this statement differently if He came to die for our sins? Did He not tell Judas Isacriot it would have been better for him if he was not born and, having been born, if he had been drowned to prevent him from betraying his Lord?

Against the disgust and protest of nature, the multitude reportedly said indeed He is the son of God. It was possible they would have risen against the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. But Lucifer gave them a breather…The blood of Jesus has washed their sins away! The multitudes being what they are, incapable of deep thinking, bought the idea. And so have the majority of Christians till this day. Why do we not ask: two thieves were crucified along with Christ. One made it to Paradise, the other did not. The blood of Jesus did not wash his sins away. We know Jesus ascended to the Father who, alone, is holy. Is it into holiness that Jesus took the sins?

 

Stigmata and the stigmatists

Stigmas of the bleeding wounds of Jesus in exact locations on the bodies of some men and women during Easter season should have challenged many of today’s Christian beliefs. Rather, the church says they are specially blessed and Christians troop to these suffering people to pray before them! These Christian Pilgrims ought to have wondered if farmers who sow maize ever harvest tomatoes. They should have remembered curses of: “Let His blood be upon us and upon ourchildren. They may ask: Jesus committed no sin but He was murdered. Mission  Karma explains this event…possible experiences during a mission voluntarily undertaken by a person irrespective of inherent dangers. What did we expect in a dark, cruel world under Lucifer’s governance to be overturned by Jesus? Was it not for this that special preparations were made in the Height for His protection which humanity tore apart? The other Karma is retributive justice which may require more than one earth life to mature for harvesting. This leads us to the conception or the golden key of reincarnation.

 

Earth lives

The Yorubas know only from their Abikus that reincarnation is a reality. The Igbos know of it from their Ogbanjes. Many Christians do not know of the politics and power plays which led to the removal of the knowledge of reincarnation from the Bible. For this church history, we must revisit the episcopical Council of  Constantinople in AD 553. Constantinople, now Islamic, was the first Christian headquarters worldwide. In AD 553, Emperor Nero summoned a meeting of Christian Bishops from the east and west. His aim was to get them to approve some “anathemas” or repudiation of beliefs for the church to uphold. Also, he wanted references to incarnation to be expunged. In part, this had to do with the intellectual war he had declared on the thoughts of Origen, one of the most respected early Christian fathers who preached reincarnation. We should remember that the books which make up the Bible were decided through hand voting and that several spiritually educating books were left out, depending on whims and caprices of the voters. So, the Christian of today cannot be said to be getting the full value of spiritual education from books voted for. Bishops from the East rejected Emperor Nero’s agenda and boycotted the conference. Pope Justinan, too, declined to sign and, thereby, authorise the final document. The Emperor placed the Pope under house arrest for two weeks and threatened to depose him thereafter if he did not endorse the declarations. The Pope caved in. But the Emperor did not succeed in obliterating knowledge of reincarnation from the Bible.  Stephen Lampe in his The  Christian And Reincarnation strives to help the Christian who wishes to help himself or herself to the knowledge and key through remnant, yet important, evidence of it in the Bible which survived Nero’s hatred for Origen.

To the question, “Who do  people  say I am” that Jesus asked his disciples will see a conclusion by them that Elijah had returned to the earth as John The Baptist. This was because the disciples believed in reincarnation. But John The Baptist was not Elijah. For Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus at His Transfiguration. These two men were not lying in their graves waiting for the trumpet of the last judgment to sound. They were always with Jesus unseen by the disciples until the Transfiguration. This should teach Christians that it is the physical Earth body which dies, and not man himself, who may return to this earth many times over until he has learned the lessons Earth life is meant to teach him. The statement that it is appointed unto man to die but once refers only to spiritual death after the judgment.

 

Holy spear

It is believed the spear Adolf Hitler stole from Austria was stolen from Germany by the Americans when the Allied Powers ran over Berlin in the conclusion of World War II in 1945. But this cannot be the Holy Spear simply because it drew blood and water from the body of Jesus. The blood of Jesus, like the rest of His body, derived from material or earthly dust. Even His body, being dust, cannot ascend to heaven. Jesus taught us He came to fulfill the Law of His Father and not to oppose It. By this Law dust belongs to the world of dust and cannot rise beyond it, the spirit belongs to the world of spirit and cannot rise beyond it to the world of Divinity. The Spear of Golgotha cannot be the Holy Spear. Only God  is Holy. In the chaining of Lucifer for the 1000 years of peace on earth, when only God’s Will will reign as it is in heaven , the Holy  Spear will play an important role. Lucifer is a mighty Archangel. Although he has fallen no angel can subdue him. He can be overpowered only by One from an Origin higher than His own in Divine world. That conqueror of Lucifer is not Jesus, the Love of God. That conqueror who will weild the Holy Spear will be sent out by The will of God , His Power the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus once spoke….”And when  He The Spirit of Truth  is  Come…”, He will reprieve the world of sin and proclaim the judgment.

 

The ‘Ilera Eko’ health insurance scheme introduced by the Lagos State government promises to cater for the health needs of everybody, writes OYEBOLA OWOLABI

Lagos residents can now rest assured that their hopes of getting expert and adequate medical attention will be met. This is because the government’s newly introduced ‘Ilera Eko’ health insurance scheme is a promise that no one will be left behind.

The scheme comprises the individual and family bouquets. With N8,500 annually, anyone can subscribe to the individual package while the family package goes for N40,000.

Though the health scheme was officially launched at the LTV Blueroof in Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, people are already benefitting from it, and they have beautiful testimonies to give.

Victor Oluranti Odebode, 72-year-old cleric, is a subscriber to the individual bouquet. He underwent a major surgery he could not have sponsored out of his pocket. He, however, didn’t have to bother about money because his premium was able to cover payment for the procedure.

He said: “I was introduced to the scheme by a staff of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) three years ago. I didn’t listen to him at first because I found it difficult to produce the N8,500 that was required. But when I could afford it, I gave him the money and he registered me.

“I chose the hospital of my own interest and since going for the procedure, I have been taking treatment, getting consultations and medications. I felt alright. I have also continued by renewing my bouquet.

“Only those living can serve the Lord. I urge people to take advantage of this insurance scheme to benefit themselves and their family. Our body daily deteriorates, all the functions weaken, but when we have supplements, it keeps us moving.

“However, I urge the agency to increase benefits in the package to about 90 per cent for the vulnerable and senior citizens.”

Adeniyi Oyeyemi subscribed to the family bouquet and is grateful for the opportunity.

“This scheme is very helpful. I started using the scheme in March 2020. I was sceptical and reluctant at first because most people believe that anything coming from the government is inferior. But when I saw the benefits in the package, and hospitals on their list, I believed it was not a child’s play and joined. I also liked the fact that I get to choose the hospital of my liking, and one of the best hospitals in my area is on the list.

“Since I started using this scheme, I have not regretted it. It has been helpful. I renewed my policy on March 16 so I can continue to enjoy the package.”

According to the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, the scheme was launched to give the poorest of the poor access to basic healthcare.

“Everyone deserves to live a healthy life. No one should be left behind in the move for better healthcare.

”We are very particular in Lagos as we have the financial model that can provide health for those living close to the poverty line so we don’t push people to the point where sickness can cripple their livelihood and affect their opportunities to generate economic well-being here.

“The health scheme is designed to provide a good spectrum of healthcare delivery services to all Lagosians, but particularly to protect the vulnerable. A lot of people spend out of pocket during illnesses, which can drive the family deeper into poverty. As a result of this, the government has provided the equity fund which is one per cent of our consolidated revenue. This money would provide health and support a health safety net to people who are unable to afford the premium.

“It has been designed to be as low as possible, and it provides a significant number of services to Lagosians, such as birth control, maintenance of high blood pressure, diabetes, vaccination, and general ailments that affect most people.”

About 40,000 persons currently enjoy the insurance scheme free, but Abayomi said the number is still low, and so the government has come up with other avenues to ensure people are not left behind.

He said: “We are providing up to 40,000 Lagosians with a free health insurance scheme at the moment, but this is not enough. We have a long way to go because, according to the bureau of statistics, up to 40 per cent of Lagosians will struggle to pay the premium even as low as it is. So we are reassuring Lagosians that the government is not oblivious to the fact many cannot afford the insurance now, and we are making provisions, both from the budget and several other ways, to raise funds for them.

“One of such ways is the – Ilera Eko Crowd Funding – where we are looking to those who are better off to support those who need help. The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) is trying to encourage Lagosians to be each other’s keepers. If you are well off enough, you can provide funding for people in the community who cannot afford the premium and insurance.

“Another way is for people to pay in instalments – daily, weekly or monthly – until it adds up for the year.

“This is providing health through insurance, but the other side of the coin is to ensure our facilities are well equipped, filled with skilled resourceful workers, has drugs, electricity, and has comfortable treatment spaces. So while we are promoting health insurance on one side, we are also ensuring that service providers in the scheme, whether public or private, meet standards that are comparable to anywhere in the world,” Abayomi said.

The wife of the governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, described the health campaign as symbolic of the Greater Lagos journey. She urged the people to sign up for the scheme, saying it is in the collective interest of the state, and the wellbeing of the people, for all to join the train.

According to her, the insurance scheme aptly signifies the administration’s commitment to promoting human rights to health and a resilient healthcare network.

She said: “The scheme, which is administered by LASHMA, is to ensure Lagosians have access to the needed healthcare without suffering financial hardship; close the gap between the demand for health spending and available public resources and reduce the prolonged reliance on out-of-pocket spending

“The evolution of this scheme identifies with the global clarion call to inclusive health make-up, termed Universal Health Coverage. This was conceptualised to close glaring coverage gaps and meet the health targets agreed under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“As we embark on this path to Universal Health Coverage, Ilera Eko is passionately calling us to take responsibility for our health. We are determined to leave no one behind.

“All residents, regardless of socio-economic and ethnoreligious identity, including the vulnerable, are encouraged to make the right choices by signing up for this scheme because our lives, livelihoods and futures depend on it.”

Packages in the scheme are individual (N8,500 for one year) and family (N40,000 for one year). Subscribers would have to renew yearly.

Services covered under the scheme include outpatient care for common ailments and conditions; maternal, new-born and child care, including the caesarean section where necessary; access to family planning counselling and services; management of uncomplicated chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, among others; access to HIV and TB testing services; minor surgeries such as incision drainage, herniorrhaphy, appendectomy; and health promotion and diseases prevention.

 

By Remi Adebayo

 

At the centre of everyone’s priority is good health. In fact, no life is worth living without a complete state of wellness wherein the physical body can sustain a functional mind towards productive living. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Indeed, only absolutely healthy individuals can contribute meaningfully to the society, their immediate families and the world at large.

However, with about 70 per cent of the Nigerian population living in the semi-urban and rural areas, affordability and access to quality healthcare remains a major challenge. Those in urban centre have peculiar challenges to cope with. For instance, population in the Federal Capital Territory has grown from 1.5 million in 2007 to 3.4 million, representing an annual increase of 5.67 per cent. Estimated increase in 2020 stood at two million.  The number of people living in the FCT has doubled in about 20 years, tasking government’s response in the provision of infrastructure and services.

To the average FCT resident, government hospitals remain the option when considering accessibility, affordability and quality service; they are however often mindful of the costs, waiting time to see a doctor or have their laboratory tests conducted. To bridge these identified deficiencies and also bring the decaying public hospitals back to life, the FCT administration in 2007 initiated the Public-Private-Partnership model, which led to the concession of the Garki General Hospital to Nisa Premier Hospital. The initiative was to offer guaranteed services, upgrade facilities and improve healthcare for all categories of Abuja residents.

Nisa Premier Hospital emerged tops after a keenly competitive bid to manage the government-owned Garki Hospital, which had earlier been shut for six years, to allow a turn-around. The concession on PPP basis is reputed to be the first of such model in the health sector in Nigeria. The PPP idea was meant to support and stimulate collaborations between healthcare providers and consumers as a response to challenges of underfunding, poor maintenance culture, poor staff attitude and frequent industrial actions in the public hospitals.

The Medical Director, Garki Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Adamu Onu, recommends the PPP model in addressing the shortfall in the Nigerian healthcare sector. The ‘marriage’ between Nisa Premier and Garki Hospital has successfully passed this test. Since the partnership was sealed in 2007, the hospital has not shut its doors for a single day and not a single staff has been laid off. “It is clearly evident that the PPP model of which Nisa Garki Hospital, Abuja, is the exemplar, provides a clear pathway to upgrading and extending the Nigeria healthcare sector to world best standards, especially at this time when government finances are severely constrained,” Dr. Onu said in an interview.

Earlier last year, the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 who is also Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, admitted that the Coronavirus pandemic provided a unique opportunity to x-ray the state of the health care sector, which is in dire need of reforms and funding. Nigeria’s current estimated population is 211.4 million, placing it as the seventh most populous country and expected to rank third globally by 2050, going by the United Nations’ projections. While such growth rate can be an economic advantage considering the benefits of a large market, planners are concerned about the pressure on infrastructures and basic services such as health care, potable water and transportation.

This perhaps has led to recurring labour unrests; situations that create worker – government confrontations in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the health sector has not been spared. But disputes leading to the closure of hospitals are alien to Garki Hospital since 2007. For those that are yet to experience its services, it will be quick to predict the curiosity to understand the significant achievements, aside from staying on their humanitarian duty post for unbroken fourteen years that Nisa Premier has taken charge of Garki Hospital.

The first has to do with affordability, and the records are there. Management believes that the cost of health care should not be determined by the size of the patient’s pocket. So, through the PPP, the hospital has helped to bring down the direct and indirect cost of health care by offering globally available tertiary health services within proportional rate and shortened consulting period. This is facilitated by the deployment of cutting edge ICT technology across the value chain: consultation, laboratory, radiography and even payment processes. The hospital is ICT-complaint and users can attest.

Dr Onu disclosed that the vision of the partnership is to offer world class health care. “The truth of the matter is that this hospital is fully digitalized. You come in here without files being pushed up and down. You are not going to have the story of ‘Oh sorry, we have misplaced your file, we cannot find it.’ That is not a question that arises here, the in-patient, the out-patient, the labs, the pharmacy, everywhere is fully computerised. “So right from the consulting room, the doctor can see the patient’s lab result. Here it’s unlike other places where you have to go and queue up in the lab to collect your result before you go and see the doctor. That is an example of what I call indirect cost. Time is money and then you spend like 30 minutes to pick up your test result, may be you spend another before you see the doctor; that is completely eliminated here,” Onu further explained.

Outside the issue of waiting time, the Hospital has also stepped up its services to include advanced diagnostic aid, CT scan, advanced MRI with state-of- the- art tools for monitoring, such as fibroid scan among others. Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr Fidelis Bakut, an obstetrician gynecologist, explained that the department has gone beyond routine antenatal care and some basic gynecological operations. It now safely delivers premature babies weighing less than one kilogramme; and from just basic fertility management to providing low–cost in vitro fertilization (IVF) since 2014 with high success rates.

The hospital has similarly acquired modern equipment to handle highly specialized gynecological and laparoscopic surgeries. There are plans to   acquire more and undertake advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeries. In October 2019, the Garki Hospital became the first in sub-Saharan Africa to carry out Sleeve Gastrostomy, a surgical weight-loss procedure performed by inserting small instruments through multiple small incisions in the upper abdomen. By implication, Nigerians should no longer seek medical tourism in view of the feat at Garki Hospital.

The hospital is deliberately pursuing manpower development even as it gains recognition for advanced medical training. “All our medical officers and doctors here receive Advance Cardiac Life Support Training. We are an accredited center for training house officers; a key area with lot of issues in other establishments. We have newly graduated doctors that need to have post registration training before they become fully registered doctors. There is shortage of training slots across the country and we stepped in and got accredited by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council,” said Dr. Onu.

The Nisa Garki PPP has earned accreditation for Post Graduate Residency Training in several specialties including obstetrics and gyneacology; family medicine, pediatrics, and anesthesia.  The hospital remains the only centre  accredited in the whole of West Africa for Post Fellowship Diploma Training in Assisted Reproductive Technology. Indeed, it also prides itself as the only centre in West Africa to have achieved that feat and it has created opportunity for consultants from other hospitals to train and obtain their diploma from the West African College of Surgeons.

With the success posted by the Nisa Premier-Garki Hospital partnership, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission in 2017 indicated the possibility of replicating the initiative to revive more fledgling health care centres in Abuja. The plan entailed a world class case study of the hospital in order to ascertain the factors responsible for its success and possibly deploying same to replicate the same arrangement across the country. Data from Healthy Partnerships in 2010, relying on a World Bank report, declared the Garki Hospital as a model PPP hospital. Here a private provider manages a government structure and a pattern where patients get higher-quality services than at public hospitals and at cheaper rates than other private centers. “Resources available to government are limited and there is so much that they need to do; why not invite the private sector so they can also share that burden and deliver health care to Nigerians. That is what the government has been able to achieve here in Garki Hospital,” said Dr. Onu.

The PPP initiative involving Nisa Premier and the FCT in managing once moribund Garki Hospital has proven to be amazing as a creative solution for policy makers. It is necessary for government to speedily embrace revitalising the insufficient health facilities due to limited resources at its disposal and realities of the populace in need of unhindered, quality and affordable health services.

 

• Adebayo is a civil rights activist