Category: Uncategorized

Moses Emorinken, Abuja

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the overwhelming importance and critical roles nurses and midwives play in the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.

He made this known yesterday in Abuja during the launch of the “Nursing Now” campaign organized by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council of Nurses, aimed at raising the profile and status of nursing worldwide.
Buhari explained that practitioners of nursing can help drive the effort to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Represented by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, he said: “The theme of this launch “Nurses: From Bedside to Board Room” is fitting because it highlights the link between these core aspects, and emphasizes the need for nurses to be involved in the development of the health system in Nigeria.

“This Administration initiated the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), a flagship programme to ensure that vulnerable Nigerians get access to quality and affordable service delivery towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). I am pleased to say we have made good progress with the programme, with our commitment now attracting support from donors and development partners.

“The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) initiated the Community Midwifery Programme to ensure that midwives are retained in their community after training and a fair remuneration is paid. This strategy will provide needed skilled manpower for safe delivery and reduce infant and maternal mortality in rural areas.

Read Also; Buhari hosts Elumelu, Omatseye, other merit awardees

“Nurses are an integral group in health care delivery, who have the potential to shape the image of their facility or even of the healthcare profession. Government will continue to support the development of the nursing profession and by that, urge you to remain faithful to the key values of the profession, as exemplified by the icons of compassionate nursing like Florence Nightingale, whose dedication, integrity, empathy and humility are the stuff of legend. Nurses are often, as the story goes, the beacon of hope for many a patient”.

According to the The Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, “A variety of problems continue to undermine the contributions and impact of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. In view of this, Nursing Now campaign should target not only the health care professionals, policy makers and care givers, but also key stakeholders such as school pupils, households and communities, including community and religious leaders, private sectors and civil society organizations.

“As legislators, we will support the review of the Acts establishing the nurses and midwifery council to be more efficient and regulated. We will also support and take necessary legislative intervention to strengthen various actions that will reduce and eliminate quackery and establish more strident penalties for culprits”.

The President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Comrade Abdul Adeniji, explained that there are no adequate institutions for the training of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. Not many universities offer Bachelors degree in Nursing Science.

“There are also a lot of regulations that are obsolete. The law we use to regulate the nursing profession in Nigeria needs a review, and is a challenge to the effective practice of nursing in Nigeria. Often than not, Nigerian nurses are not involved in health policy formulation”. We call on government and other health stakeholders to involve nurses in policy formulation and let them be prominent in the boardrooms, not only as clinicians.

“There is a gap in what is expected and what we have on ground in Nigeria in terms of manpower. Those who are adequately engaged are less than 120,000. By WHO’s standard, we are supposed to be close to 350,000 nurses”.

In his remark, the Officer-in-Charge of the World Health Organization (WH), Dr. Peter Clement, said that Nurses and Midwives are critical to achieving SDG 3 especially Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as they are the main reference of care and vital for delivery of quality health care services. “A healthy community is a wealthy community. Therefore, nurses contribute significantly to the socio-economic developments of the country,” he said.

Dr Joel Akande

 

Food supplements are artificially extracted vitamins and minerals that would have otherwise been taking in natural foods but are now packaged as “supplementary.”

Food supplements come in various forms, colours and shapes. Consumers purchase supplements in the belief that it will do what sellers or manufacturers say it will do: such as for improvement in general health, fertility booster, sexual performance, improvement in brain power and so forth.

Doctors are skeptical of most of these claims.  However, there are some that have been proven to work in some diseases situations, especially if the individuals concerned have not been able to take sufficient amount of such supplements.

Food supplements consist or could consist of well-established vitamins, minerals, proteins and herbs. It’s in the area of herbs that physicians often lose faith as most of the herbs are not established in documented science or be rigorously tested to determine the dose, formulation and their side effects.

For our purpose, I will in this week, discuss fertility boosters. Fertility supplements or as consumers have come to label it, “fertility boosters,” run into multibillion dollars industry yearly.

“The global fertility supplements market size was estimated at USD 1.45 billion in 2018. It is anticipated to be driven by the declining fertility rates owing to the increase in the number of smokers along with the rising consumption of alcohol and caffeine.

Rising geriatric population, healthcare costs, changing lifestyle, innovation in food, medical discoveries, and expectations regarding the high prices of fertility supplements have aided the overall market growth as well as the product demand,” according to Grand View Research “Market Research Report” on the subject.

Yet, due to the desperation of infertility sufferers combined with various ungrounded claims of multiple “natural” preparations, concoction and “herbs” as being fertility boosters, mixed with a lot of myths and folk stories combined, have rendered an otherwise scientific endeavour opaque.

It’s ironic that consumers rush to seek and use these preparations and some healthcare professionals may even prescribe them oblivious to the fact that in current knowledge, these supplements may not resolve reproductive physical obstructions such as fibroid, infection, tubal blockage, Asherman’s syndrome and cervical incompetence, in women.

In men, infection, testicular atrophy or ejaculatory duct obstruction may be a hindrance to the beneficial effects of these supplements.

Thus, in the face of these physical or infectious reproductive challenges, the use of these preparations without first resolving these barriers to reproduction, is for all practical purposes, useless.

I must warn that, most health or fertility boosters can be obtained in natural foods when taken timely, in well preserved forms and in adequate amount.

Read Also: Male contribution to infertility on the rise, says fertility expert

 

In some occasions, the human body may suffer from illnesses and digestion of natural foods may be impaired. In such a case, addition of supplements to regular intake may be justified.

Another very important notice that consumers should be aware of is that excess of these supplements may be harmful to the body.

Existing diseases such as cancer may be made worse by unnecessary vitamin and mineral intake. Some organs such as liver could get damaged.

 

For example: a person suffering from cancer should not take folic acid without instruction from his or her physician.

Another example: except at the instructions of the doctor, individuals should not consume vitamin A, Vitamin D and calcium. Excess of these products are potentially harmful to the human health.

 

Recommendations: Before taking supplements, endeavor to consult with your doctor for guidance. The doctor could determine your current health status and the blood levels of the supplements you intend to take. You may already have enough in your system.

 

Example: it’s dangerous to take excess of iron supplements as you could suffer from iron overload. The second recommendation is that eat balanced diets consisting of natural food.

These supplements could be found in the following:  protein and complex vitamins (non-red meat, fish, beans), vitamins (apple, pawpaw, orange, grapes, green leaves), carbohydrates (yam, gari, cocoyam, plantain etc), fat (plant oil in form of palm oil or vegetable oil) and clean water.

They should be consumed in reasonable measures daily. Avoid processed foods as much as possible. If you have to, eat processed food that is fortified with vitamins.

Remember that all of these recommended intake should be backed up with an average of physical exercises of 150 minutes weekly.

 

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By Olaitan Ganiu

 

No fewer than 800 residents of Olateju area of Mushin, Lagos State, have received free medical services offered by the Bunmi and Ajibola Healthcare Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organistion (NGO), in collaboration with Help Diagnostics and Checkup Services.

The exercise, which held at Shokunbi Nursery and Primary School, had a large turnout.

Participants were screened and treated on malaria, hypertension, diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis B and received counseling on healthy lifestyle.

Chairman of the foundation, Pastor Ajibola Olulola, said the objective of the NGO to address medical conditions in high blood pressure, diabetes and other illness, which he said are common in the area.

According to him, the NGO embarked on the free exercise to demonstrate its commitment to the wellness of Nigerians, eradicate poverty and contribute to the government’s efforts in providing healthcare for citizens.

“As a pastor, I discovered that many people are dying because they lack fund to visit hospitals to treat their illnesses when they are sick.

Many of them lack money to buy medicine prescribed by doctors. Sometime, they come to me seeking for prayer and assistance, but the truth is that God answers prayer. But when you need to treat yourself, you go to the hospital,” he advised.

Olulola, who was excited over the turnout , said he chose the area due to lifestyle of people living there.

He revealed that after understudying the area, his team noticed that poverty is a major cause of accessing health, stating that his organisation was ready to bridge the gap.

“What we do basically is to offer free screening, drugs and awareness and counselling. Many people opt for traditional medicines because they lack fund to go to healthcare centre.

Read Also: Joy in Imo community as over 5,000 get free medicare

 

This could cause kidney problems. We are targeting about 2,000 people because a lot of patients are down with malaria.

So, after diagnosing them, we give them drugs, treat, advise and also assist them financially. The goal is to take outreach to different states across the nation in collaboration with our partner.”

Project Coordinator, Olabisi Olubunmi Fabulola, a nurse, noted that poverty and ignorance lead to untimely death. “Poverty, ignorance and wrong way of seeking medical assistance are what many people are lacking.

Many Nigerians do not know that misinformation can lead to their death. My 33 years’ experience is one of the things that trigger this foundation. Also, a lot of people do not have access to medical care because of its finances and ignorance.”

Consultant pathologist/CEO, HELP, Dr. Wale Ajala, said the collaboration between the two parties is to reach out to more people and a strategic way of giving back to society.

On the assessment of screening, Ajala noted that the stress in the society and feeding habits contribute to hypertension.

“Hypertension is so much higher and it is increasing daily, even among younger ones in the community. So, we are here to test, give drugs and also give them lifestyle modification advice,” he said.

From Moses Emorinken, Abuja

 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said two million Nigerian children could die in the next decade unless more is done to fight pneumonia.

It also stated that malnutrition, air pollution and lack of access to vaccines and antibiotics are among the drivers of preventable deaths from pneumonia, which last year killed a child every three minutes in the country.

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and leaves children fighting for breath as their lungs fill with pus and fluid. The disease is the leading killer of children in Nigeria, causing 19 percent of under-five deaths, according to a report by UNICEF.

“Forecasts show that 1.4 million children under the age of five could die from pneumonia over the next decade in Nigeria, on trends – the highest number of any country and more than 20 percent of childhood deaths from pneumonia globally.

However, an estimated 809,000 of these deaths would be averted by scaling up services to prevent and treat pneumonia.

Researchers also found boosting pneumonia services would create an additional ‘ripple effect,’ preventing 1.2 million extra child deaths from other major childhood diseases at the same time.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Fed Govt warns against travelling to China

 

“Interventions like improving nutrition, increasing vaccine coverage or boosting breastfeeding rates, which are key measures that reduce the risk of children dying from pneumonia, would also stop thousands of child deaths from diseases like diarrhoea (580,000), meningitis (68,000), measles (55,000) and malaria (4,000).

By 2030, that effect would be so large that pneumonia interventions alone would avert over two million predicted under-five child deaths in Nigeria from all causes.

“Most pneumonia deaths can be prevented with vaccines, and easily treated with low-cost antibiotics. But more than 40 percent of one-year-olds in Nigeria are unvaccinated, and three in four children suffering from pneumonia symptoms do not get access to medical treatment.

The modelling by Johns Hopkins University is being released today as nine leading health and children’s agencies host the world’s first global conference on childhood pneumonia in Barcelona”.

According to UNICEF Nigeria’s Country Representative, Peter Hawkins: “We have a responsibility to do all we can to avert these deaths by pneumonia – deaths that are nearly all preventable.

It will take concerted action by all players. The announcement by the government of the world’s first-ever pneumonia control strategy – coupled with the focus globally on combating pneumonia – is a huge step forward.

We need to follow this with concrete action on the ground to address the causes and drivers of childhood pneumonia deaths in this country.”

A Lagos-based food scientist, Mr Ugochukwu Onuora, on Thursday warned Nigerians against eating foods sold by roadsides to reduce the risk of lassa fever and food poisoning.

Onuora said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that consuming foods that one did not know how they were prepared, especially from roadsides, had caused avoidable deaths.

According to him, with the current lassa fever scourge in the country, one can consume contaminated foods that were not properly guarded against rodents, especially rats, that are the disease carriers.

He said that other diseases that one could contract from indiscriminate consumption of roadside foods include cholera, typhoid fever, gastroenteritis and diarrhea.

Onuora said: “In recent times, many Nigerians eat outside and buy foods they sell at bus stops, motor parks and during traffic gridlocks.

READ ALSO: Alimosho General Hospital on alert over Lassa fever –Official

“These may not have been processed or preserved through the standard requirements or procedures and the sellers may also not be observing necessary hygiene required for such.

“Hence, there is need for caution to prevent getting food poisoning.’’

He charged the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control and other regulatory agencies to initiate measures to deal with the situation.

He said, “It is very important to subject food vendors to strict supervision in order to ascertain the quality of their foods.

He also urged the Federal Government to intensify its sensitisation on lassa fever and food safety to effectively check the scourge in Nigeria.

(NAN)

Rafael Nadal said he was “sad” to be out of the Australian Open on Wednesday , depriving him of the chance to equal Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles, but credited “great opponent” Dominic Thiem after their four-set thriller.

The Spanish world number one was upset by the Austrian fifth seed in the quarter-finals, losing three tie-breakers as he went down 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) it a 4hrs 10mins marathon.

Federer is still in the tournament and plays Novak Djokovic for a place in the final today  as the ageless Swiss hunts for a 21st Slam crown to pull further away from his old rival.

Read Also: Rafael Nadal wins historic 12th French Open

“Of course, I am sad. I lost an opportunity to be in the semi-finals of another Grand Slam,” said Nadal. “But I lost against a great opponent. And he deserved it, too. Well done for him.”

Defeat also means Nadal, 33, must wait another year to try to become the first man in the Open era – and only the third in history – to win all four Major titles twice, after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver.

The Australian Open is his least successful Slam, having won just once in 2009, and he met his match in fellow baseliner Thiem.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

 

A professor of Law at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN, Abdulmumini Oba, has recommended traditional methods of settling ethnic and inter-communal disputes instead of the criminal and civil litigation frameworks in Nigeria.

He added that just as in the traditional system, community and sectional leaders should  be made to take part in resolving inter-sectional disputes and conflicts.

Oba, who is of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, urged both government and security agencies to be more professional in the handling of religious, ethnic and other communal crises to avoid escalating them in the country.

He spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while delivering the 189th inaugural lecture of the institution.

The lecture was entitled: “Live and let live: Rethinking the legal responses to religious, ethnic and legal pluralisms.”

He canvassed the teaching of both Christian and Islamic Religious Knowledge in secondary schools in all the states of the federation.

He said: “For the sake of national unity and inclusiveness, every state in the federation should provide facilities and arrangements for the teaching of Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Religious Knowledge in secondary schools even where adherents of one of those religions constitute a minority.

“We should avoid the pitfall of the seculiarisation of the state in  a manner that is hostile to religion. I will support a de jure official recognition of the special status of Islam and Christianity in Nigera without impugning on the freedom of religion of adherents of other religions.We should avoid religious animosity and prejudice. We should respect the religious rights of all persons,” he said.

Read Also: Kano shutdown illegal Traditional Health Centres

 

Oba also recommended the inclusion of representatives of both Christianity and Islam in the membership of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

He continued: “Lawyers and judges should be alive to the task of eliminating tensions in the administration of tripartite laws. We need professionalism and not  politicisation in our approach to our country’s legal pluralism.

“We should accept diversity and pluralism as a reality of existence.

Rather than pursuing an elusive unity conceptualised as uniformity of values, we should reclaim the idea of unity in diversity, which simply means that we should learn to live and let live.

We need to rethink the ideological foundations of our idea of national unity, understand, tolerate and accommodate religions and ethnic groups different from ours. We should not politicise matters affecting our national cohesion.

“We should enforce human rights that do not negate our religions and the desirable aspects of our culture,” he added.

 

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Prof. Sunday Owolabi, has said the mission of the institution is to provide quality education for Nigerians.

Owolabi, who is a professor of Accounting, said this would make them responsible, productive, and useful in the society.

Owolabi spoke during a conference for proprietors and principals of secondary schools as well as parents and other stakeholders in Abuja.

He said: “Our mission is to give quality education to Nigerian citizens so that they can become responsible, productive, useful and also become a heavenly candidate. That’s our mandate and we will not relent doing it.”

He said the conference was put together by the university to teach proprietors and principals of secondary schools how to run a successful school.

According to him, the proprietors were exposed to some tips on how to run a successful high school.

Owolabi added: “The conference was to teach the principals how to run a successful, efficient, effective and profitable school.

They have been able to acquire a lot of things. We were able to expose them  to ways of  running a successful high school. Because their output is my input so I am interested in their success.

Read Also: Kano Assembly approves N15bn loan for free education

 

“We had to come together to form a collaboration to ensure that all obstacles that may be on their way to run a successful school are removed.

“It is not good to allow anybody owe more than a semester. Once that happens, you stop that child from coming to school. It should be extended to even private schools.

“It is good to run a viable private school. Don’t run a school with a population that cannot pay. What is the purpose? After owing for one year they will run away to another school.

So why are you retaining them more than one term? After one term let them leave. Give the seat to another person who is ready to pay.

“To run an efficient school, you cannot continue to fund the children’s bills. At the end of the day, they will change school.

Unlike a university where it is not easy to change school, they change school very easily every year. Those things need to be considered.

“When they stay, you will be losing so it is better to stop them from coming than for them to escape because ultimately they will escape.

When somebody is owing more than one or two semesters, they will change school and move to the next class in the next school and abandon you.

“The proprietors may form a union whereby they will be able to make reference point. If anybody is owing and come to your school, send them back to go and settle their bills first. That may be the solution to that.”

By Olabisi Salau

 

Founder, Concerned Parent and Educators Initiative (CPE), a facebook education advocacy group Mrs Yinka Ogunde, has announced that the group would be embarking on a new advocacy next month.

Addressing reporters at a briefing at S.M.I.L.E Resources centre at Ogudu GRA, Lagos, Ogunde said CPE has for sometime been partnering the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), by visiting and donating to some of the member-schools and providing scholarship for some pupils in Lagos.

This time, however, Ogunde said the group would be going into a one month advocacy tagged: ‘Education transformation advocacy month’.

According to her, the initiative is hinged on the gross decay in the nation’s education sector and the danger it portends for the children now and in the near future.

Ogunde said the campaign would see CPE touring basic and secondary schools nationwide, donating equipment to those in need while offering scholarships to pupils from poor background.

She recalled that during the AFED campaign, CPE was instrumental to paying tuition for over 200 indigent pupils across member schools in Lagos, adding that now, the plan was to spread its tentacles beyond.

Ogunde noted that CPE has a strong presence in 21 states which would be replicating the initiative concurrently.

She recalled how CPE was founded four years ago, as an online platform with the main objective of bringing together key stakeholders in education sector to deliberate on ways the of improving standards in schools; empowering teachers with necessary information and skills; supporting  parents;  protecting the children, and generally ensuring effective outcome in schools, among others.

She said: “Many people complain that the graduates who are being churned out of our universities today are not employable. The question is: Why are they unemployable? What are the processes that we need to put in place to make them employable? What are the things needed to make sure our children can compete favorably with others across the world?  The reason is simple; if we don’t do anything, nothing is going to change and this is where CPE comes in.

“We need people who will be able to take ownership of problems and not just talk about the problems. It so easy to talk but it is more challenging to do.”

Read Also: Rotary urges youths to embrace vocational education

 

Another CPE member Mrs Toyin Idowu, explained that the first week of the advocacy would serve as an avenue for stakeholders to voice out their concerns on the pitiable state of education in Nigeria, while seeking interested donors and other support from government.

The second week would be a social media advocacy, x-raying education challenges as well as proffering solutions.

Third week tagged: Na me education help would be dedicated to using those who have acquired sound education as motivational speakers to inspire others; while the final week would feature presentation of letters by states CPEs to their respective governments, identifying the peculiar challenges of education in their state.

A UK-based mathematician and creator of the ‘Race to infinity math game’ an online mathematics coaching Dr Grace Olugbode, who drew the line between education in  the United Kingdom (UK) and Nigeria,  noted that teachers in the former category give more accountability of whatever they taught their students.

On why there are many atrocities in basic/secondary schools, Olugbode said it is because pupils   are confused about why they are in school.

“Why are you in school or why am I doing this subject if education can’t be fun? Learners can relate this to what they want in life.

These days, children go to school because their parents want them to. Let’s try to understand the children’s needs and wants so they could be able to achieve their aim toward success,” she added.

At the conference were: Mrs Helen Essien of the CPE Administration team; Mrs Toyin Idowu, proprietor,  and a parent, Mrs Adejoke Babatunde, Deputy CEO, Law Build Limited; Mrs Omobolanle Dabiri, a member and Mrs Yinka Ogunise and an educator and parent.

 

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

 

The Students Union Government (SUG) of Adeyemi College of Education(ACE), Ondo, has donated a borehole for students of the institution.

Speaking on behalf of the 2018/2019 students union executives at the inauguration, Oluwatobi Adebusoye said they constructed the borehole due to the challenges students were facing in getting water on campus.

According to Adebusoye, this water project would help students during this harmattan, saying that their desire was to provide potable water to their fellow students.

Adebusoye while decrying the challenges being faced by students, said that they find it difficult to get water to bath and do some other things  on campus.

“It was due to what happened in 2018/2019 academic session during the harmattan, students were unable to get water and as students union, we decided  that something must be done, thus, the construction of this borehole”

The SUG president, who did not disclose the actual cost of the project, however, said they got the borehole done with the support of the management of the institution.

He, therefore, appealed to his fellow students who are still in the school to maintain and make proper use of the borehole.

Read Also: NSE’s employees donate to women foundation

 

Provost of the institution, Dr. Samuel Akintunde, said this would be the first time student union will come out and find solution to the problem facing their fellow students on campus while adding that those who came up with the idea are reasonable.

Akintunde who lauded the student union for what they have done, noted that this would be a lesson to other student unions in the country.

“I want to advise that they should always give peace a chance and they should also run away from vice such as cultism, rape among others,” he advised.

The Provost also urged the student union body coming behind to take a cue from what the outgoing executives have done for the institution.