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At least, 87 local contractors yesterday participated in the bid opening exercise for the 2018 FGN-UBEC/OYOSUBEB intervention projects held on the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board premises.

The exercise, according to the Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, was done in compliance with the provision of Oyo State Public Procurement Act 2010.

“We allowed due process in this bid opening, which states that people should be allowed to tender for any goods and/or services, and the tender should be open in the presence of the tenderers,” he said.

While he reiterated the Governor Seyi Makinde administration’s commitment to transparency, openness and integrity at all times, the chairman said the projects are being jointly financed by Oyo State Government through the State Universal Basic Education Board and the Federal Government, through the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The chairman revealed that 198 contracts are being rolled out, adding that the process involved transparency and due process.

Evelyn Osagie

 

THE maiden edition of the Acting Vice Chancellor for One-Day Initiative, introduced by the new Vice Chancellor, Prof Nosa Owens-Ibie, for members of the pioneer set of the Caleb University Graduate Development Scheme, to act monthly as Vice Chancellor for One-Day, held November 6, at the University Campus, Imota, Lagos.

Mrs Chiamaka Joyce Ehizenagah, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology and a graduate of the institution, became the first Acting Vice Chancellor of the University under the Initiative.

It was an unforgettable experience for Ehuzenagah, staff, students and guests, as she intelligently presided over various activities which started with brief exhortation at the administrative staff fellowship. She presided over the presentation made by a team from Lagos State University.

She was introduced to a team from the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology, which visited on a collaboration with the University. She  gave remarks at the inauguration of the Business Committee of Senate,  visited different departments, held meetings with Deans and Head of Departments, met with Student Representative Council executives, and the Vice Chancellor  and his team, for debriefing.

Read Also: Caleb University shut over students’ unrest

The Caleb Graduate Development Scheme is an initiative to develop critical personnel for institutional advancement, with the products of Caleb University.

It was an experience she will never forget in her life, Ehizenagah said: “This indeed has impacted positively on my managerial experience, and l remain eternally grateful to the institution for the opportunity to act as One-Day Vice Chancellor.”

The Ghost and The House of Truth’ has won three awards at the recently concluded African Film Festival (AFRIFF).

The movie which will be released in cinemas across Nigeria on November 22 won; “Best Actress” (Kate Henshaw) “Best Director” (Akin Omotoso) “Best Nigerian Film” (The Ghost and The House of Truth)

It had premiered at the newly opened Filmhouse Cinemas at Landmark, Lagos. In attendance was the first lady of Lagos State, Dr Inijoke Sanwo Olu, representatives of the Police, Judiciary, Child protection units of Lagos State and dignitaries from the American, British and German Consulates.

Read Also: Kate Henshaw, Shaffy Bello, Binta Mogaji, others for ‘The Wives’

 

Also in attendance were Nollywood stars including Kate Henshaw, Lala Akindoju, Rita Dominc, Joke Silva, Mildred Okwo, Kunle Afolayan, Hilda Dokubo, Tope Tedela, Uzor Osimkpa, Toyin Osinaike, Seun Ajayi and  Dolapo Oni.

“The Ghost and the House of Truth” is the sixth film from the stables of the Temple Productions and the second collaborative work with Director Akin Omotoso and Producer Ego Boyo.

It features Susan Wokoma, Kate Henshaw, Fabian Oloyede, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, Uzo Ozimkpa, Toyin Oshinaike, Seun Ajayi, Tope Tedela, Chioma ‘Chigurl’ Omeruah, Keira Heywatch and Oludara Egerton – Shyngle.

By Adekunle Yusuf

DrugStoc, Nigeria’s premier anti-counterfeit drug procurement platform, made its debut at the just-concluded Africa Investment Forum 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The forum, Africa’s investment market place, is a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary platform dedicated to accelerating the economic and social development of the continent. It is an exclusively transactional event, organised annually by the African Development Bank.

It offers investors, deal sponsors, policy makers and delegates’ access to a structured platform and enabling environment to advance projects to bankable stages, raise capital and accelerate financial closure of deals.

‘We are excited to have been selected as a delegate to attend the Africa Investment Forum 2019, which held in South Africa. It was a memorable experience, but more importantly a major milestone for us at DrugStoc. As Nigeria’s largest anti-counterfeit drug procurement platform for health professionals, we are glad to have attended the forum with other change makers to discuss and take action on ways to attract investment and reshape the fortunes of our continent, Africa. Our presentation at AIF was well received and we are certainly looking forward to further empowering healthcare providers to fulfill the mandate of a healthier Africa,” Adham Yehia, co-founder DrugStoc, said.

DrugStoc is a cloud-based pharmaceutical IT and logistics platform focused on eliminating counterfeit drugs, expanding access to pharmaceutical products and improving transparency in pricing for healthcare providers and the product supply chain. The platform is reputable for being internationally accredited with zero tolerance for fake drugs. It also seeks to provide all licensed health workers in Nigeria a hassle-free procurement channel to source all the medications, consumables, and small medical devices they need for their patients or practice.

Read Also: Firm introduces thrombosis drug

 

Earlier this year, DrugStoc was recognized by the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards for its innovative use of technology to improve access to anti-counterfeit drugs. The startup also recently emerged one of the top 10 finalists for the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, a Jack Ma’s flagship entrepreneur program.

The 2019 forum, which had in attendance heads of states/government, including H.E Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, H.E Paul Kageme, President of the Republic of Rwanda and H.E Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, Prime Minister Republic of Mozambique. The event also had in attendance business leaders, industry captains, hundreds of select delegates and participants with over $40.1 billion dollars in investment secured from 25 countries including Nigeria.

By Adekunle Yusuf

TO complement efforts of the state government in providing quality healthcare services to the people, the Soyuznik Alumni, an association  of graduates of institutions of higher learning in countries of Baltic states (former USSR), has flagged off a 4-day free medical outreach. The free healthcare services, which began yesterday (Thursday), is taking place at Ijegun in the Ikotun area of Lagos State.

Already, the non-governmental organisation said it has begun screening for hundreds of people, with many of them requiring surgical operations, it said at a press conference this week. The national president of the association, Otunba Henry Ajomale, said the gesture for the body, which comprises many successful professionals in various vocations, is a way of giving back to society. The event scheduled to hold between November 21 and 24 would focus on life-disrupting medical conditions requiring surgery.

“The medical intervention programme that coincides with the 102 anniversary of the 7th October 1917 Revolution and its widows mite to support various efforts at improving living standards through quality medical services to the less privileged. The outreach program is also a compliment to the effort of the government of Lagos State under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu in providing access to quality medical services. The programme, due to its uncommon and serial feature, will also support the social intervention pledge of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to lift 100 million out of poverty by 2023.

Read Also: Rotary offers free medical service

 

‘’Common knowledge about medical outreach program is an all comer affair restricted to screening and diagnostics for non-communicable diseases (sugar level, malaria, cancer without streamlined targets) with poor streamlining,’’ Ajomale, who was represented by Lagos chairman of the association, Dr. Lasisi Durojaye, said.

The NGO explained further that the outreach is not only for Ijegun residents, but for all rural dwellers, women, widows, orphan and physically challenged people and the neglected and under-served. “Noteworthy is the fact that the free surgery operations for fibroid, hernia and lumps will be delivered by medical and health professionals who are members of Soyuznik in Lagos State. This exercise is symbolic to the association, Lagos State and Nigeria because this will be a maiden of a series of programmes to be delivered by the medical outreach team of Soyuznik. Aside the over 400 years combined practice experience as heads of various government and private clinics in Lagos State with an average of 25 years post qualification experience,” Ajomale said.

Dr Joel Akande

In this article, we will conclude the series on common skin disorders. We will explore diseases that are peculiar to children and some that are common to adults and children alike.

Ringworm (Tinea): Ringworm often wrongly called “ezcema” is common to all: women, men, adult and children, but most especially seen in children. Unlike its name, ringworm is not a worm and it’s neither a ring. The disease is caused by fungus that takes opportunity into its hand to grow. Ringworm can be found often in the head and may become very obvious as a pale circular rash on dark skin. It may also appear in the body often on the chest, back, abdomen, groin, hands and feet. Ringwork is infectious, meaning the infection can spread from one person to another. Ringworm, except those affecting the nails that require a more prolonged and sustained treatment, can be easily treated once recognised by the doctor.

Boils (Furunculosis). Boils occur where we can find hairs in any part of the body. Therefore, boils can occur on the head, eyes, ears, chest, neck, hands, groin and legs. For this reason, boils do not occur on our soles and palms. When the root of the hairs are infected by germs, boils can result. If the boil recurs more than three times in a year, it’s called recurrent furunculosis and if a big boil occurs it is called carbunculosis. In both cases, germs such as bacteria are the cause. The treatment for both may be by use of antibiotics. For carbunculosis, the doctor may have to open the boil up so as to drain pus that is contained in the boil.

Cellulitis: Infection of the skin in parts of the body such as hands, legs, chest, abdomen and face may give rise to a crawling and infection that spread to nearby skin. It may gradually spread to cover large parts of the affected areas. The skin becomes warm, swollen, and painful and the person may become very ill with fever. This may become an emergency due to the ill feelings. This skin disorder may affect anyone, including children. Boils may lead to cellulitits. Any small wound in affected parts may also lead to cellulitis. The treatment is urgent as delay may worsen the illness. Complications such as septicemia (blood poisoning) may also develop if care is not taken. Antibiotics are the main form of treatment.

Read Also: Skin itching and how to manage it

 

There are some conditions where frequent occurrence of boils, ringworm and cellulitis may indicate an underlying illness such as diabetes and depressed immunity (the body having low ability to defend itself against infections such as HIV and cancers). What appears as a simple boil that refuses to go away in spite of the best efforts of the sufferer, be it a child or adult, may indeed not be so simple after all. That is to say, that you should take recurrent boils and cellulitis very seriously.

Skin ulcers (open wound of the skin): A skin ulcer or “boil” that fails to heal in a normal well-nourished person calls for urgent attention. An ulcer that is recurrent or multiple recurrent skin ulcer is also an indication to see the doctor for attention without delay. Skin ulcer that fails to heal may be due to underlying infections such as STD (see last week’s article) such as syphilis and HIV. Skin ulcer may also indicate tuberculosis (TB) of the skin as well guineaworm. Still, skin ulcer may be an indication of cancer of the skin (melanoma and basal cell carcinoma), or cancer from other parts of the body that has spread to the skin. Yet, skin ulcer, like boils, cellulitis and ringworm may be telling us of other serious illnesses such as diabetes or depressed immunity, anaemia, or heart failure brought upon the sufferers. Strange skin ulcer in children or mentally unwell adults or dementia in and elderly or any vulnerable person is a form of abuse until proven otherwise. Skin ulcer in a person that is physically or mentally disabled who stays too long on any part of the body may be pressure sores. In all these, vigilance and urgency are called for.  So skin ulcer may be a pointer to a killer disease that is lurking underneath.

Skin colour, bleaching and wrinkles: Our skin is primarily for protection and each skin of every one of us has been so programmed for the purpose of defense depending on the genes that we inherited from our parents and the environment that we live in. That is why we have different shades of human colour. Along with the influence of genes, the less the sunshine the paler, and the more the sunshine the darker or brownish the person. This darkness or brownishness protects against the ultraviolent rays of the sun, preventing cancer from forming. Bleaching the skin thus exposes the skin to the violent effect of the sun and likelihood of cancer forming. Wrinkles also develop due to bleaching, which would have occurred as we age but is hastened by steroid use and bleaching. Wrinkles can be caused by prolonged illness of any form or malnutrition and anxiety.

In concluding, I will advise and strongly too that, though skin illnesses are very frequently encountered by every one of us, our skin can also tell us a lot of stories about the state of our health. I have only covered a small part of skin illnesses in the last few weeks. Skin is not just an object meant for beauty and decoration but a vital organ that protects and defends our body against attack. In doing its job, our skin encounters various insults and assaults to its integrity. It’s our job as skin owners to also take care of the skin that is so much dedicated to taking care of us. Any strange occurrence or feeling in our skin should be taken seriously by visiting our medical practitioner as soon as possible. A stich in time saves nine.

If you have been affected by the content of this article and you require clarification, kindly call the helpline 07087733114 for support.

Experts at a conference on trauma care have recommend how efficient emergency medical service delivery system can be achieved in Nigeria, reports Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF

 

Without doubt, trauma has become a global public health problem, with Nigeria recording over four million injuries and more than 200,000 deaths annually from road crashes – a major cause of traumatic injuries.

Concerned by these dire statistics and huge harvests of avoidable deaths, Trauma Care International Foundation (TCIF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) involved in mass health, safety education, medical advocacy campaigns, and voluntary blood donation initiatives, organised a national conference on trauma care and how Nigeria can get it right like other countries of the world.

The theme of the conference was, “Trauma Care: The Way Forward.” The conference, which held at the Radission Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, attracted key policymakers, healthcare workers of various cadres, health management organisations (HMOs), healthcare financiers, medical directors and employers of labour, among others.

In her opening address, Dr. Deola Philips, executive director of TCIF, said the conference was deliberately designed to significantly alter the narrative by facilitating the processes and systems that alleviate the burden of injury afflicting the citizenry.

“Not only are these possible; TCIF, through collaboration and galvanized engagement of relevant stakeholders, is committed to supporting the achievement of the sustainable development goals concerned for a healthier nation.

“It is our hope that the inputs from this conference will proffer a real and actionable framework to be designed and agreed upon, which will impact health care delivery especially in the management of trauma cases. It is our desire that health care services for traumatic injuries become more cohesive, affordable and in compliance with global best practices,” she said.

As expected, experts identified loopholes and defined the way forward for trauma care and emergency response services in Nigeria. Delivering his speech, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, commended TCIF for initiating a national discourse around how the country can evolve an effective national emergency medical system. He was represented by represented by Dr. Mustapha Alimi, Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos. The minister promised that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is already focusing attention on creating a nationwide emergency medical response system and ambulance service scheme to take care of day-to-day civil trauma and other medical emergencies in the country.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death in individuals under 45years of age worldwide, accounting for about 5 million deaths annually. The casualty figures and impact are lower in high- and upper middle-income countries (HUMICs) and generally much higher in low- and lower middle-income countries (LLMICs), like Nigeria, where causative factors are legend and response systems weak or non-existent.

“The affected age group in LLMICs is even younger. This is particularly significant as victims in all the age groups will mostly be aspiring and upwardly mobile family ‘breadwinners’, economically in, or still approaching the most productive years of their lives. The social impact of the loss of such figures is serious, because families, especially dependants of victims, are left more or less abruptly, without economic support.

“Besides this, factoring in the huge cost of mainly out-of-pocket treatment of victims leaves many a family bankrupt, hugely indebted and often destitute. The cumulative effect on national productivity and GDP is also considerable. The Federal Road Safety Commission states that 5,181 deaths occurred from road traffic crashes across the country in 2018. This figure does not consider casualty from non-road accident causes, especially industrial (work-related), domestic, Sports and other trauma,” Ehanire said.

Read Also: ‘Churches must support traumatised people’

 

The minister identified other sources of trauma victims, saying the lingering insurgency in the Northeast, communal conflicts, the rising crime wave in all parts of the country, with the small arms proliferation in the hands of non-state actors, which all have caused the incidence of ballistic and diverse weapon-wounded-related injuries and deaths, are worsening the situation. He, however, disclosed that his ministry is in collaboration with other ministries, departments and agencies of Government and the private sector, to support Federal Road Safety Commission and other responding entities, to further push down the statistics of casualties from road traffic and other accidents and develop a robust all-embracing response mechanism to mitigate the damaging impact of trauma from accidents on citizens and the economy.

In his keynote address, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, commended TCIF for focusing on an important aspect in the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria. Oloriegbe, who was represented by Mr. Mike Egboh, the Country Director, USAID GHSC-PSM, said his experience in the medical practice has convinced him that an appropriate and timely care given early could significantly improve outcome from trauma care.

“It is very gratifying to me to identify with this NGO which envisions how best to improve the state of trauma care and emergency response services in Nigeria. In view of the critical nature and attendant high mortality rate in most cases associated with trauma and other surgical and medical emergencies in our national health care delivery system, I consider the theme of this conference as very apt and timely.

“I sincerely appreciate your efforts in contributing to focusing the attention of key stakeholders in our health care delivery system on a crucial aspect of health care service delivery in our country and which has the potential to positively alter the mortality statistics and improve quality of care in our hospitals and service delivery points,” Oloriegbe said.

While admitting that trauma is the leading cause of death in the first four decades of life, he lamented that trauma and emergency incidents and their associated challenges have been identified as one of the major causes of deaths on a daily basis in Nigeria.  “Majority of Nigeria’s highways are without plans for emergency rescue operations either by state or non-state actors. Moreover, when such emergencies happen and evacuation takes place through help of individuals close to the scene of the accident or the emergency situation, the bureaucracy at the reception of most hospitals and health institutions may pose an obstacle to saving the endangered lives – as it used to be the practice that persons with gunshot wounds are required to provide police reports before health care providers can attend to the victims, and failure to provide the report may lead to the victims bleeding to death or dying of other complications,” he said.

The lawmaker reminded medical professionals that time is of essence in emergency care for trauma. “Appropriate and timely care given early can significantly improve outcome from trauma. This should be one of the key messages every health care professional in this conference should go home with and strive to implement and live with,” he said.

According to him, the National Health Act (2014), which was enacted by the 8th National Assembly, provides a frame work for the regulation, development and management of a national health system and sets standards for rendering health services in the country. Among other provisions, the Act recognises Nigerians’ right to health; while the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) provides financial resources to improve primary health care and has the potential to catalyse rapid public health improvements and progress towards the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC) in Nigeria, he stressed.

Oloriegbe explained further that the National Health Act (2014) also makes provisions emergency care. “Section 20 (1) of the National Health Act provides that: “A health care provider, health worker or health establishment shall not refuse a person emergency medical treatment for any reason. Section 20 (2) of the Act provides that: A person who contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100, 000.00 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both.”

Furthermore, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Health also mentioned that the Act dedicated 5 per cent of the BHCPF fund for emergency treatment to be administered by a committee appointed by the National Council on Health, promising that provision of quality emergency care and attainment of UHC are key priorities in the Health Legislative Agenda of the 9th National Assembly.  To achieve this, he said the National assembly is poised to effect some reforms in the provisions of the BHCPF to make its operationalization more effective and efficient in order to actualise its primary objectives.

“Investment in trauma and emergency care is a cardinal provision of the National Health Act 2014, which is geared towards progressive attainment of UHC in Nigeria. It is an investment in human capital, which is the foundation of inclusive and sustainable development. With our collective resolve and commitment, and working in the spirit of this conference, we shall get there and have a healthcare system in Nigeria that we all will be proud of,” Oloriegbe said.

In her goodwill message, the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwoolu, represented by Dr. Abiola Mafe, said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is fully committed to addressing trauma care by improving all aspects of healthcare delivery in the state. Also, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, represented by the Lagos State Sector Commander, Hyginus Omeje, commended the efforts of the Lagos State government in addressing trauma care. Omeje, who lamented the delay often brought about by bureaucratic bottlenecks his men often face when emergency cases are brought to the hospitals, appealed to the healthcare workers to render service to critical emergency victims. He also appealed to hospitals to stop closing their doors on crash victims, especially for lack of bed space.

The former Minister of Health, Prince Juli Adelusi Adeluyi, who was the chairman of the occasion, advised participants to ensure that all that is needed is done to make sure efficient trauma care becomes a reality in the country by supporting TCIF. “Trauma itself is a big deal all over the world; it is not necessarily such a big deal here because we have other big deals; you don’t know who is going to win politically; you never know who will knock you down; even you never know when you report to the police station whether you are going to be the accused or the one reporting, too many things,” he said.

 

Kofoworola Belo-Osagie and Sampson Unamka

More details have emerged about what transpired in the viral video of a Queen’s College pupil who was harassed out of the college for wearing fake eyelashes and painting her nails.

This is as the Queen’s College Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) condemned the girl’s mother who was shown in the video harassing a security guard of the school because her daughter was punished.

The Nation learnt from one of the teachers at the scene who tried to placate the pupil’s mother that the incident happened Monday.

The girl had resumed two weeks late after midterm on Monday and was being punished for having on fake eye lashes and painted nails.

However, unknown to her teachers, her mother was watching but did not identify herself.

Trouble started when she attempted to drag the girl out of the school and the security man (not knowing she was the mother) challenged her. The mother reacted by attacking the security guard.

The source said: “The girl was returning to school two weeks after the mid-term had ended. When the teachers saw her with eyelashes and painted nails, they asked her to kneel down. Her mother came in with her, sat down and listened but did not say anything. Someone heard her telling her daughter in Igbo that she should run away. But the girl refused. After the third time, the mother grabbed the girl’s bag and made to leave. The girl then called out, ‘Mummy where are you going?’

“When people realised that she was the girl’s mother, she quickly dragged the girl out. The security man did not did not know it was the girl’s mother dragging her out. In an attempt to ask why she was taking one of our students out, that was when she attacked the security man.

“The girl was even remorseful. She was asking the mother why she was disgracing her.”

READ ALSO: ‘We’re committed to moulding pupils for development’

The source said the girl was returned to school by her mother on Tuesday and would face disciplinary measures.

“The woman came to drop the girl around 5am in the morning urging her to sneak into her class. But the girl did not sneak. She stood by the security gate till morning and presented herself to the school management. A man who claimed to be her father came to the school to apologise on her behalf but we found out that he is not her father.

“She will face the disciplinary committee. Many people – including the state, are now interested in the case. So we are investigating,” he said.

In a statement, the Caretaker Committee of the College’s PTA noted that the association was in support of the school management’s position on discipline.

The statement reads: “We condemn in totality the action of the parent. We stand by the management in enforcing discipline in the school.

“However, the Committee will invite both the parent and the student with a view to ameliorating the situation and preventing a repeat of similar occurrence. The lesson we need to take home on this is simply that Queen’s College will not tolerate violation of its well settled rules and regulations.”

Evelyn Osagie

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has tasked government on quality education, healthcare and a fair chance for every child.

According to Field Officer, UNICEF Lagos, Mr Muhammad Okorie, quality education and good health care are key requirement for children to achieve their full potentials.

He made the observation while speaking to The Nation on UNICEF’s activities marking the Child Right Convention (CRC) on Wednesday, November 20.

“Despite the gains in the situation of children and young people globally, including Nigeria in recent years, much remains to be done. Too many Nigerian children and young people are being left behind, marginalised or abused,” he said.

READ ALSO: Nigeria has second-largest number of child brides, says UNICEF

He, therefore, urged that government should ensure the rights of the convention are protected and implemented for every child as the world is marking the CRC@30 anniversary.

“The world is marking the 30th anniversary of the CRC@30, which Nigeria has ratified and pledged to uphold. It is not compulsory that everybody must be an academic but basic education and literacy is very necessary for one to succeed in whatever one wants to become,” Okorie said.

To mark the day, UNICEF also released a song on the rights of the child to mark the day.