The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Healthcare

  • Bridging the gap in healthcare system

    NIGERIA medical industry has continued to suffer shortage of professionals.  Emigration of health personnel compounds the challenges as a sizeable number of physicians, nurses and other medical professionals are lured out of the country in search of lucrative jobs in developed countries because of our broken down healthcare system, inadequate infrastructure and poor compensation packages.

    For instance, statistics shows that in 2005, 2,395 Nigerian medical doctors practiced in the United States (US), and 1,529 in the United Kingdom.

    Similarly, most people living in Nigeria do not have access to good quality healthcare services.  Where it is available, it is too expensive for the average earner to afford.  Even at that, the rich and highly placed in government and private sectors do not have confidence in the available healthcare system.  Due to their discontentment with the poor quality of available medical facilities, they boost the medical tourism of United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India and South Africa instead of helping to grow the local medical care.

    These imbalances in our health system may have justified the establishment of Thompson & Grace Medical University (TGMU) and allied health services by Thompson & Grace Investment Limited (TGIL) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.  At a health seminar the held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, President/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Isaac Thompson Amos said  “the justification for the establishment of the Medical University and its sister entities in the proposed Medical City is to promote and enhance medical education, clinical research and delivery of global standard healthcare in Nigeria, and indeed, Africa.”

    At the seminar themed: How Education, Health, and Medicine can be transformed to benefit Nigeria and Africa, which attracted mostly academia in medical institutions of learning in Nigeria, Dr. Amos disclosed that TGIL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German institution, University of Hamburg (UKE) at the office of the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck in Abuja to enable his Group partner with UKE who would “consult in the design and operation” of the TGMU.  He said that the import of the seminar is primarily to sensitise the participants and various stakeholders, and get their buy-in into the Group’s dream of promoting medical tourism in Nigeria.

    Commenting on the partnership at the seminar, Prof. med Uwe Koch-Gromus, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Hamburg (UKE), Germany, noted that “the UKE, Hamburg, Germany and TGIL, Nigeria, signed the MOU to enable both organizations to harness resources for the development of academic cooperation in international medical education in areas of mutual interest and expertise, adding that the “collaboration established will enhance the intellectual life and cultural development at both institutions, and will contribute to increased international cooperation.”

    Dr. Amos disclosed that the partnership would enable both parties to jointly “develop and provide structure, curriculum and practical program as well as administrative and management processes for the Medical University and Specialty Hospital.”  He said that these medical facilities are established to provide “training and support in capacity building in the areas of medical education, clinical research and healthcare delivery processes and procedures as well as healthcare management and administration.”

    He is optimistic that medical university will produce “increased number of highly trained and competent physicians, other healthcare professionals and facilities to meet the health needs of a rapidly changing Nigerian society.”

    Against this background, he called on all the governments and relevant governmental agencies to support the dream in the areas of provision of basic infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, security, license issuances, permits, approvals and all other relevant facilities that are germane to actualize “our dreams and birth the nation of our collective medical and health dreams.”

    More significantly, the medical projects will help tackle the cavernous gap in the provision of state-of-the-art medical facilities and adequate healthcare for Nigerians.  It will be one step closer to achieving that dream to have world-class health facilities in Nigeria, thus reducing the need to travel abroad for medical treatment.  But the challenge lies on the readiness of the various stakeholders including the three-tiers of government to support this laudable project.  IGERIA medical industry has continued to suffer shortage of professionals.  Emigration of health personnel compounds the challenges as a sizeable number of physicians, nurses and other medical professionals are lured out of the country in search of lucrative jobs in developed countries because of our broken down healthcare system, inadequate infrastructure and poor compensation packages.

    For instance, statistics shows that in 2005, 2,395 Nigerian medical doctors practiced in the United States (US), and 1,529 in the United Kingdom.

    Similarly, most people living in Nigeria do not have access to good quality healthcare services.  Where it is available, it is too expensive for the average earner to afford.  Even at that, the rich and highly placed in government and private sectors do not have confidence in the available healthcare system.  Due to their discontentment with the poor quality of available medical facilities, they boost the medical tourism of United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India and South Africa instead of helping to grow the local medical care.

    These imbalances in our health system may have justified the establishment of Thompson & Grace Medical University (TGMU) and allied health services by Thompson & Grace Investment Limited (TGIL) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.  At a health seminar the held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, President/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Isaac Thompson Amos said  “the justification for the establishment of the Medical University and its sister entities in the proposed Medical City is to promote and enhance medical education, clinical research and delivery of global standard healthcare in Nigeria, and indeed, Africa.”

    At the seminar themed: How Education, Health, and Medicine can be transformed to benefit Nigeria and Africa, which attracted mostly academia in medical institutions of learning in Nigeria, Dr. Amos disclosed that TGIL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German institution, University of Hamburg (UKE) at the office of the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck in Abuja to enable his Group partner with UKE who would “consult in the design and operation” of the TGMU.  He said that the import of the seminar is primarily to sensitise the participants and various stakeholders, and get their buy-in into the Group’s dream of promoting medical tourism in Nigeria.

    Commenting on the partnership at the seminar, Prof. med Uwe Koch-Gromus, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Hamburg (UKE), Germany, noted that “the UKE, Hamburg, Germany and TGIL, Nigeria, signed the MOU to enable both organizations to harness resources for the development of academic cooperation in international medical education in areas of mutual interest and expertise, adding that the “collaboration established will enhance the intellectual life and cultural development at both institutions, and will contribute to increased international cooperation.”

    Dr. Amos disclosed that the partnership would enable both parties to jointly “develop and provide structure, curriculum and practical program as well as administrative and management processes for the Medical University and Specialty Hospital.”  He said that these medical facilities are established to provide “training and support in capacity building in the areas of medical education, clinical research and healthcare delivery processes and procedures as well as healthcare management and administration.”

    He is optimistic that medical university will produce “increased number of highly trained and competent physicians, other healthcare professionals and facilities to meet the health needs of a rapidly changing Nigerian society.”

    Against this background, he called on all the governments and relevant governmental agencies to support the dream in the areas of provision of basic infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, security, license issuances, permits, approvals and all other relevant facilities that are germane to actualize “our dreams and birth the nation of our collective medical and health dreams.”

    More significantly, the medical projects will help tackle the cavernous gap in the provision of state-of-the-art medical facilities and adequate healthcare for Nigerians.  It will be one step closer to achieving that dream to have world-class health facilities in Nigeria, thus reducing the need to travel abroad for medical treatment.  But the challenge lies on the readiness of the various stakeholders including the three-tiers of government to support this laudable project.

  • Bridging the gap in healthcare system

    Bridging the gap in healthcare system

    Nigeria medical industry has continued to suffer shortage of professionals.  Emigration of health personnel compounds the challenges as a sizeable number of physicians, nurses and other medical professionals are lured out of the country in search of lucrative jobs in developed countries because of our broken down healthcare system, inadequate infrastructure and poor compensation packages.

    For instance, statistics shows that in 2005, 2,395 Nigerian medical doctors practiced in the United States (US), and 1,529 in the United Kingdom.

    Similarly, most people living in Nigeria do not have access to good quality healthcare services.  Where it is available, it is too expensive for the average earner to afford.  Even at that, the rich and highly placed in government and private sectors do not have confidence in the available healthcare system.  Due to their discontentment with the poor quality of available medical facilities, they boost the medical tourism of United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India and South Africa instead of helping to grow the local medical care.

    These imbalances in our health system may have justified the establishment of Thompson & Grace Medical University (TGMU) and allied health services by Thompson & Grace Investment Limited (TGIL) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.  At a health seminar the held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, President/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Isaac Thompson Amos said  “the justification for the establishment of the Medical University and its sister entities in the proposed Medical City is to promote and enhance medical education, clinical research and delivery of global standard healthcare in Nigeria, and indeed, Africa.”

    At the seminar themed: How Education, Health, and Medicine can be transformed to benefit Nigeria and Africa, which attracted mostly academia in medical institutions of learning in Nigeria, Dr. Amos disclosed that TGIL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a German institution, University of Hamburg (UKE) at the office of the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck in Abuja to enable his Group partner with UKE who would “consult in the design and operation” of the TGMU.  He said that the import of the seminar is primarily to sensitise the participants and various stakeholders, and get their buy-in into the Group’s dream of promoting medical tourism in Nigeria.

    Commenting on the partnership at the seminar, Prof. med Uwe Koch-Gromus, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Hamburg (UKE), Germany, noted that “the UKE, Hamburg, Germany and TGIL, Nigeria, signed the MOU to enable both organizations to harness resources for the development of academic cooperation in international medical education in areas of mutual interest and expertise, adding that the “collaboration established will enhance the intellectual life and cultural development at both institutions, and will contribute to increased international cooperation.”

    Dr. Amos disclosed that the partnership would enable both parties to jointly “develop and provide structure, curriculum and practical program as well as administrative and management processes for the Medical University and Specialty Hospital.”  He said that these medical facilities are established to provide “training and support in capacity building in the areas of medical education, clinical research and healthcare delivery processes and procedures as well as healthcare management and administration.”

    He is optimistic that medical university will produce “increased number of highly trained and competent physicians, other healthcare professionals and facilities to meet the health needs of a rapidly changing Nigerian society.”

    Against this background, he called on all the governments and relevant governmental agencies to support the dream in the areas of provision of basic infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, security, license issuances, permits, approvals and all other relevant facilities that are germane to actualize “our dreams and birth the nation of our collective medical and health dreams.”

    More significantly, the medical projects will help tackle the cavernous gap in the provision of state-of-the-art medical facilities and adequate healthcare for Nigerians.  It will be one step closer to achieving that dream to have world-class health facilities in Nigeria, thus reducing the need to travel abroad for medical treatment.  But the challenge lies on the readiness of the various stakeholders including the three-tiers of government to support this laudable project.

  • ‘Local communities to enjoy modern healthcare facilities’

    The Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko has pledged that government would provide  modern health facilities  to residents of Remo, its environ and other communities in the state.  Chief Ojuko stated this at the foundation laying ceremony of Remo North Primary Health Centre at Isara. He assured the residents that the state government would assist the council towards early completion of the project.

    The Chairman of Remo North local Government, Hon. Tayo Sowole, said with the new development, the era of travelling far to access health care would soon be a thing of the past.

    A community leader, Chief Ajibowu Ogunfowodu, lauded the government for its intervention, adding that the people would remember the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration for its developmental programmes that have continued to make the state a force to reckon with in the country.

  • ‘Embrace compassion in healthcare’

    ‘Embrace compassion in healthcare’

    Health workers and medical students from some countries converged on Louisville, Kentucky in the United States (U.S.) for the Healthcare Leadership Summer School organised by Humans of Health and Compassionate. EDDY UWOGHIREN (500-Level Medicine and Surgery, University of Benin) was there.

    The roles of medical students and health workers in transforming the health sector topped discussions at the  Healthcare Leadership Summer School held at All Saint’ Camp and Conference Centre in Kentucky, United States (U.S.).

    The week-long event, which drew participants from over 30 countries, was organised by a Louisville, Kentucky-based Humans of Health and Compassionate, an international organisation developing leadership skills of students in all aspects of the healthcare system.

    Stephaine Barnett of the Humans of Health said the leadership school was initiated to be a global community of students and health professionals promoting sustainable healthcare system. The objectives, she said, are to equip participants with skills and knowledge to build the healthcare system of their dream.

    In his paper on Compassionate care, Dr Robin Youngson, a New Zealand anesthesiologist and founder of Hearts in Healthcare, said compassion is vital to transforming health care, advocating that physicians should exhibit good manners to help patients recuperate faster and comply with medication use.

    He said: “As health workers, don’t be too busy with the work that you fail to listen to the complaints of your patients. If work is taking a toll on you, you need to slow down. Research has it that patients heal faster in a compassionate environment. I advise you to take note of your personal health challenges, because no meaningful change can happen in a system where the physician is not stable physically and psychologically.”

    Youngson urged the participants to go for mentoring, saying it would enable them to gain from experts and improve their skills.

    “I have interacted with medical practitioners from different parts of the world and I must say it is sad that most practitioners, especially in developing countries, do not see the need to mentor younger colleagues. If we do not train students to be compassionate healthcare workers, they would graduate and transfer the aggression onto their patients. This would lead to crises in the healthcare system. In the long run, the doctor, patient and society lose,” he said.

    Dr Amy Coleman, a flight surgeon with the U.S. Army, in her lecture titled: How to see a patient, said health workers must see patients as real humans and not mere cases or sick bodies. She bemoaned harshness of some health workers towards patients, saying it would amount to compounding the patients’ medical condition.

    She said: “Before attending to any patient, ask yourself if you could render the same service if the patient was your relative. It is quite sad that health workers are losing compassion. It is important we redefine our engagement and approach to this profession. We must all go back to our communities and change people’s attitude in the discharge of their duties.”

    Meriem Kahlaouli, a midwife from Tunisia, praised the organisers for the training, noting that it gave her opportunity to learn tips to discharging her duty in line with best practice. She promised to use the knowledge to bring change to Tunisian health sector.

    Melinda Ruberg, a part-four medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, said: “I stood in awe watching other participants sharing their intellects and experience to help each other develop blueprints to make fundamental changes in healthcare system. I am grateful for this opportunity to assist them in building compassion support group. This training has rekindled my passion for transforming healthcare in America.”

  • Ugwuanyi reiterates commitment to qualitative healthcare delivery

    Ugwuanyi reiterates commitment to qualitative healthcare delivery

    Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has reiterated the commitment of his administration towards providing more qualitative, affordable and accessible healthcare delivery to the people of the state, in line with his vision to make the state the choice destination for medical treatment in the country.

    Ugwuanyi spoke when he played host to the Honourable Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who was at the Government House, Enugu on a courtesy visit, in company with heads of Federal Government health institutions in the state.

    The minister was in Enugu on an oversight visit to all Federal Ministry of Health facilities in the state to see and seek ways of improving the facilities to serve the people as well as enhance the collaboration between the Federal Government and the state.

    The governor who described the visit as most pertinent and timely noted that it coincided with the efforts of his government to improve healthcare delivery in the state “particularly through the maintenance of strategic cooperation and collaboration with federal health institutions and facilities in the state.”

    Ugwuanyi promised that his administration would continue to promote and lend firm support to the efforts by the Federal Government to upgrade the equipment and facilities as well as the services available in the affected institutions.

    “On our own as a government, we have taken steps to review the health policy of the state in order to ensure more efficiency and effectiveness. To this end, we are making efforts to upgrade, re-equip and reposition existing state health institutions including the Enugu State University  Teaching Hospital,” Ugwuanyi stated.

    Earlier in his speech, the minister appreciated the governor for the warm reception and good governance in the state, and sought the collaboration and assistance of the state government towards the improvement of the Federal Government health facilities, which he said “provide very useful services that help all of us.”

  • NMA in Bayelsa pledges affordable, accessible healthcare service

    The Bayelsa Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Wednesday said it would provide accessible and affordable healthcare delivery   to people of the state.

    Dr Keme Pondei, the NMA Chairman, made the pledge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa.

    Pondei said: “In spite of the prevailing economic situation in the country, we have carried out a medical outreach at Sagbama Town, in Sagbama Local Government Area.

    “We also, this week provided free healthcare services to rural dwellers in form of medical outreach to other parts of the state.’’

    He said the association was not partisan and devoted to the welfare of every Nigerian.

    “We are partners in progress with the Bayelsa Government and we have hands of friendship with them.

    “We pray that as partners in progress, government and NMA will partner to review the healthcare system in the state.

    “There is need to urgently pass the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) Bill before the Bayelsa State House of Assembly,’’ Pondei said.

    He commended the state government for reviving the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme, saying that steps should be taken to join the National Health Insurance Scheme to achieve universal health insurance cover.

    Pondei said the association had met all its obligations in terms of meetings at the state, zonal and national levels, in spite of the drastic drop in its income.

    The NMA chairman said members of the association   were not just hardworking medical practitioners, but excellent sportsmen.

    He said the association came first at the Zonal NMA Games in Calabar in November 2016, and contributed almost half of the South-South contingents.

  • Group seeks intervention in public healthcare

    The Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPH) has called for the improvement of primary healthcare services nationwide.

    The association made the call during its yearly conference with the theme:  Revitalising the grassroots, held at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

    Chairman of Lagos State chapter Dr. Oladoyin Odubanjo said primary healthcare services are useful in the treatment of common diseases in communities.

    “When we talk of burden of disease, that is, the kind of diseases and how much of them the people have, you find out that most of them are common diseases that can be treated at the very basic level of treament.That is they don’t require very expensive type of treatment.  That means, if government takes care of the primary healthcare, most people will be healthy, and our general community health outlook will be pleasant’’

    He added that the association is working closely with Lagos State Ministry of Health towards achieving public healthcare service

    “We are working very closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Health which is why we have the commissioner for health here with us but our job is to collaborate with the ministry, offer advice as necessary and support the ministry in achieving very good healthcare delivery especially at the primary care level and that I must say is happening in Lagos State. We are constantly being consulted on issues” he said.

    The keynote speaker, former Minister of Health, Prof Eyitayo Lambo, described public healthcare as the foundation which should not be ignored but made strong. The former minister said: “You have the secondary, the primary and the tertiary. The primary is the foundation, the secondary is like the wall of the building and the tertiary is like the roof which makes the foundation most important because even if you make the roof with gold and the walls with silver and the foundation is weak, the building will fall. Ninety percent of the problems that take people to seek formal healthcare can be taken care of by an effective primary healthcare system but right now people by pass the primary, they even by pass the secondary because its either they are not functional, so if we really must attack and provide and attain universal health coverage, we have to first address the primary healthcare system and make it strong

    “We have a federal system and the constitution or the law has not been enacted to spell out the roles of each of the levels of government as far as health is concerned.  So if somebody says local government is for primary healthcare, state government for secondary healthcare and Federal Government for tertiary healthcare, do ask where it is written. It’s not written anywhere except the first national health policy of 1998.

    “So, until we clearly and the best place to define this in the constitution. I’m not saying the constitution should spell it out fully but at least let the constitution say primary healthcare is largely local government, secondary is largely state, and tertiary is federal because if you don’t spell it out, everybody’s business is nobody’s business and you cannot hold anybody accountable but when you spell it out, then we will know who to hold accountable” Lambo concluded.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said the state government supports the primary healthcare service and it is working towards making it a better place for healthcare.

    “Lagos State fully supports the primary healthcare system and the core function of that is community mobilisation and there is no way you can have effective primary healthcare service without community involvement of empowerment and I also agree that that aspect has not been fully addressed but it is about time to do so

    “I can’t give you a time limit because we all know the challenges we are facing nationally, one major aspect of that is the behaviour of the people and that was why I said trying to change behaviour is part of empowerment and you can’t change behaviour overnight, it requires constant education and enlightenment ,so I can’t put time on it’’.

  • Curbing quackery among healthcare providers in Lagos

    Quackery is one of the greatest menaces facing healthcare delivery globally.  By definition, a quack is a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skills, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess. By extension, quackery connotes establishing or running a healthcare facility without qualified or certified personnel; or operating beyond the limits or scope of one’s specialization or expertise. In the field of healthcare delivery involving diagnosis, management and prevention of health issues, quackery can have unimaginable and damaging consequences for the populace.

    The havoc wrecked by quacks range from wrong diagnosis, misadministration of drugs and other interventions, and mismanagement of patients;  sometimes leading to extreme and irreversible damage, impairment and even loss of life. A case was recorded of a young lady who had the arm of her baby pulled off during labour by a quack midwife operating in a one room apartment in Ikorodu area of Lagos State. Of course the baby died and the mother has to live with not only the loss but the psychological effect of the incident and probable complications. Also on record is the case of a man who claimed to have studied Medicine in the Dominican Republic, but could not collect his certificate for financial reasons. He said he had his “training” under one Dr. Godwin Kanu, a retired consultant traumatologist and orthopaedist, for 14 years after his return to the country and since then had been practicing medicine. This “doctor” must have performed surgical operations on several innocent and unsuspecting citizens. Of course, many resulted in complications that had to be managed at other hospitals that later raised an alarm to prevent further debauchery by this human slab masquerading as a hospital. Security operatives recently arrested one Martins Okpeh, a 44-year-old secondary school certificate holder, for pretending to be a medical doctor for nine years. In addition, one Cosmos Daramola, who ran a health facility in Badagry, named Darcos Hospital, with a forged certificate from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife was equally arrested and prosecuted. Also, a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) working with Safeway Hospital, Ajah forged a nursing certificate and is presently undergoing prosecution.

    In addressing the issue of quackery and assuring the people of quality healthcare delivery both in the private and public sector, the Lagos State government established the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) in 2006. This is part of the efforts which emanated from the Health Reform Agenda which is backed by law. The main aim of this reform agenda is to improve the performance of the health system. A vital component of this process is the regulation of the private sector of healthcare delivery being a major provider of service to over 60% of the population. HEFAMAA is charged with the responsibility of monitoring both private and public health facilities to ensure registration and accreditation of all health facilities in Lagos State. It sets required minimum standards for operations of health facilities both in public and private health sector. The agency also accredits, inspects, monitors and licenses all health facilities. It also evaluates performance based on set standards by at least a monitoring visit to every facility twice a year. Among other things, HEFAMAA collates all necessary information on registered health facilities in the state, advice the health commissioner on all matters relating to the registration, inspection and supervision of private and public hospitals in the state. More importantly, HEFAMAA enforces compliance with the provisions of the law and ensures the authenticity of credentials of personnel and ascertain the appropriateness of medical equipment and instruments used in facilities. It is noteworthy that HEFAMAA is empowered to sanction erring facility by sealing such facilities, imposing fines or initiating arrest and prosecution.

    Commissioner for Health Lagos State Dr Jide Idris recently had cause to frown at the way health care providers train auxiliary assistants in their clinics and noted that many of them have been recruiting auxiliary nurses and unqualified personnel thereby endangering the lives of innocent people who unknowingly patronize these health facilities. He explained that the ugly trend has now degenerated to a state where some of the so-called the trained auxiliary nurses and unqualified assistants now go out and establish their own outfits claiming to be professionals and in turn breed other quacks. He stressed that such a trend could lead to a long chain of terrible consequences for the health sector if not decisively addressed.

    The Commissioner also cautioned registered health facilities who practice beyond the scope or schedule for which they are registered. He noted that a situation where a health facility which is registered as a Maternity Home engages in activities beyond the schedule of a maternity home is not acceptable.  While accepting that the private sector accounts for a high percentage of health care providers in Lagos State, he guaranteed that citizens can be confident that the government is closely monitoring the health care providers to ensure that only certified professionals are allowed to operate in the state.  He also restated that the commitment of the Ambode-led administration in ensuring a healthier and happier Lagos is unequivocal and indisputable and hence no stone is being left unturned in fulfilling the mandate of qualitative healthcare to the people.

    While citing poverty as one of the reasons people knowingly patronize quacks, Idris says the issue of out of pocket expenditure is being addressed through the Lagos State health insurance scheme to protect not only the poor but also to ensure all citizens can access or seek medical help without financial constraints. . According to him, the scheme which is mandatory for all residents of the state assures everyone who registers and pays his or her premium the right to patronize a fully accredited health facility whether private or public that is captured in the scheme.

    On the question of the ease with which qualified health care providers can be accredited or registered, Idris disclosed that the state government is seriously considering outsourcing some of the regulatory functions of HEFAMAA for increased efficiency. He also revealed that soon registration can be done electronically via a website that will be created for such and related purposes.

    To fully eradicate quackery, members of the public are enjoined not to patronize any hospital, convalescence home, maternity home, clinic, diagnostic centre or laboratory not accredited by HEFAMAA. Endorsed facilities can be known by the HEFAMAA logo placed conspicuously at the frontage. To further assist government in the pursuit of its aims in this regard, citizens are encouraged to exercise their rights by sending in written or verbal complaints to the agency. Reports or petitions on unethical practices or unwholesome clinical procedures can be made to the Office of Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) at the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja. These complaints or observations will be investigated and dealt with appropriately by the agency.

    The battle against quackery is one in which every well-meaning Nigerian must enlist. The next victim may be anyone or someone dear. Taking the bold step of notifying the appropriate authority may make a lot of difference between life and death.

     

    • Salako is Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health.

  • How is digital transformation changing the medical profession?

    With robots and algorithms taking over healthcare, what does the future hold for medical practitioners?

    The future of personal healthcare goes something like this. An asthma patient wakes up and looks at their smartphone. ‘Good morning,’ it says, ‘how is your breathing?’ The patient logs a few answers that are sent to their doctor and stored on a server, which then analyses trends and triggers an alert if something is abnormal.

    Doctors can provide more personalised service by being able to drill down into specific information to find root causes and triggers, and provide an accurate diagnosis.They also don’t need to physically wade through tons of research, test results and patient records.

    Now,I’m not a doctor, but I would imagine that medical professionals enter the field because they want to help people and are interested in physiology and anatomy; not because they dream of going through masses of paperwork. Yet for many doctors this is a reality, and focusing on the patient is sometimes difficult.

    Nurses too, are often weighed down by admin and a myriad of regulationsrather than patient care. But digital transformation is changing this. From systems that automatically track a patient’s history, DNA and medical records,to virtual screenings, there are a host of benefitsbeyond simplyreducing paperwork.

    Internet of Things making patients smarter
    Most digital transformation in the medical space is driven by the Internet of Things, which is enabling patients to perform their own tests at home. For example, blood sugar information can be fed to a database via a connected skin patch worn by a diabetic. In fact, the healthcare Internet of Things market segment is poised to hit $117 billion by 2020.

    Another example is CellScope, which connects to a user’s smartphone enabling them to carry out low-cost scans of moles, rashes and ear infections. These images are sent to a medical practitioner and stored on a server, which processes the scan and detects abnormal patterns. Soon patients will be able to perform their own ECG tests at home. Most heart disease is identified only after patients have heart attacks, but with people performing their own tests it not only lowers the cost and barrier to entry for an expensive procedure, but machine learning can identify and predict episodes before they happen.

    In Cameroon, Cardiopadis able to perform heart screenings with a tablet device, and Matibabu in Uganda enables people to diagnose malaria using a finger clip connected to their smartphone. The clip uses light and magnetism to analyse blood cell composition.
    In the Middle East,AlemHealth enables people with periodic access to healthcare to have a scan at an AlemHealth centre, which gets sent to a community of world-class specialists around the world.

    So where does this leave medical professionals?

    Having all of this data is one thing, but doctors still don’t have time to be buried in it. It is predicted that there will be a need for medical data planners, or case managers, whose job it is to understand the data and liaise with patients. The physician will take on more of a supervisory role,rather than provide direct care. Doctors may appear less at the bedside with nurses likely to go back to the principal role of care providers. And now, smart devices can make a nurse’s job much easier. For example, there was a time when a nurse’s constant focus would be to ensure a steady flow of an IV. Now IVs are electronically monitored and errors are automatically sent to the nurse’s device via remote monitoring.

    Like doctor like computer
    Some in the field suggest that much of what a doctor does can in fact be replaced by computers. A doctor is required to think like a computer: Analysing information from tests, data on diseases andpatient history. Then, aftertaking all these factors into account,they perform a diagnosis. With sensors enabling patients to log their own test results and cloud serversto digest all thedata, computers can perform diagnoses much quicker.

    The future of health relies on the notion of Artificial Intelligence (AI), or the capability of IT systems to sense the world, comprehend, act and learn. A computer can easily digest 5,000 research articles on diabetes while a human’scognitive limitations prevent them from remembering the 10,000+ diseases humans can get.

    Already in the airline industry, computers are able to do the job of a pilot where human judgement is required. Market traders are making use of algorithms to predict the stock market, and self-driving cars are starting to show zero incidents. Computers can and will start making accurate diagnoses. Already, a study by Lifecom showed thatclinical trials,with medical assistants using a diagnostic knowledge engine, were 91% accurate without using labs, imaging, or exams.

    We’re entering a new era where digital experiences mirror the way people interact with one another and we move from a world where we must understand computers to one where they understand us and our intent and can be proactive. Systems of intelligence will endemically transform the way we innovate and transform for improved outcomes and the way we optimise clinical and operational processes. People across the healthcare continuum are able to collaborate and use machine learning to come up with ways to improve outcomes for patients.

    However, computers can’t replace the emotional nuances, the judgement calls, and the complex and intuitive nature involved in patient care, which goes further than processing data. Physicians will just need to enhance their digital skills and work hand in hand with technology. Already a surgeon’s principal tool is no longer a knife. They have to operate alongside computer consoles and robotic wrists, while watching a high-resolution screen.

    It’s a reality, and an exciting one. The future of healthcare looks bright, with smart, accurate and accessible care that frees up medicalprofessionals to do what they set out to in the first place.

  • AXA Mansard, IFC, others mull new investment in healthcare sector

    AXA Mansard Insurance Plc is leading a group of other Nigerian and interna-tional investors including the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to launch a new multi-billion Naira investment in the Nigerian healthcare sector.

    Preliminary discussions on the proposed investment indicate that IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and a couple of other companies are considering a partnership with AXA Mansard on the possibility of investing in a hospital project.

    The proposed investment is a greenfield integrated medical facility comprising of a 150-bed multi-specialty hospital and two 10-bed primary health centres and polyclinics.

    The project, once approved, will be managed and operated by Healthshare Health Solutions Limited, an experienced hospital management company with headquarters in South Africa.

    However, the discussions are still at preliminary stage of discussions and none of the boards of the companies involved has pass final resolutions approving the investment.

    AXA, the world’s largest insurance company, had in 2014 completed the acquisition of majority equity stake in the former Mansard Insurance and rebranded the company as AXA Mansard Insurance. AXA bought 77 per cent majority equity stake in Mansard Insurance, in a major market-entry push that promised to profoundly impact the Nigerian insurance industry. AXA already had a substantial presence in Africa including Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and Algeria.

    Mansard Insurance had in 2013 also acquired the entire issued share capital of Procare Health Plan Nigeria Limited as it sought to consolidate its health insurance business.