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  • 1,200 get free medical services

    1,200 get free medical services

    No fewer than 1,200 residents of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area have benefited from free medical services offered by the council, Rotary Club of Magodo Central and GoldCrest Family Centre.

    The council Chairman Abdul Fatai Ayodele Oyesanya,  said the programme was in fulfilment of his electoral promises to the council’s residents.

    He urged them to pay adequate attention to their eyes because they are important to the body.

    He praised Rotary Club of Magodo Central for partnering the council to give succour to visually-impaired residents, adding that the club’s largesse should be emulated by other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).

    Rotary Club President Olorunlake Olaleye said provision of free health care to humanity is one of the cardinal goals of the club.

    GoldCrest Family Centre President, Revd Agatha Chukwura said the NGO was created to cater for the welfare of the less privileged, widows, orphans and indigent families.

    She added that yearly the NGO renders free medical services to these people to improve their well-being.

     

  • Centre offers free heart check, others

    The Grays Cardiology Centre, a member of The Reddington Hospital Group, has offered free heart check, ECG, blood pressure check, blood sugar and eye check to Nigerians in celebration of the World Heart Day.

    Hundreds of Nigerians, who visited the Grays Cardiology Centre in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, were attended to.

    The theme of this year’s event was “Creating heart-healthy environment.”

    Other activities for the day included a tour of the state-of-the art equipment at the centre for diagnosis and treatment of various cardiac conditions.

    There was also a  talk on “Effects of blood pressure on body organs”  by Dr, Moe Soe Aung, Associate Professor of Cardiology and Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, The Grays Cardiology Centre.

    During the lecture, Aung emphasised the need for individuals to make healthy choices wherever they live, work or play.

    He said the body needs adequate care to function maximally, noting that healthy choices, such as increased physical activity, healthy eating, regular medical checks for cardiovascular indices e.g, blood pressure, BMI, and blood cholesterol, were necessary for  healthy living.

    He however warned that bad health choices, such as over eating,  lack of exercise, unhealthy diets, high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose level could trigger  heart diseases  and threaten our lives.

    He said there was the need to screen for diseases as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are silent and often have no symptoms, which results in life-threatening complications, such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, peripheral artery disease.

    He said early diagnosis and detection allows for prompt treatment and intervention before complication.

    Facility Manager, The Grays Cardiology Centre, Mrs. Bisola Audiferen said the centre management was glad to join other health institutions globally to celebrate the World Heart Day, which was why it  made available the facilities free to the public.

    She noted that the day was the biggest platform to campaign against cardiovascular diseases,  enjoining Nigerians, especially participants at the event, to take advantage of the knowledge gained from the workshop and  free medical screenings to maintain healthy living.

  • Tambuwal and free mosquito nets

    SIR: I saw on Nigeria Television Authority network news, efforts exerted by the Sokoto State government in the fight against the scourge of malaria. I was impressed by the number of mosquito nets procured to be distributed for free in the state by the state government.

    The governor needs to be commended for he also intends to carry out fumigation of open drains and gutters to free such places from mosquitoes. Deaths arising from mosquito bites in Nigeria are alarming. As novel as these strides (nets and fumigation) are in Sokoto, one point this country misses to address in the fight against malaria is the high cost of insecticides. Does Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, all other governors in Nigeria, political persons, and president know how much it cost to buy a can of insecticide in Nigeria? No disrespect but I doubt.

    Do they know that increase in the price of onions in India is always not tolerated by the people there and can force political persons out of office? Onions is a staple food in India, valued by the gentry and peasantry.

    A can of insecticide sells for close to N1000 which can be judiciously put to use for only three or four days. How many people can afford that in Nigeria where to feed is a problem for many families? Why shouldn’t a can of insecticide be sold for NGN100 if we truly want to fight malaria in Nigeria?

    Government with developmental partners can subsidize the cost of production in-country or can subsidize the importation of same. Why not? What is it we enjoy in this country? We don’t have welfarist policies here? The ones in place are misplaced priorities: junketing on government account for religious pilgrimages. I voted for this president to stop it but he couldn’t. A country desirous to fight malaria yet allows merchants the chance to set prices of an important antidote as they deem fit.

    Politicians in Nigeria do not touch base with the people. That’s why they don’t know what truly bother Nigerians the most. Majority of Nigerians are law abiding and don’t care who leads them so long as that person knows the prices of kerosene plus fights against the adulteration of same that has led to the deaths of many when it exploded setting them ablaze, of bread and inspection of same in unhealthy places where they are produced, left for many hours with flies perching on them before they are bagged.

    These politicians don’t know the prices of insecticide, kerosene, bread in Nigeria. They don’t know the cost of a plate of food in a vendor stand. Putting them in the spot by asking if they know how much it cost to rent a house to live in (all shades, from one room apartment etc.) might be a hard job as asking my eight years old son in primary school to write a secondary school examination.

    Why should Nigerians vote these people into offices?

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt.

  • Hospital to offer free mental health screening

    What is the mental health of your  workers and how do you determine a sane level of healthy mental health?

    These and more  will  be on focus at the retreat on mental health/awareness, being organised by The Retreat, a private mental hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos.

    The evnt will hold on Tuesday, ….. at 10 am.

    According to the hospital’s Chief Executive, Dr Olufemi Oluwatayo, the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day focuses on “Mental health at the work place as professionals in psychiatry know that many employers and organisations do not see issues of mental health at the workplace as a priority and many employees may be suffering in silence.

    ‘’We, therefore, feel that this is an opportunity to help screen people for common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression and advise on treatment pathways if necessary. We are offering free screening services; skilled doctors will be on call both on the phone and at the Retreat campus in Ikorodu to offer confidential help.”

    This will be backd up by The Retreat’s psychiatrists, mental health nurses, therapist assistants, an occupational therapist and a top clinical psychologist in Ikorodu.

    Oluwatayo said the screening would be coordinated by him. “I am a former Health Advisor to the Lagos State Government, and a World Health Organisaton (WHO) scholar, writer, and a mental health advocate. I am also a Welcome Research Fellow and lecturer at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

    “In line with the WHO objectives, The Retreat, through the mental awareness and free screening, aims to add value to mental services across board, including education and raising awareness about mental issues in Nigeria ,” Oluwatayo added.

  • Obiano visits Buhari for free, fair poll in Anambra

    Obiano visits Buhari for free, fair poll in Anambra

    Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be unbiased to enable the state have a free and fair election on November 18.

    The governor addressed State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said the necessary measures were being taken to guarantee peaceful election, adding that he was confident of victory at the poll.

    Obiano said: “Anambra remains the safest state in Nigeria today. We don’t have cases of kidnapping, armed robbery or similar crimes. We have been firmly in control of the state and will continue to do so throughout my tenure as governor.

    “I’m very confident that I will win the forthcoming election with a landslide. All we want is for the umpire to be unbiased. A free and fair election is what we want, and we will get the result.”

    The governor said he had a fruitful meeting with President Buhari, adding that the President liked governors who delivered dividends of democracy to their people.

    He said: “He (President Buhari) likes governors who work hard, who are delivering what people can see and are delivering dividends of democracy to their people. That is what the President wants.”

     

  • Presidency: three million pupils enjoying free meal

    •14 states participating    •Over 33,000 cooks hired

    The Presidency said yesterday that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is close to its target of feeding three million primary school pupils under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, which is one of the four on-going Social Investment Programmes (SIP).

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, N6,204,912,889 has been paid to 14 states during the school year ending August 2017.

    He listed the 14 states covered under the school feeding programme as Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba and Kaduna.

    He said: “So far, a total of 2,827,501 school children are currently benefiting from the school feeding programme, which is well on course to achieve the Federal Government’s projection to feed over three million pupils this year.

    “In total, 33,895 cooks have been engaged in the communities where the schools are located across the 14 states.

    “Anambra State received N693,013,300, while a total of 103,742 children have been fed thus far, with 1,009 cooks paid.

    “Enugu State got N 571,877, 400 and 108,898 children have been fed so far, with 1,276 cooks paid.

    “In Oyo State, N490,296,800  was released by the Federal Government for the feeding of 107,983 children, with 1,372 cooks engaged.

    “Osun State received N1,000,394,888 for the feeding of 151,438 children. A total of 2,863 cooks were engaged in the state.

    “Similarly, Ogun State received N1,042,217,400 for the feeding of 231,660 school children, while a total of 2,205 cooks were paid.

    “For Ebonyi State, N344, 633,100 has been released for the feeding of 163,137 pupils so far, with 1,453 cooks paid.”

    Akande said: “In the same vein, Zamfara State received N402,295,600 for the feeding of 107,347 schoolchildren and 1,127 cooks were engaged.

    “Delta State received N225,896,300 for the feeding of 141,663 pupils. A total of 1,364 cooks were engaged.”

    He added: “Abia and Benue states received N128,763,600 and N337,157,800 respectively to feed 61,316 and 240,827 pupils respectively. In Abia State, 750 cooks were engaged, while 3,344 cooks were paid in Benue State.

    “Similarly, Plateau and Bauchi states received N133,187,600 and N214,909, 101 for the feeding of 95,134 and 307,013 pupils respectively in the states. Also, 1,418 cooks have so far been engaged in Plateau State, with 3,261 in Bauchi State.

    “For Taraba State, N120,284, 500 was paid and 171,835 pupils have thus far been fed, with a total of 2,596 cooks paid.

    “Kaduna State received N499,985,500 while 835,508 pupils have been fed so far. Also, 9,857 cooks were paid under the programme in the state.”

    According to him, more states and primary school pupils are expected to benefit from the programme when schools reopen next month.

  • Six couples to get free IVF treatment

    Six couples to get free IVF treatment

    It was a moment of joy. The atmosphere was filled with feelings of accomplishment and fulfilment. Men and women gathered at the headquarters of Nordica Fertility Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, to listen to the announcement of the winners of free IVF fertility treatment.

    The Free Treatment Cycles programme is an initiative of the Fertility Treatment Support Foundation (FTSF). It is part of its Fertility Awareness Advocacy Initiative (FAAI). The initiative is supported by star comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, a.k.a Ali Baba.

    The recipients are expected to receive the free IVF treatment cycle at the centre.

    The Medical Director, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, announced the six couples who won. According to him, “the six fertility-challenged couples went through a stringent process of selection and eventually emerged winners.”

    They are: Mr. and Mrs. Okon Eshiet; Mr. and Mrs Humphrey Oghomienor,Mr.and Mrs. Celestine Udoji, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Anioye; Mr. and Mrs. Ebi Pax-Harry and Mr. and Mrs. Musibau Akande.

    Giving further insights into how this year’s winners emerged, Ajayi said: “The sponsored free treatment option has been on-going for a while by the FTSF and has continued to receive support from individuals. Ali Baba’s involvement was due to his concern at the number of couples who are fertility challenged during one of his visits and encounter with some of the couples at our corporate headquarters here in Lagos.”

    Ajayi said: ”It all started following a visit by Alibaba to this office and for the first time he realised the gravity of the situation faced by infertile couples and the challenge of affordability of treatment. Ali Baba in all seriousness was moved by the fact that many of those who sought help could not afford the cost of treatment cycles.  And so we got talking. He then suggested as part of his Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), he would like to sponsor some couples. That was how an agreement was struck about partnership with FTSF. After thorough screening of potential couples, we arrived at the six who have qualified by all standards and can be treated. Among the criteria for selection is that there are no contra indications for IVF.

    “I believe the criteria for selection of the eventual winners are thorough, the six couples are likely to become parents with God’s permission,” he said.

    According to him, “We are trying to look for the patients that would accept the treatment options and also have the best chances for success. Nordica Fertility Centre is responsible for the screening exercise.’

    On lessons drawn from the effort, Dr Ajayi said: “What we are beginning to see is that a lot of Nigerians are not exposed to good health facilities, so when they first come up, a lot of things are thrown at us that we probably do not see every day and when they come up we then have to make recommendations to those concerned about what to do first. We see cases of diabetes, hypertension, fibroid and obesity.

    “We needed to sort those health concerns out first. So, instead of being confined to 10, we can do 15, but somebody has to pay for the screening which costs about N200,000 per person. We had to make Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, our technical partner, to be responsible for the screening in order to take more people that we can work with.”

    The Clinic Manager, Mrs Tola Ajayi said, “It is gladdening that six couples emerged  as winners. And very soon, they will have their families completedbecause that is what we do at Nordica Fertility Centre.”

    One of the winners, Mrs Chika Udorji who is in her late 40s, described the gesture as wonderful and humane even as she encouraged infertile couples to be supportive of one another and never to give up trying.

    Other recipients, Mrs and Mrs Oghomienor expressed their gratitude to the sponsors.

    Mr  Oghomienor said couples who are fertility challenged should stay strong and never give up hope of having their own children.

    Mrs Oghomienor who  is in her late 20s said, “I am looking forward to carrying my children. All these while I have enjoyed my husband’s support in the face of humiliation,discouragement and provocations from very close ones. Now, I am on my way to make my husband happy.”

  • Why only viable free zones should be licensed, by Umana, others

    Why only viable free zones should be licensed, by Umana, others

    Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) Managing Director Mr. Umana Okon Umana and Lekki Worldwide Investments Limited Managing Director Dr. Tunde Sodade have underscored the need for total compliance with a strict regime of requirements for operating licence by prospective free zone developers.

    Umana and Sodade  spoke at the first session of the Nigeria Business Roundtable in Lagos at the weekend.

    They were joined by Dr. Chris Asoluka, former chairman of the OGFZA board, at the roundtable that discussed free zones as an economic system with great potential to impact development positively.

    The key stakeholders argued that there were too many unviable free trade zones in the country and blamed the situation on the business design and licensing process for free zones.

    Umana, in his intervention, said the OGFZA licensing process was based on a strict and rigorous evaluation that puts emphasis on the viability of the business design rather than on political considerations.

    He said OGFZA’s painstaking licensing process in part explains why the few free zones licensed by the agency are among the most successful in the country.

    He cited Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone, licensed and regulated by OGFZA, as a model of success in free zone development.

    The OGFZA boss stressed that application for free zone status must be an economic proposition that meets the test of viability.

    Umana highlighted the economic value of free trade zones, describing them as the engines of growth in economies around the world.

    He said development experts all over the world have consistently seen the free zones in that light, which has been bolstered by statistics that show that there are more than 5,000 free zones around the world generating more than 50 million jobs.

    Umana, who led the discussion, agreed with his co-panelists that there were huge opportunities in the free zones as business clusters to empower small and medium size enterprises and further generate more employment through multiplier effects. They said the Nigerian content law is meant to drive inclusion and participation for local small businesses and individuals in the opportunities available in the free zones.

    Umana explained that the Federal Government decision to fund the establishment of six special economic zones in the country with effect from the 2017 budget underscores the value that the present administration places on the free zones as a mobiliser and magnet for investments and job creation.

    Sodade called for better business design and rigorous evaluation of applications for free zone status to guard against failure.

    Asoluka drew attention to the need for better quality service delivery in the free zones to deal with competition from rival free zones in the southern African region and other parts of the world.

    The former OGFZA chair said Onne was perfectly positioned to continue to offer leadership in free zone services in Africa.

    The roundtable, which was convened by Dr. Ogho Okiti, CEO of Time Economics and publisher of the Business Post, had three sessions of discussion on the Oil and Gas Free Zones, SMEs and the Payment System.

    Okiti said the purpose of the roundtable was to stimulate discussion on the economy with a view to impacting public policy.

  • Poor Nigerians get free treatments

    The Federal Government has conducted a total number of 4,349 free surgeries and 17, 793 health screenings to poor Nigerians across the country, Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has said.

    Speaking in Abuja, he said the Ministry had set a target of 10,150 free surgeries and screenings to assist the poor.

    Also, the ministry provided over 200,000 nutrition for Nigerians suffering from malnutrition in the northeast. The intervention has since become a project, the Health Sector Nutrition and Emergency Response, delivering comprehensive health interventions and emergency services in the troubled region.

    The Minister said:“The government must pay for those who cannot afford healthcare.”

    Adewole said the programme was a promise by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, as part of its pro-poor universal health coverage agenda.

    The Minister said the programme tagged, “Better Health for All” was ongoing and would be scaled up in the year.

    ‘’You would recall that in July 2016, the Federal Ministry of Health launched the Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) Programme to carry out surgeries and screenings to indigent Nigerians across the Country.

    “The programme was borne out of plan to respond to the critical needs of the people and deliver on the mandate of promoting health with focus on Access, Affordability and Demand,” he said.

    Adewole said the Programme encapsulates a set of initiatives developed as a strategy to actualise the vision of the administration to produce quick and visible impacts that will affect the lives of every Nigerian, especially the most vulnerable and the poor in the society.

    The six components of the programme are surgical interventions, Screening of Nigerians for major Diseases, Revitalisation of PHCs, Mutual Health Assurance, Treatment of 200,000 Severely Acutely Malnourished children and operationalising the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

    The programme sought to deliver 10,150 surgeries to the indigent Nigerians among which are Herniorrhaphy 4,240, Cataract Extraction  2,300 Cleft Lip & Palate Repair  450, Club Foot Repair100, Keloid Cryotherapy  80, VVF Repair  300, Myomectomy /Hysterectomy   840, hydrocoelectomy  840 and  Correction of refractive errors + glasses 1000.

    The health screenings cover 22,000 cancer: 10,000 cervical, 10,000 breast  and  2,000 prostate, 42,000 Diabetes Mellitus; 42,000 Hepatitis B Virus as well as  60,000 Mass De-worming.

  • Free health treatment for Lagos communities

    Free health treatment for Lagos communities

    No fewer than 3,000 residents of Ifako-Ijaiye Local government Area and Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), benefited from a three-day free health mission sponsored by the Lagos State Government, under the auspices of the Lagos Free Health Mission (FHM), which was rounded off at the Ifako Mini-stadium on Friday last week.

    The new health initiative was launched by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in March. The initiative was aimed at promoting the well-being of Lagosians.

    Inaugurating the three-day event earlier on Tuesday, the Sole Administrator of Ojokoro LCDA Dr Waliu Ipaye, said the free health mission has deepened access to free medical care to a large spectrum of the public who hitherto had continued to suffer in silence.

    His LCDA is co-hosting the FHM, which is being spearheaded by the state’s Ministry of Health.

    Ipaye said he and his colleague at Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Mr. Babatunde I.Q. Rajh-Label, would mobilise the people massively in order to ensure that majority of the indigent members of the public benefit from the exercise.

    Welcoming the beneficiaries earlier, Rajh-Label appreciated Governor Ambode for on the initiative. He said the FHM has helped in improving the quality of health care and well-being of the people at the grassroots across the state at no cost.

    The council chief said the FHM would provide medical solution to a wide range of health challenges which hamper people’s health. Such health challenges, he said, include diabetes, high blood pressure, blood sugar level test, dental and optical care, malaria and meningitis, arthritis, HIV/AIDS as well as trauma and depression, among others.

    He said over 60,000 indigent members of the public, including women, children, teenagers, adults and the aged have so far benefitted from the initiative since it was launched in March.

    Rajh-Label revealed that the FHM is assisting the government in collating statistics that could help in arriving at appropriate epidemiological mapping and programme planning, as part of efforts to move the state forward.

    Also drawing attention to the existence of Primary Health Centres (PHC) across the state, Rajh-Label said members of the public should make good use of those units of health care which, according to him, the governor has equipped to provide free medical services to the people.

    He said it was disheartening that Lagosians have continued to daily besiege all the state’s General Hospitals scattered across all the five divisions of the state, while these PHCs equipped with appropriate drugs are not patronised.

    Deputy Director in the state’s Ministry of Health Dr. Rasheed stated that the state government, through the ministry, has, in the past three months, increased access to medicare for people of the various communities in all the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.

    He said the Ministry of Health mobilised appropriate medical doctors, nurses, dentists, ophthalmologists and other medical personnel in all the council areas in order to provide free services in accordance with the mission and mandate of the governor.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce, Hon. Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo, commended the governor for the initiative which has further confirmed him (Ambode) as a governor who has good intentions for the people. He urged them to come out en masse to receive free medical treatment.

    Dr Tolu Ajomale, the representative of the Project Director Dr Dolapo Fasawe, said it is gratifying that the downtrodden embraced the programme, adding that with such programme, the government is changing the face of the state as, he said, a healthy state would be a wealthy state.

    He revealed that the programme would aid the government in developing a database of epidemiological trends in the state and this would help in arriving at decisions aimed at appropriately targeting programmes aimed at containing such health challenges of the people, as the team planned to go round the state to provide free medical services to the people.

    Responding on behalf of the residents, the Baale of Karaole, near Oko-Oba in Abule-Egba area of the state, Chief Olayinka Dada George, praised the governor for the gesture. He said aggressive mobilisation would continue even after the programme for the people to always rally behind the governor and to continue to patronise the health care centres located within the local governments.

    “We are happy with our governor for bringing the initiative closer to us at Ifako-Ijaiye and Ojokoro. With this, the governor has been able to show us he is committed to the well-being of the people. We too will continue to rally round him and support all the programmes aimed at making life more rewarding for the people.