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Tag: health

  • Society seeks review of occupational, environmental health laws

    There  is an urgent need  to review occupational and environmental laws.

    The Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEHPON) National President, Dr Okon Akiba, made the call at this year’s conference and general meeting of the society.

    The theme was: Occupational health for all.

    Akiba said: “The law is obsolete. Occupational health is law, and policy and guidelines-driven; other than that, we are nowhere. We must do it and put it in the cost of production. The gaps in policy are big.’’

    He added that it was for this that the society was calling for a review of the law guiding occupational health.

    He continued: ‘’It is only as a matter of passion for us having worked in multinational companies that we see these things. Occupational health is almost non-existent here. There is a difference between just providing curative and medical health.

    ‘’Occupational health is about being proactive and workers must know the hazards. You must tell them the hazards involved in their work and put in place preventive measures so that the workplace is healthy.

    “There is an urgent need to adopt a National Policy and Programme for occupational health that includes actions for providing competent occupational health services for all people at work. Occupational health is not about us, it is about the public. We are sharing knowledge about safety in the workplace and ensuring the right policies are in place and that guidelines are put in place. Employers are more interested in the work forgetting that the employees have to be healthy, the workplace has to be safe and will be more cost effective at the end of the day because a healthy workforce is a healthy organisation and the end point is enhanced productivity.”

    Akiba said his society was x-raying  the occupational health hazards and risks associated with the informal and the formal sectors, since it is apparent that not much had been documented about the issues.’’

    He said occupational health is an important factor for sustainable socio-economic development that enables workers to enjoy a healthy and productive life during their working years.

    Country Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO),  Nigeria and West Africa, Daniel Zulu, said the ILO/WHO 1950 Constitution sets forth the principle that workers should be protected from sickness, disease, and injury arising from their employment, “yet for millions of workers the reality is very different’’.

    ‘’About 100 million workers are injured and 200,000 die yearly in occupational accidents and 68 to 157 million new cases of occupational diseases are attributed to hazardous exposures or workload,” he added.

    Zulu said: “By affecting the health of the working population, occupational injuries and diseases have profound effects on work productivity and on the economic, social and well being of workers, their families and dependents. .

    SOEHPON National Secretary,  Dr. Uche Enumah, said  the conference is held yearly: “We do this annually to train ourselves. We have a two-day pre-training workshop. Medicine is all about continuing education and latest developments in the field.

    “Health and safety at work are important matters that relate to the general health and well being of working people and, therefore, should be given due consideration in policies, at all levels. Health and safety problems at work are, in principle, preventable and should be done by using all available tools, legislative, technical, research, training, education, information and economic instruments.’’

    “The government should ensure the development of necessary infrastructure for effective implementation of occupational health programmes, including health services, research programmes, training and education, information services and data banks. Networking of such infrastructure within and among the countries would substantially facilitate their efforts to implement national programmes.’’’

  • Pharmacists to Nigerians: check health status, stop stigmatisation

    Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) President, Ahmed I. Yakasai, has urged Nigerians to check their health status, stop stigmatisation against HIV/AIDS patients and show love to  them.

    Yakasai stated this at this year’s World AIDS Day.

    Quoting the UNAIDS, Yakassai said last year, Nigeria had 220,000 new HIV infections and 160,000 AIDS-related deaths.

    ‘’There were 3,200,000 people living with HIV in 2016, among which 30 percent were accessing antiretroviral therapy. Among pregnant women living with HIV, 32 percent were accessing treatment or prophylaxis to prevent transmission of HIV to children. An estimated 37,000 Children were newly infected with HIV due to mother-to child transmission. Among people living with HIV, approximately 24 percent had suppressed viral loads.

    “The Key populations most affected by HIV in Nigeria are: Sex workers, with an HIV prevalence of 14.4 percent; Gay men and other men who have sex with men, with an HIV prevalence of 23 percent and people who inject drugs, with an HIV prevalence 3.4 percent,” he added.

    Yakasai said everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, has a right to health, which is also dependent on adequate sanitation and housing, nutritious food, healthy working conditions and access to justice.

    He said: “The right to health is the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as enshrined in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This includes the right of everyone, including people living with and affected by HIV, to the prevention and treatment of ill health, to make decisions about one’s own health and to be treated with respect and dignity and without discrimination.”

    He explained that the #myrighttohealth campaign focused on the right to health, which explored the challenges people.

  • Don seeks ban of plastic bags for public health

    To improve public health and ensure safe environment, the government should ban the use of plastic bags, an environmental management scholar and toxicologist, Prof. Toyin Arowolo, has said.

    Prof. Arowolo spoke yesterday while delivering the 55th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB), the Ogun State capital, titled: Environmental Degradation: Mortgaging Our Future for Today’s Gain.

    The Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry expressed dismay that many of the man-made threats to the environment were caused by ignorance and non-challance.

    He regretted that stakeholders had not educated Nigerians enough to convince them about the need to turn away from bad environmental management practices, such as illegal felling of trees, indiscriminate lighting of fire and poor refuse disposal habits, among others.

    The professor urged the government to urgently consider banning the use of plastic bags to improve solid and liquid waste management, especially municipal waste in the country.

    Arowolo said over 40 countries have banned or partly banned it.

    He listed some of the countries as China, France, Rwanda, Kenya and Italy.

    The scholar advised Federal and state governments to ensure adequate funding of the management and protection of the environment, besides judicious application of the funds allocated and secured from donor agencies.

    The country’s infrastructure, he said, should meet the modern era in uninterrupted power supply, potable water for all and effective railway system, among others.

    Arowolo also urged religious leaders to set aside a day to sensitise faithful on the need to ensure a clean and safe environment.

    The professor has 34 years’ experience in the academia.  His research had been in the application of Analytical Chemistry in Environmental Management and Toxicology.

    Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the lecture, Prof. Kolawole Salako, described Arowolo as a devoted Environmentalist who practices the dictate of his calling.

  • Power Oil partners Ogun health ministry

    Power Oil partners Ogun health ministry

    There  is a strategic  collaboration between  Power Oil Company  and the Ogun State Ministry of Health  to improve  health   standard of residents of the state. To realise this, the company  has deployed its health team across three primary health centres  from different local governments in the state  to support and facilitate the vital check process.

    This was stated during the formal launch of the project at the Ogun State Ministry of Health Secretariat, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, where top officials from the ministry, Power Oil company, as well as the representatives from the three identified Primary health centres were present. The health centres were: Ita Alapo Family Health Centre in Ijebu Ode Local government, Ota Primary Health Centre in Ado Odo Otta Local Government and Obantoko Primary Health Centre under Odeda Local Government.

    Also, there were facilities to screen attendees freely on  hypertension,  blood pressure and diabetics.There was a  BMI device as well as the routine hypertension data booklet which registers patients’ personal information such as; age, sex, height, weight and  checkup result were presented to representatives of each of the Primary Health Centres. Lectures and trainings were conducted for few members of the PHC staff on : Overview and Facts on Hypertension and the use of the equipment presented by Dr. Hakeem Yusuff, Non Communicable Disease Coordinator, Ogun State Ministry of Health.

    Speaking during the programme, Dr. Qudus Yusuff, Director Public Health, Ogun State Ministry of Health praised  the Power Oil brand for its unrelenting efforts in  promoting and encouraging  stable heart health and  healthy living amongst Nigerians.

    “Power Oil Health Camp staff will  be present in all these clinics basically to help with vitals check up, before patients progress further to see the doctors in charge. You will agree with me that this will not only alleviate the burden on these health centres, it will also help to facilitate the amount of time patients will spend during each clinic visit” he noted.

    The Public Relations Manager, Power Oil, Mrs. Omotayo Azeez- Abiodun, thanked the Ogun State Ministry of Health for the endorsement while assuring the state of the brand’s continued support in the quest towards achieving a much more deeper outreach result in the state.

    Omotayo said: “It is worthy of note that the main objective behind the Power Oil health camp initiative is to bring free basic medical checkup closer to as many Nigerians as possible at different touch points irrespective of the location and we are delighted that we are gradually getting there.

    Power Oil Health Camp being a corporate social responsibility initiative from the staple of Raffles Oil LFTZ Enterprise, a maker of the Nigerian no.1 heart-friendly vegetable oil brand, also endorsed by the Nigerian Heart Foundation – Power Oil, kicked off in 2013 and has established active footprint in 15  locations in Nigeria.

  • LASUTH to screen staff for mental health

    LASUTH to screen staff for mental health

    The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja workers will soon undergo mental health assessment screening/test. According to the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Wale Oke, the step is necessary to enable the hospital pick in time any of its staff from breaking down or slipping into depression, traceable to workload.

    Prof Oke made this known at this year’s World Mental Health Day  observed by the hospital’s Psychiatry Department. The theme was:  Mental health in the work place.

    According to Prof Oke, if there is anybody that needs to undergo mental health assessment screening/test in the hospital, it is him because, “the work here at LASUTH is much, and when one needs to take decisions but cannot due to procedural demands in the system, and the answers are not coming, such creates anxiety. One cannot but wonder how one copes in such situation. In addition, I listen to all the complaints”.­­

    He said most times people walk into his office and accuse him of inefficiency, not realising that everything is not under his control but that he needs directive from the parent body of the hospital, “that alone can give one psychosis and neurosis. However, I have developed mechanism to adjust. Anybody that walks into my office and gives me stress, I ensure such leave with measured laughter or hope.”

    He said worldwide doctors, nurses and hospital workers account for largest part of the statistics that made up suicide because they are faced with a lot of frustrations and things they cannot control, “so we have resolved that anybody coming into the employment of  LASUTH will be subjected to mental health assessment screening/test. That will also extend to gradual and progressive levels. The results will be noted and once the personnel want to cross the border, we can easily pick same.”

    Prof Oke told the staff not to panic over the mental health assessment screening/test policy that is about to start, or fear being labeled ‘mad’, “but the policy is to assist us know the level of stress of each worker, and how it has affected your capacity, so as to prevent it from escalating to a level where it becomes so bad that hospitalisation is inevitable,” said Prof Oke.

  • Fighting inequality with universal health

    SIR: Quality and affordable health care is the foundation for individuals to enjoy productive and fulfilling lives and for countries to have strong and unwavering economies. In recent years, the Universal health coverage (UHC) movement has gained global momentum, with the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly calling on countries including Nigeria to urgently and significantly scale up efforts to accelerate the transition towards universal access to affordable and quality healthcare services.

    Universal Health Coverage is the key to achieving the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals of ending extreme poverty and increasing equity and shared prosperity. It is also an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the cardinal interests of Sustainable Development Goal includes a target to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, affordable and essential medicines and vaccines for all. Thus, the goal to end poverty in all its forms everywhere is in peril without UHC, as hundreds of millions of people are impoverished by healthcare costs every year.

    Health is a human right; the Government of Nigeria owes it a duty to provide healthcare for its citizens. Kate Gilmore the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights in an interview with United Nation’s News on October 24 said: “We see health not only as the absence of disease and not only a question of access to services, but in fact the right to be human is a manner that you have your physical and mental integrity upheld.”

    In recognition of the mandatory equal health provisions accruing to every human being and citizens of the various countries of the world, Article I of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) provides thus: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

    Also, Article 25 (1) of UNDHR provide as follows: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

    Also, section 16 (2) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provide that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens. However, the above provision of the UNDHR as well as the constitution has not been practically observed and practiced by the government at all levels and tiers in Nigeria, may be because the provision is non- justiciable or perhaps citizens particularly the grassroots which forms the greater number of Nigerian population are not aware that such rights exist in the constitution. Thus, it is recommended that (a) the legislature both at the federal and the states amend chapter two of the Constitution of to become justiciable, (b) the Human Right Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) as well as Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) and health workers intensify efforts towards educating the greater number of the population about their rights to healthcare and the importance of Universal Health Coverage.

     

    • Gregory T. Okere Esq.

     Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

  • ‘Reccession affecting workers’mental health’

    ‘Reccession affecting workers’mental health’

    Many Nigerians, especially those in employment, have been victims of recession and it is affecting their mental health, the Medical Director of Neuro-Pscychiatry Hositpal, Yaba, Lagos, Dr Oluyemi Ogun, has said.

    She said this during the  World Mental Health Day and the hospital’s 110th anniversary.

    The hospital was established  as an asylum on October 30, 1907 at Nigerian Railway in Yaba, where its first 48 inmates were admitted.

    The theme was: Mental health in the workplace.

    Mrs Ogun said: “The choice of the theme could not have come at a more appropriate time than now when the twin forces of economic global melt down and uncertain political climates have led to non-performance of most organisations and the resultant effect includes poor organisational policy framework to protect the right and privileges of employees.

    “This has led to employee exploitation, bullying and poor welfare packages as the employees are made to bear the brunt of the economic reality and it is therefore a common place to find cases of mental challenges on the increase in the work place.”

    Mrs Ogun, who advocated that mental health should be subsidised, if not made free, said more than 300 million people globally suffer from depression and anxiety and a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) study reveals that both cost a total  US$1 trillion yearly.

    Mrs Ogun also advocated the importance of employers to put in place arrangements that promote mental health and support people with mental disorders as the mental status of employees has a direct impact on organisational performance and productivity.

    A consultant psychiatric and a health service provider Dr Femi Olugbile highlighted the major causes of mental health in the work place and way forward.

    Olugbile said mental health’s major causes need to be understood,  saying:  “A significant number of people in the work place are experiencing mental health issues at some point in their life and because we spend most time of our life time in our work place, we experience such health issues there. In addition to that, part of the issues has always been that despite our focus on it, there is little recognition in tackling it. Very negative prevalent attitude among the employer and employee themselves are major causes of  lots of stigma attached to the very mental illness, leading to a lot of denials in the work place.”

    Continuing , he said: “Modern approach is actually to shift the focus in promoting wellness, so the gain of what we are celebrating today, is strategic in a way of strategising people in the existence of mental illness both in and out of the work place, the fact that the work place is the critical aspect in the life of individuals.

    “We need to understand that we can’t run away from the mental health, we need to shift focus to promoting wellness and every organisation in promoting mental wellness are making services available to treatment of illness should know that they are doing it to improve their bottom line. The gain of what we are celebrating today is making the awareness, the responsibility of the employer to the employee and making structure for employee to function well.”

    That is why we are advocating for – Employee assistant program, which is a concept that talks about the responsibility of the employer not only to treat illness of employee but to help to promote the wellness both psychologically and socially, that is where we should all be heading to develop mental wellness in the society. Getting it right in work place we will definitely get it right in the society at large.

    “So the way forward is awareness and focusing on wellness and start giving resources in critically improving the wellness the emotional and social wellness of their employees not as a philanthropic activity but as a necessity to improve the economy,” Olugbile explained.

    A consultant psychiatric, Dr Steven Olamide Oluwaniyi, spoke on: ‘Factors that improve or affect employee mental health in the work place’, said: “The environment where you work  if it is hostile, threatening or unfriendly, or gives excessive work load can generate stress in an individual.Where you feel your employer is a bully, you don’t feel save, you wake up in the morning and you are afraid because you don’t know what will happen, all these things constitute stress. And we know that when stress is high and it is persistent, everybody at one point will break down. But a situation whereby you are challenged positively, you wake up and feel happy to go to your working place where you spend more than 50 percent of your day, whereby you are looking forward to see your happy colleagues, that individual will feel very happy and motivated, so these are the issues that we are talking about, that is an aspect at the place of work.

    “So, when people now have problem in the other part of their lives, they are withdrawn to themselves, thinking about the problem and nobody seems to care, the productivity of that individual that used to be very productive has now gone down and despite that the boss is shouting at him for not getting things done, all these becomes a problem. So the employer needs to get training in the ‘Employee assistant programme.”

    But if an employee finds himself in an environment where the superior notices that something is wrong and call to either counsel and ask what is bothering the individual, in that circumstance the person is likely to open up and the advice given at that moment can help the mental health issue the individual might be going through. So I will advise the employees to know that making their employers happy is for their own and for the organisation greatness, vice versa.

    ‘’Having a healthy mental work force will improve productivity. And also, for everyone to come together to create policy, such that someone with a mental health issue can also be more productive and not be stigmatised- ensuring open culture in the society will minimise mental issues,” said Oluwaniyi.

  • Six tips of living a healthier life

    Six tips of living a healthier life

    There isn’t any shortcut to good health but it isn’t very hard either. Being healthy is a matter of choice.  How you value the precious aspect of life will largely depend on your commitment to lead a healthy one by a simple set of rules. There is a common misconception that being healthier means giving up a lifestyle that you enjoy because what’s life after all if you have to deprive yourself of its pleasures ?? You couldn’t be more wrong!!!

    You can be healthy and enjoy your life too because by abiding by the protocols of good health, you strengthen your body further to withstand the lifestyle you may be leading be it a hectic or stressful one.  Following these 10 practical tips can help you lead a healthier life.

    1. Maintain a well balanced diet and get your protein

    In any guide to good health, it ultimately boils down to maintaining a well balanced diet. If you love a roast potato and steak by all means do so now and then but ensure that your diet consists of the proper ratio of protein carbohydrate and healthy fats. While there are nutrition guides that will teach you how to maintain a balanced meal plan, what you should also consider is incorporating more fat burning foods into your meals.

    If you are working out, ensure you get your protein because the majority end up eating a diet full of carbs and fats. Sure it’s healthy to go vegan or be a vegetarian but your body just cannot do without protein which are the essential building blocks of life. The best advice you could get is to consume foods that contain rich sources of anti oxidants, minerals, vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids.

    1. Look after your gut health

    Recent studies have linked Alzheimer’s disease to gut bacteria. This goes to show how several diseases may be the result of poor gut health. Within two years of birth, humans develop communities of gut flora or microorganisms that co exist in a mutually beneficial environment. Unfortunately as we age such beneficial gut microbes are greatly reduced.

    1. Avoid unhealthy snacks

    Snacking on that juicy burger, pizza and fast food may make your tongue salivate but it definitely does not benefit your body. While on the rare occasion it may be ok to indulge in your favorite food, the fact remains that unhealthy food widens your waistline and introduces a host of carcinogenic substances and free radicals into your body responsible for cancers, various disease and ageing.

    Healthy snacks are a good way to satiate both your taste buds and your stomach when hungry between meals. As a vegan or a person who wants to go gluten free you can try fruits like apricots or plantain chips. If you love ice cream, indulge in banana ice cream instead. You can get a healthy dose of protein and good fats from a combo of banana and peanut butter on Ezekiel toast. Once you start Snacking healthy, you will soon find yourself preferring such foods over processed high fat snacks.

    1. Learn to deal with stress

    Stress puts a huge damper on your physiology. The term “mind over matter” contains a lot of truth where succumbing to stress can create several problems in the areas of digestion, sleep, mood, focus and energy.  Variations of stress will always be present in life.  How you deal with it is more a matter of perspective and though easier said than done, there are ways and means to control and eliminate stress only if you decide to take one step forward to do so.

    While some fitness experts advocate yoga and meditation to deal with stress others feel intense activity such as kickboxing workouts can work wonders too.  You need to identify what type of activity sustains your personality the most. Engaging in that at least thrice a week will certainly invigorate your mid into a healthier disposition.

    1. Stop smoking

    If you are smoking, there is only one word that you should know now. Stop. The dangers of smoking are manifold and if you want to quit, you seriously don’t need rehab or even medication or substitutes to do so.  All you need is to come to terms with why you smoke and then you will find the answer is a shallow one that never really helps you. Rather than abide by the traditional belief of coaxing a habit away one step at a time. Try making a spontaneous and split decision to quit smoking that very instant. It may just work for you.

    1. Physical activity and rest

    Indulging in exercise and rest for recovery are two faces of the same coin. Physical activity increases energy, improves your constitution and metabolism, strengthens your heart, contributes to muscle buildup and a healthy skeletal structure. Rest provides that all important phase of muscle recovery which is a continuous process of muscle protein synthesis. While exercise contributes to muscle burn and hypertrophy of muscle tissue, rest and recovery invigorates and facilitates the process where both work hand in glove for a healthier body.

    Working out and eating healthy are all beneficial habits of a healthy life but rest ad adequate sleep are just as important to maintain and rejuvenate your body. Being healthy will also make you happier contributing to general well being.

  • ‘Fed Govt can incorporate traditional medicine into health sector’

    ‘Fed Govt can incorporate traditional medicine into health sector’

    Can Traditional Medicine and Complimentary Alternative medicine be integrated into the health sector? For experts, who held a two-day workshop in Lagos, the answer is yes. Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha writes.

    Why is it difficult for the government to fuse Traditional Medicine/Complimentary-Alternative Medicine (TCAM) into the main health care system?

    Many factors are responsible for this, says the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Director-General (DG), Prof Babatunde Salako.

    He listed quality of herbs, quality assurance/quality control in processing and manufacturing/preparation of herbal medicines as  some of the problems.

    Others, he said, were herbal mechanisms of action, bioavailability, herbs  chemical constituents, herb and drug interactions, efficacy measurements, and quality of life and safety issues.

    Salako made this known at the international conference on indigenous traditional knowledge organised by Paxherbals Clinic and Research Laboratories and its subsidiary Ofure (Pax) Integral Research and Development Initiative (OFIRDI), which held at Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos.

    The theme of the event was: ‘The contribution of indigenous knowledge in stimulating integral development in Nigeria and Africa’.

    Other organisations, which partnered PaxHerbals to host the conference, were: FIIRO, Oshodi, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, National (NNMDA) Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion and Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

    Salako, who spoke on: ‘Western allopathic medicine and traditional African medicine: any hope for a synergy?’,  said other factors which affects integration of the TCAM into modern medical practices are poor quality, adulterated or counterfeit products, unqualified practitioners, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to use effective conventional treatments, exposure to misleading or unreliable information and direct adverse events, side effects or unwanted treatment interactions.

    Despite these challenges, Salako said no hope was lost because the World Health Organisation (WHO) has a strategic master plan for the TCAM.

    WHO support for TCAM (WHO TM Strategy 2014-2023) integrates TM into national health care systems, where feasible, by developing and implementing national TM policies and programmes.

    “Safety, efficacy and quality — promote the safety, efficacy and quality of TM by expanding the knowledge base, and providing guidance on regulatory and quality assurance standards. Access — increase the availability and affordability of TM, with an emphasis on access for poor populations. And Rational use — promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate TM by practitioners and consumers,” he explained.

    Salako said TCAM should be incorporated as an integral part of a country’s health care with each recognised as a legitimate form of sytstem.

    He said TCAM could be practised with modern medicine. ‘’Traditional and modern practices could be integrated as two branches of medical science, with the incorporation of elements of both to form a new branch.

    ‘’And what are needed are to make traditional medicine and evidence-based medicine (EBM) an integral part of a country’s formal health care system  e.g China, Japan, Korea, India and Ghana.

    “Awareness campaign and advocacy among physicians and herbal medicine practitioners on the role of scientific, cultural, educational, and legal issues in improving integration. We need to make Western medical doctors receptive to the ideas of TCAM. Africa Biomedical and traditional practitioners need to unite and be open to the idea of working with one another as peers.

    ‘’TCAM practitioners must be open to sharing their methods and knowledge by allowing western doctors to examine and analyse them using their own systems of fact finding. There has to be acceptable intellectual property guidelines/Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) from the beginning of collaboration.Incorporate alternative medicine practices into the training curriculum of all health care workers in all medical schools.”

    The DG said the WHO has defined three types of health system to describe the degree to which TCAM is recognised as part of the national health: Integrative systems, parallel system and tolerant system.

    “Integration of biomedical and traditional medicines through medical education and practice as it obtains in China. Parallel System involves separation of biomedical and traditional medicine in the national health system:  Nigeria, Guinea and Ghana, Asian countries including India and South Korea, and tolerant systems where biomedical health facilities are encouraged to complement delivery of care by some traditional medicines which have been endorsed by the country’s legislation: South Africa and Ghana,” he added.

    He said NIMR has a centre to assist realise some of these.

    “NIMR Centre for Research in Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine is set up to research into preclinical pharmacological assessments and action mechanisms. To research into clinical efficacy, tolerability and safety assessments of herbal medicine. Ensure herbal medicine quality and standardisation. Training and improving the skills of traditional herbal medicine practitioners. Research in drug development in herbal medicine. And ensure intellectual property development among collaborating institutions and practitioners. This is because the NIMR was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria via the Research Institute Establishment Act of 1977 to promote National health and development.”

    Salako said NIMR has signed an MoU with the Paxherbal Clinics  and the Nigeria Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine (NCPNM) to boost natural health care.

    “The purpose of the MoU with Paxherbals is to establish collaborations/cooperation between NIMR and Paxherbal for the search and development of  indigenous natural medicinal products with potential health and economic benefits. The goal of the MoU is to use the strengths and expertise of NIMR to prove and develop the potential of natural medicinal products produced by  Paxherbal and /or other stake-holders into scientifically sound and globally credible medicines/patents.

    “While the purpose of the MoU with NCPNM is to establish collaborations/cooperation between NIMR and NCPNM for the search and development of  indigenous natural medicinal products with potential health and economic benefits. The goal is to use the strengths and expertise of NIMR to prove and develop the potential of  natural medicinal products produced by members of the NCPNM and /or other stake-holders into scientifically sound and globally credible medicines/patents.”

    Salako reiterated that TCAM has come to stay as it has gained global attention and is being used in many countries as an option of treatment of various diseases.

    “There is a need to monitor and report adverse events, including potential drug–herb interactions via clinical trials and phytochemical analysis. Integration of TCAM and EBM is practised in some countries. Therefore, when safety and efficacy of many of the herbs are further established in accordance with conventional scientific principles, the integration of herbal medicine into evidence-based clinical practice will likely improve beyond current status.”

    The convener and Director Paxherbals and Pax Centre for Integral Research and Development, Revd Father Anselm Adodo described the conference as a success, saying the aims were achieved.

    “The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers, scientists, research scholars, entrepreneurs, health care practitioners and health technologists to discuss, exchange and share their experiences and research results in all aspects of indigenous knowledge in health care and health policy, traditional medicine research and practice, community development, local innovations in agriculture, biodiversity, solar technology and business enterprise.

    ‘’There is an urgent need to critically examine approaches to education, health care, technologies, enterprise, agriculture and development in Nigeria and propose new methodologies, new approaches and new action plans.

    ‘’The common thread weaving these diverse topics together is the need to stimulate integral development in Nigeria and in Africa. As such, this conference focused on applying trans-disciplinary approach to issues of development in Nigeria, transcending dichotomies that have tended to impede rather than stimulate sustainable development in Nigeria.”

    Notable participants at the conference were Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Director of Bioresources Development Group, Prof Maurice M. Iwu, who made a presentation on: ‘African Traditional Medicine Research and Development’;  Director general (DG), FIIRO, Prof. Gloria Elemo; guest speaker and book reviewer, Prof.  Alexander Schieffer of University of St. Galen, Geneva Switzerland who spoke on-Communitalism as an African alternative to capitalism and the role of transformative education and research to actualise it.

    Others were Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, Mr. M. O. Lawal, Prof Omon Oleabhiele, and Dr. Femi Jegede.

    On the second day, experts discussed Traditional African gynaecology: Herbs for managing infertility, impotence and ante-natal care herbs, with a special session on licensed traditional birth attendants in Lagos.

    It was chaired by Oleabhiele. Dr. Atoyebi, a gynaecologist with the Agege General Hospital, Lagos and Prof. MacDonald Idu.

    The speakers were Mrs. Owolabi Titilope and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) team Dr. O. Igbo, Dr. Pogoson, director, IAS, Prof. Omoh T. Ojior, Prof. Sophie Oluwole and Dr. S. Osunwole discussed how to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. The theme was: The role of indigenous knowledge in promoting sustainable development in education, technology, health care and culture in Africa.

  • 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.