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Tag: LUTH

  • Towards a cheaper IVF process

    Towards a cheaper IVF process

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) unit has received a lift, 30 years after its establishment by two doctors, who ran it with their resources. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes.

     

    To address infertility, the Federal Government has released funds for the upgrade of the In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) unit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to a clinic. The centre has been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

    In the 80s, LUTH pioneered IVF in West Africa, but the government did not prioritise reproduction through IVF and the unit almost closed shop. But Prof Osato Giwa-Osagie and Prof Oladapo Ashiru, reputed to be the brains behind the first In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) in West Africa, did not give up. They pioneered the test tube baby procedure in Africa in 1984, and produced the first test tube baby in West Africa in 1989. The duo also set up a human sperm bank, the first in West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa.

    The duo set up the IVF unit as a research entity. IVF was obtained with about N80, 000.00. But now the estimated cost is about N250, 000 as against the over N500, 000 charged in most of the 35 private IVF centres in Nigeria. There are four IVF centres owned by the government.

    At the commissioning of the Assisted Conception Centre and Colposcopy Unit in LUTH, Prof Giwa-Osagie of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said it was an important achievement. “When I gave my inaugural lecture, I said I was only waiting for one more thing; that is, for IVF to restart at LUTH. This is because IVF in the whole of East, Central and West Africa started in LUTH, under Prof Ashiru and me. There had been confusion over the years on evolution of IVF in Nigeria. Some 30 years ago, IVF kicked off in LUTH. It is a historical feat captured even in the hospital’s magazine. It is part of historical and institutional achievements of LUTH. I am a locus in the history of IVF in Africa; that was in the 80s,”Prof Giwa-Osagie said.

    The facility boasts of latest equipment with audio visual systems where the other partner can see the procedure, sitting outside the theatre and culture room, with advance technique, including physiological intracytoplasmic sperm injection (PICSI), to treat male and female infertility, including pre-implantation genetic screening i.e. PGS. At LUTH IVF Centre, the issue on infertility is addressed as a “couple issue”. Both the mother and father to be, are holistically evaluated to provide the most workable treatment solutions in line with the latest medical advancements.

    The IVF Centre offers consultations, expertise, standardised and transparent care delivery protocols, diagnostic services, quality processes, hand-holding every step of the way from pre-conception to post delivery and treatment facilities.

    Not only that, Giwa-Osagie said, there is a sperm bank.

    “Why did we need a sperm bank? We needed a sperm bank because it allows you to store the sperm so that it can be used for the patient, if, for instance, her husband is not around. It allows you to use sperms that had been screened for people who cannot produce sperm just the way you use blood bank to serve people who need blood. Of course, when assisted conception became more advanced, sperm banking became imperative and because LUTH is putting in place a world class IVF centre, it was in-tandem,” he said.

    On what the centre will offer couples, Giwa-Osagie said: “A fertility challenged couple can benefit from IVF. It can help men with low sperm count or un-descending sperm or unexplained infertility. As this place kicked off, I can tell you it is going to be like a market. The administrative aspect of the IVF centre must be managed in tandem with the finance, so there could be a revolving fund. As the patronage increases, there would be financial holes which some people may be tapping into in order to defraud the hospital. Let every hand be on deck to ensure that this centre does not go down. “It is very important to us at the clinic and unit. And we are happy that the centre is kicking off again. We are going to run it effectively. More hands would be trained from the university and the unit will provide services to the clients and researches will also be done to meet all the reasons for establishing a teaching hospital.

    “Another advantage is for men with low sperm count or insemination. Here at LUTH/College, we had the first sperm bank in the whole of West Africa with over 2,000 babies produced from same before it was stopped. That is useful when a man has zero sperm count. When a man has low sperm count, one can take sample direct from his testicles. And through ICSI, one sperm to one egg one can achieve 30 to 35 per cent pregnancy success rate. With such a man, he can have biological children of his own, that was not possible some 30 years ago.

    “With this new centre, women with very bad ovaries, such as those with Turner Syndrome i.e they never menstruate at all, can benefit from. We have proven this in 2005 by taking eggs from women that menstruate, fertilised with the sperm from the husbands of the women with Turner Syndrome and introducing same to such women (with Turner Syndrome). More opportunities now abound with this centre,” Giwa-Osagie said.

    He said: “The first pregnancy we had in LUTH was in 1984. The first baby through IVF was in 1989. Since that time the knowledge and stimulation regime to get many eggs from a woman, and reintroduce back into her, with the understanding that not more than two embryos are transferred; pregnancy rate success then was 29 per cent, but now 35 per cent. Two sets of women can now benefit from IVF- older women and women with Turner Syndrome or issues with their reproduction. Age is no longer barrier in conception through IVF.

    “Even where a woman does not menstruate again, you can obtain egg from a lady below 30 years and put in the older woman; it is now done worldwide, even here in Nigeria. The oldest woman with such experience is 63 years. In Nigeria, the oldest age we have recorded is 56 years.”

    On why he did not give up on the LUTH IVF centre over the years, when many of his contemporaries had gone fully into private practice, Prof Giwa-Osagie said in a society where there are priorities and interests, IVF tends to have low priority, because some people at the corridor of power believe diseases and infrastructure are more important compared to IVF. Aesthetically, they may be right and that paved the way for IVF to go fully private.

    “As of December last year, there were 37 IVF centres in Nigeria, of which LUTH; National Hospital, Abuja and University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), which we started and helped start, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Kwara and LASUTH by The Bridge Clinic, are in the public sector. IVF is very expensive. For a perfect IVF procedure, it cannot be less than N700, 000 per cycle. We all know what the minimum wage is.

    “From experience, some people in need go borrowing; sell their plots of land or houses just to do IVF. This is a procedure that has 30 to 40 per cent success rate. This is a fact. There is a 65 to 75 per cent rate of IVF not being successful. There is no 100 per cent success rate. The 30 per cent successes recorded are the fuel that keep IVF patronage. No one can say how successful any cycle would be. IVF is indispensable in Nigeria, whereby marriages break up easily due to infertility related issues. Any marriage without an issue is easily exposed to external influences. There are social and financial implications of IVF. So I pursued the funds to ensure LUTH IVF becomes a centre where subsidised IVF can be obtained,” he said.

    Giwa-Osato advised LUTH management on a gray area, which is, surrogacy. “The hospital must take a decision on surrogacy. Surrogacy is when a couple decides and agreed that another woman should carry a baby (pregnancy) for them. It is being practised world over, even here in Nigeria. Being a Federal hospital, the Ethics Committee must quickly arrive at a decision on surrogacy before the demands and patronages of the facility would peak,” he said.

    LUTH Management Board Chairman Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu said: “This is to put LUTH in the centre of excellence in medicine in the committee of tertiary hospitals. Assisted conception centre, I believe would bring more joy and sense of completeness to many more homes. It is gladdening that LUTH is putting up a centre such as that up. It is a giant stride, a cutting edge in medicine.”

  • ‘Cancer treatment needs collaboration’

    Oncologists and physicians at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) have called for more collaborative efforts to battle cancer.

    LUTH’s Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof Akin Osibogun said the Federal Government could not handle health care alone, calling on individuals and organisations to support the sector, especially in cancer care.

    Osibogun spoke when Unilever and Ave Cenna School donated some cancer care equipment to the paediatric oncology ward.

    The CMD, represented by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Prof Chris Bode, said children living with cancer could be treated free in the hospital if every worker in Nigeria contributed N100 monthly to the cause.

    He said every contribution, no matter how small, could provide succour to the sick.

    Osibogun said most cancer patients often came late to the hospital after the disease had degenerated, thus making the hospital to engage in palliative care instead of curative.

    “When the patients come in late for treatment there is often very little that we can do. In cancer, we only manage the disease until the time the patient has to live,” he added.

    He urged patients to seek care immediately they make any discovery, stressing that early diagnosis and prompt treatment with adequate equipment will make treatment easier for doctors and patients.

    He said there were challenges in the health sector, adding that “the cash and carry” mode of treatment complicates them.

    Some of the anomalies in the sector, he said,will change before the year ends. He said that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would be made to cover some ailments.

    Consultant haematologist and oncologist Prof Edamisan Temiye said cancer patients among others, who needed special care always suffered because the Federal Government was trying to solve diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB) and other infectious diseases.

    He said the cost of treating a cancer patient would treat many patients with minor diseases.

    Temiye said the government was willing to provide health care services, but it couldn’t do everything.

    He described cancer as a painful disease with painful treatment, adding: “It is very expensive to treat as it can make family economy to collapse.”

    He said children living with cancer were treated free at St Jude Research Children Hospital, Memphis, United States (US) with support of private individuals and organisations.

    He urged people to change their orientation, ”as the money you are making is just not for you alone, but for your neighbours.”

    Temiye said early detection and diagnosis were necessary, adding that treatment cost was high and drugs may be administered for a long time.

    “To do a thorough investigation on a sick child is expensive with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fee costing N70,000 or more, it is difficult for the poor. This may be repeated. Some of the drugs are not even available because of the cost.

    “Parents can’t work and other children are displaced,” he said.

    Founder, Children Living With Cancer Foundation (CLWCF), Dr Nneka Nwobbi, said cancer equipment were expensive but that some were affordable and necessary.

    She said her organisation embarked on a drive to bring succour to children ravaged by cancer, especially at LUTH, which was why it met Ave Cenna School which donated oxygen panelling and points by each bedside worth N3.15 million.

    “Unilever donated 180 bone marrow aspiration needles, 20 central lines, 14 transfusion pumps and six pulse oximetre worth N3.55 million,” she said.

  • Kate Henshaw talks social media

    Kate Henshaw talks social media

    KATE Henshaw, a top Nollywood actress and entrepreneur, was part of the panelists on the Social Media Week, which was rounded off on Friday at the Volkswagen Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The Social Media Week is a media platform and event held across five continents, including Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. It explores the socio-cultural and economic impact of social media.

    The week-long conference and festival is held twice a year (February and September) in multiple cities across the globe simultaneously.

    In February, 2013, Lagos, Nigeria joined the Social Media Week community as the first African city to host the event alongside 10 other cities, including Hamburg, Milan, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.

    Kate Henshaw, who hails from Cross River State, Nigeria, is the oldest of four children. After completing her primary and secondary school in Lagos and Calabar, she spent one year at the University of Calabar, where she did remedial studies and later majored in Medical Microbiology at the School of Medical Lab Science, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos.

  • Limbless kids tell tales of loss, agony and hope

    Limbless kids tell tales of loss, agony and hope

    WHAT makes Medinat Jimoh different from other babies? It is not just in her radiance or the vivacity of her dainty steps, shown in the manner she warmed up to the inviting smile of this reporter, coiling into her extended hands with consummate familiarity. She is three months away to clocking two, yet she has withstood intense pain and anguish that would jolt an adult faced with the same circumstance. The story of her limb loss commands sympathy; her arm simply fell out with the towel her body was wrapped with on getting to the hospital. According to her mother, Mrs. Motunrayo Jimoh, a fashion designer, who resides in Igbo Olomu, a hinterland in Ikorodu, Lagos State, she noticed some days after Medinat’s naming that she couldn’t wriggle her right hand the way infants are wont to do when they cry to get attention.

    “The third day after her naming, I took her for immunisation at the General Hospital. I had a misgiving when the nurse wanted to inject the same arm that wasn’t moving well but she assured me not to worry saying injecting it would prevent infections from getting into it. Knowing the attitude of nurses in government hospitals, I kept quiet because I can’t teach them their job.”

    It was a week after the immunisation on the injected arm that complications began to set in. Slowly, the arm began to deteriorate and the peace of the baby was disturbed. At barely a month old, Medinat was bearing pains which prevented her from eating and sleeping well. Following the disturbance, her mother took her to a trado-medical clinic at Oworo, a community which she had patronised in earlier times for the delivery of the first three issues she had before Medinat. With the affected arm becoming dark, she was told to rub Shea butter (ori) in order to relieve the baby of pains. By the second day, the hand had darkened so much that the softness of the bone could be felt at just a touch. It was at this point that she was advised to take the baby to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba. Recalling how Medinat’s limb finally came off, she said: “ When we got to LUTH, as the nurses made to remove the wrapped towel from my baby’s body to begin treatment, both the towel and my baby’s arm fell off together. The bone was just standing. I was shocked.”

    To save her life, the remaining part of the arm had to be amputated. Battling to control her emotions while reliving the painful experience of her child’s limb loss which led to her spending close to three months at LUTH in 2012, Motunrayo believed her baby must have been a victim of some spiritual attack. “My baby was attacked”, she said with a firm iota of certainty. However, investigation by this reporter showed a contrary possibility. The eventual loss of Medinat limbs may have been as a result of the circumstances surrounding her birth and the ignorance which trailed the handling of the situation thereafter. Dr. Orlando Ugwoegbulem, a consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, affirmed that weakness at the upper limb of a child can occur as a result of the circumstance surrounding the birth.

    According to him, “There is a possibility that in the process of trying to deliver a child, the hand might have been pulled and the nerve that powers it becomes stretched so the hand becomes weak and the child usually is unable to make use of that hand. Commonly when you notice that, what you do is to rest the hand or send to a physiotherapist, it would regain its power.”

    Asked whether the immunisation which was injected on the same hand could have worsen the case, he said; “That injection would have introduced an infection into the bone which now caused gangrene and the hand dropped off. That is the likely pathology of what happened. It is the immunisation that would have introduced an infection and that infection now caused what you call osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone”.

    In actual fact, Medinat was not delivered in a hospital. Her mother, Motunrayo was rushing from her base in Ikorodu to Oworo, where the trado-medical clinic she patronises is located. “I took an Okada to Igbo-Olumu junction but I could not go on again. There was no hospital around so some women came to help deliver the baby and I went back home. I usually don’t have birth complications”.

     

    A dream on the fringe

    There is a future prospect which makes 10 years old Dorcas Adepitan cheer with excitement. She imagines herself in a white coat holding a stethoscope. Little wonder she tells anyone who cares to listen that she wants to be a doctor. However, a sad development occurred, her dream is on the verge of being washed out as it appears to be hinging on a fringe. The JSS 1 pupil of Elvan Adelaja Secondary School, Bariga, Lagos, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bone. This led to her right leg being amputated in order to prevent the tumour from spreading. Life was normal until on an ill-fated day; she hit her leg against a desk in school. She relates her experience thus, “I was on my seat and the boy was running so I hit my leg on the desk. I told my mum and she started rubbing it for me. It started swelling up so they took me to LUTH. The result came and they said they had to amputate.”

    Describing her daughter as a loving and happy child, Mrs. Erinola Adepitan, a petty trader relayed her fears for the future: “I need help so that I won’t lose her. She has taken more than six doses of chemotherapy. I am reaching out to Nigerians to help me. If we can meet a helping hand on time, the cancer won’t kill her. I can’t do it alone. What am I selling? For me to spend money on her and end up losing her would be a huge loss.”

     

    Bone setters, phony prophecies and needless loss

    The tales of Adebowale Alabi and Afeez Usman are cases of acquired limp losses which might have been prevented if help had been sought at the right time and the right place. When Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet wrote in his book The Importance of Being Ernest that “Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone”, he certainly didn’t have Mrs Ayomide Alabi in mind. The young woman had been forced to abandon her private business owing to the burden of caring for a child with a missing limb. She did not heed to the doctor’s advice to take her son for surgery when his fracture became complicated because she was told at the churches where she went to pray that her son might die or end up being amputated. So she hoped for miracles and heeded to the advice of an Imam to hire the service of an Ijaw bone setter to treat her son. Her son, seven year-old Adebowale Alabi had sustained an injury while playing ball with his brother. After the passing of time with the bone setter in charge, things took a turn for the worse. The leg later developed a swelling which seems to contain a mixture of blood and water. “Although the bone setter said I should ignore it that the boy was only responding to treatment, I called a nurse who advised that the wound should be pressed to remove the purse. She used scissors to open it and said I should buy antibiotics. After they opened the wand, for five days, later the boy couldn’t sleep again. He was in pains. I didn’t want to go to igbobi because of the message I heard. When I eventually took him there, I was subjected to rains of abuses with the way I handled the case. The doctor said I should take my baby away if I didn’t want surgery”. After the surgery, Debo has been fine. He is looking forward to receiving prosthesis from the Irede Foundation, an NGO dedicated to raising hope for limbless children.

    She learnt the hard way and is quick to warn others. “Don’t listen to people who said it is someone that is behind your situation. If I had not listened to that (the prophecies) and gone to the hospital on time, maybe this would not have happened. The second one I regret is that local treatment is not good. Anybody with any kind of problem should go to the hospital in this case”.

    For Afeez Usman, the lad sustained an injury on his hand while playing with his step brothers at Ilorin. In the course of five days, the hand got swollen and the mum took him to a bone setter in Bariga on returning back to Lagos. The hand, which began to decay, was amputated at a General Hospital at Ilorin. Aware of the limitation that his limb loss cost him, the young lad actually shed tears when the reporter met him and his mum. “Whenever he returns from school crying, I can always guess what the problem is. That means his mate had called him alapakan (one hand man) and I will console him and urge him to leave them to God”. Afeez who has been without a limb for five years is also waiting to get prosthesis fittings at Irede Foundation. Her mum expresses her joy at the prospect. “That means he would be able to help with the house chores and also wear fine cloths”.

    Although it is quite common for parents to employ the use of bone, setters to treat fractures, the trend, however could be dangerous. It was learnt that 75-80 percent of amputations in children which occurred at the The National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi was a result of complications from bone setters. It is in lieu of this that Dr Ugwoegbulem further said the efficiency of bone setters is limited in treating fractures because there are important structures in the bone which they may not be able to identify and treat appropriately.

     

    Congenital limb loss in children

    Congenital deficiencies can be the complete absence of a limb, more commonly, part of the limb is missing and the remaining portion has not formed normally. Sometimes, surgery is performed to straighten the limb or to address limb length inequality. At other times, surgery may be recommended to reshape the limb to enhance prosthetic fitting. Mrs Elfrida Usman, a civil servant who gave birth to a child with congenital limb loss describes her shock when she delivered her baby and noticed his limb was missing. “When the nurse raised him for me to see and one leg was off, I just said wow! She told me ‘ Thank God you have other children. Immediately I just felt this is like having a child and the child dies”.

    At that moment what were you thinking? She was asked. “It was like carrying a child for nine months. I actually tried to console myself that I have other children, I mustn’t die because of one since I have to be there for the others. That moment I didn’t feel too bad at that time but later the impact of what had really happened dawned on me”, she said further. Elfrida, who named her son, Isaac has come to see the special ability in him. Even though one of his limbs is missing and he has no fingers, he attends a regular school and he is able to write and even help with house chores. “There are certain things my son does that other children of his age can’t do. If Isaac should pick up a broom and sweep the floor, you will be wondering who swept it. One of the teachers called me and said ‘this boy is an amazing child, he is going to do great things’. She showed me how Isaac kneaded tiny holes during art work. He feeds himself”.

     

    Hope springs eternal

    At a cocktail event organised by The Irede Foundation in August last year, three year old Beulah Chigbu who was born with a missing tibia and patella in her right leg, came out to render a poem thanking donors for giving hope to child amputees. Her mother, Crystal Chigbu, a top manager with one of the multi-national companies in the country could not hold back her tears. She confessed to her inability to hold back the emotions at other moment when she sees her child aiming for things without limitation. “A case in point would be when she had to compere an event in school and she was standing for over one hour. I can go on and on with such moments when I see her trying to cook, dance ballet and swim. With that I am excited and a lot of times I ‘tear up’”.

    When her daughter was born with congenital limb defeat, Crystal had a hard time accepting her daughter’s fate. With the support of her husband, she moved on and was inspired to start a foundation to help child amputees after seeing the difference a prosthesis fitting made for her daughter. The Irede Foundation was founded in 2012 and with the support donor partners is giving hope to child amputees by providing them with free prosthesis so that they can confidently live a self-sufficient life free of limitations and social stigmatisation. Some respondents who shared their limb loss experience with this reporter have benefited from the foundation while others are waiting in line to get prosthesis. Reacting to how it feels to keep parents on hold before getting prosthesis, she said; “It can be very painful. At those times, I just feel I wished I was the richest woman in the world. We are beginning to learn that life is in phases and things have to be done in phases so, our call is for people to support what we are doing so that we can attend to these children faster and better. We would like to do a lot more than we are doing today but it is tied to a lot of finances. We are hoping that we would keep getting better and we can reach out to more kids”.

    It is more common to see children with disability using more of clutches as against prosthesis owing to the cost involved. Mrs Juliana Aluko, the Assistant Director, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Department, National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi also opined that prosthesis is the best option for a child when it comes to mobility. “Mobility with clutches is not the same as artificial limb. When a child has artificial limb, he would be able to walk and go back to normal life”. She also speaks on the types of prosthesis available for mobility: “There are the conventional types of prosthesis which is called exo-skeletal because the outer shell is hard. It is made of plastic and wood. The second is the endo-skeletal type or modula prosthesis. It has a pipe that represents the bone of the patience. That pipe is covered with foam which represents human flesh and is covered with holes called cosmetic stockings. The foam represents the muscle of the patience such that when you touch it, you feel a soft part of that prosthesis. It is easy to assemble, it is durable, lighter but it is more expensive”.

    According to a development report, every year, 200 children are born with a disability or become disabled before the age of 19. 70 percent of these children are in developing countries like Nigeria. It is said that without access to adaptation assistant tools, 90 percent of these kids born into developing world like Nigeria may never have the opportunity to access education, employment, marriage or even a self-supportive lifestyle. For the countless kids caught in this quagmire, hope can still play its part. It is time for a forward thinking Corporate Social Responsibility from both individuals and organisations.’

  • LUTH gets centre for paternity test

    LUTH gets centre for paternity test

    IT is no longer necessary going abroad for a test to determine the paternity of a child.

    The test can now be conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, courtesy of its genomic (molecular) laboratory built for it by the Chevron/NNPC Joint Venture.

    Hitherto, the test was only done by a private laboratory in the country through its South African counterpart.

    The early detection of diseases through biotechnology analysis is also now possible at LUTH.

    Scientists, researchers, students and staff said, the facility would unlock the many benefits of biotechnology for Nigerians and foreigners.

    A molecular geneticist, Department of Human Molecular Genetics, University of Antwerpen, Belgium, Dr Joy Irobi-Devolder said it would aid diagnosis and disease prevention, counselling and comprehensive care for those whose lives could be affected by genetic condition.

    Mrs Irobi-Devolder said it would reduce over 100,000 lives lost yearly to sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and breast cancer.

    She said it would also offer screening for sickle cell genetic testing, prenatal and neonatal genetic testing and cancer screening like breast cancer (BRCA) 1 and (BRCA) 2 testing.

    “Others are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting and forensic research, paternity genetic testing and other genome screening initiatives.

    “Genetic tests are available to determine if somebody has an abnormal BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene. A genetic counsellor may order testing for an abnormal Asynchronous Transfer Mode, (ATM), cellular tumor antigen (P53), Checkpoint Kinase 2 (CHEK 2),phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), Cadherin-1 (CDH1) or partner and localiser of BRCA2 (PALB2) gene if it’s determined from people’s personal or family history that these tests are needed,” she said.

    Genetic testing, she said involved examining people’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which is the chemical database that carries instructions for people bodies’ functions. It can reveal changes that may cause illness or diseases, she noted.

    “Medical genetics is concerned with how genes and heredity affect human health,” she said.

    Mrs Irobi-Devolder said many disorders were genetically based. This, she said, included sickle cell disorder (a blood disorder), among others.

    The objective, she said, was to help people with a genetic challenge to live and reproduce as normally and responsibly as possible.

    According to her, neurological disorders contribute to 92 million DALYs in 2005. The projection is that it will increase to 103 million by 2030. “This is an increase of approximately 12 per centn” she added.

    The facility, she said, would offer DNA fingerprinting and forensic researches. “It will also carry out DNA paternity testing. Genetics is important because it shows the relationship between parents and child by using special markers,” she added.

    Vice President, Policy and Planning, Chevron Corporation, Rhonda Zygocki said the facility will be the first of its kind that is operational in Nigeria.

    “With the establishment of the laboratory, the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture has unlocked DNA biotechnology for Nigeria. LUTH will be able to provide some services for Nigerians, which hitherto was not readily available in the country.

    “These include prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anaemia (CSA), DNA fingerprinting (using biological product to identify people), parentage testing, screening for breast cancer gene and other molecular diagnosis,” Zygocki said.

    She said the company expected that laboratory samples from other hospitals were treated at the facility.

    “The opening of the centre is a remarkable boost to health care in Nigeria,” she added.

    Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu represented by Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Dr Abdulsalaam Nasiri, said the Federal Government appreciated the commitment of Chevron in its partnership for social and economic development of Nigeria.

    He said the genomic laboratory can fulfill unique need because advancement in technology has made it possible for nearly all diseases, especially cancer, to be linked to genomic aberrations.

    The facility, he said, would aid access to precise diagnosis of infectious agents, adding that it will lead to speedy and appropriate interventions. “This will not only shorten hospital stay but greatly reduce diseases and deaths.

    LUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Akin Osibogun said the centre was established because of the sad incident of Dana air crash in March 2012 and the protracted delays that preceded the release of corpses to their families.

    He said this was why it developed the capability of DNA biotechnology not only for the purpose of identification, but for prenatal screening and genetic diagnosis, among others.

    He said the centre aimed to provide superior technical expertise and consultative services to ensure the highest quality of patient care.

    The hospital, he added, would meet the standard by obtaining information regarding reason for testing and relevant clinical/family history to provide the most accurate interpretation of results.

    “The centre is working towards actively contributing to the study of genetic disease and the advancement of genetic testing and related technology, with a goal of enhancing clinical patient care,” Osibogun said.

    He appealed for the provision of an essential instrument genetic analyser, adding that it is the gold standard for DNA fragment analysis applications such as microsatelites, mutation detection and traditional DNA sequencing, among others.

  • LUTH health workers resolute on strike

    LUTH health workers resolute on strike

    Striking health workers at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, yesterday said they will continue with the strike until the hospital’s management addresses their demands.

    The Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research and Allied Institutes (SSAUTHRAI), LUTH chapter, Mr. Kehinde Adegoke, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after the union’s congress to review the strike and map out new strategies.

    The workers, under the aegis of the Joint House Unions and Associations (JHUA), began an indefinite strike on December 31.

    JHUA comprises the Medical and Health Workers Union (MWHUN); SSAUTHRAI; the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).

    Adegoke said the workers had endured over three years of unfulfilled promises, adding that the strike was their last resort.

    He said: “We are tired of promises by the LUTH management, which have not yielded any positive result. The board, instead of appealing to JHUA to call off the strike, should address some of our issues.

    “The management refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which sets a time frame on when each issue brought forth by JHUA would be resolved. We are still waiting for a sign from the management that they have heard our requests and are doing something in response. We want to return to work. In fact, our members return every week to see if any change has occurred so that they can go back to work.”

    LUTH spokesperson Mrs. Hope Nwokolo said she was not at the JHUA congress and could not comment on the matter.

  • Strike paralyses LUTH

    Strike paralyses LUTH

    For two weeks, patients have not been able to access treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) because of the ongoing workers strike. The workers are agitating for promotion and improved welfare. WALE ADEPOJU reports.

    When will succour come for patients receiving treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)?

    For about 14 days, the workers under the aegis of Joint House Unions and Association (JHUA) have been on strike.

    They are complaining about lack of promotion and poor welfare, among others.

    Many patients have left the hospital to seek care elsewhere. Those who could not afford to move their ailing loved ones to other hospitals took them home.

    The ever-busy hospital is now deserted as patients are gently turned back.

    The Accident and Emergency (A and E) Ward, paediatric unit and eye centre, among others, are opened but treatment could not go on because doctors were the only ones available to attend to patients.

    The doctors, however, can not do much; they needed the nurses to attend to the patients and those in health record to make available patients’ information.

    JHUA, comprises Medical and Health Workers Union (MWHUN), Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospital Research and Allied Institute (SSAUTHRAI), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM). It has said the strike will go on until its demands are met.

    But, LUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof Akin Osibogun said the hospital had met almost all the demands of the striking workers.

    He said the aggrieved workers wanted mass promotion, which is impossible because staff are promoted on merit and not out of sympathy.

    According to him, the hospital will not promote every worker because there is a structure for doing that.

    He said: “If every soldier is made a general, who will be the foot soldier?”

    Osibogun said promotion must be deserved .

    JHUA said its members were delibrately denied promotion to stagnate them.

    It said many members of the staff had been on a level for over seven years, adding that the hospital only promoted a handful this year.

    JHUA said the strike would continue, until the hospital reviews this year’s promotion with a supplementary list to accommodate more staff.

    Besides, it said the hospital should provide consumables and materials for workers, adding that it has not been doing that adequately.

    Spokesman for the aggrieved workers, Mr Kehinde Adegoke said many issues, such as payment of salary increment and re-designation of officers on Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) 13, were yet to be addressed.

    He said the hospital still owed workers backlog of overtime arrears, adding that some staff were left on CONHESS 12 despite been promoted.

    “We are calling on the hospital management to promote them to CONHESS 13, which is their deserved level. We also want the hospital to release the promotion result of officers on CONHESS 12 in 2012. All staff due for promotion interview should be invited,” Adegoke said.

    He said the hospital management should move those promoted to their grade level, not ‘12 to 12 as we have now’.

  • LUTH health workers continue strike

    LUTH health workers continue strike

    Medical treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) was stalled yesterday, as the strike by the Joint House Unions and Associations (JHUA) of the teaching hospital entered the eighth day.

    The group is demanding a better welfare for its members.

    JHUA, which comprises the medical and health workers union (M and WHUN), Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospital Research and Allied Institutes (SSAUTHRAI), Non-Accademic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), said the hospital was plagued by inadequate manpower and lack of consumables, among other materials, to work with.

    The union said its members were denied promotion by the hospital management, thereby leaving them stagnant on the same level for several years.

    JHUA said many of its members had been on the same level for over seven years, adding that management only promoted a few.

    “This year was worse in the history of the hospital,” the union said.

    It explained that the hospital had been advised to review this year’s promotion with a supplementary list to accommodate more workers.

    The union said workers, who were on duty for overtime, had not been receiving payment.

    JHUA said some workers were promoted from the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) 12 to 12. This, it added, meant that although such workers had been promoted but they would still be on Level 12.

    It said workers, who were promoted from CONHESS 9 to 10 in 2012, should be moved to Level 11 by virtue of a skipping circular, which approved a worker jumping Level 10 to move to Level 11.

    The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Akin Osibogun, could not be reached.

  • How to tackle ageing

    How to tackle ageing

    To most people, wrinkles, crow’s feet around the eyes, age spots and skin thinning; gray hair, memory slips, tooth loss or decay, balding, hearing loss and difficulty in reading small prints are a few visible signs of ageing. However, there are more signs than our eyes can see.

    According to a Consultant in the Department of Community Health and Primary Care, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof Muriel Oyediran, growing old is a fact of life. Getting old means we lose some of our physiological functions that hasten death. This is something we cannot stop, but we can slow down. This loss occurs primarily within the cells in our brain, heart, kidney and bones.

    She spoke during this year’s Faculty Day Lecture of the Faculty of Public Health, National Postgraduate College of Nigeria, held in Hall 36, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.

    The theme was: Even Nigerians grow old! The problems and challenges of ageing in Nigeria.

    She said: “Who are the elderly? The elderly is the term used to describe people who are 60 years and over. They are subdivided into ‘young old’ from 60 to 74 years; ‘the aged’ from 75 years to 79 years and the ‘oldest old’ who are 80 and above. However, in the developed countries where life expectancy is higher, the oldest old refers to people aged 85 years and above. Eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma; osteoarthritis (OA) and alzheimer’s disease are some of the signs that characterise ageing, especially in Nigeria. A receding hairline and certain other signs of ageing may be far more than cosmetic problems. They can be signs of poor heart health.”

    Also, she said what typified ageing include decrease in energy, strength, and speed; decrease in muscle mass; decrease in metabolism and decrease in kidney function. “If you will observe closely, as we grow old, we tend to move slower than when we were younger because we get tired easily. This is because of decreased energy level. The only way to combat this is to eat more protein and exercise frequently. You should eat foods rich in vitamin B, folic acid, and phenylalanine.”

    Oyediran said: “Muscle mass also decreases by about seven pounds every 10 years, but this speeds up as we reach the age of 45. We can, however, slow this down by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Our Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) also decelerate as we grow older; that is why older people find it hard to digest the foods they eat. The aged’s thyroid gland makes fewer hormones, so he or she should increase protein intake to make the body produce more hormones again. They should also avoid eating foods rich in fat and carbohydrates. As we all know, our kidney is a very important organ in our body that filters our blood and acts as thermostat. Refraining from eating red meat and drinking more water everyday will help us slow down ageing.”

    She said: “The factors governing mortality and fertility changes in populations, which affect life expectancy, and the effects of these changes, which resulted in lower fertility and mortality rates are known as ‘the Demographic Transition’. At the moment, a higher proportion of elderly persons are found in Europe compared to Africa. However, even though the decline in fertility rate started later in Africa, the older population in Africa is growing at a faster rate and is also taking place over a shorter period of time and is occuring in a larger population basis. This unprecedented increase in the percentage of the elderly in developing countries will have a tremendous impact on any nation because of its effect on developmental programmes.

    “Originally most countries experienced high mortality rates and high fertility rates and the balance between these two rates resulted in populations with fairly stable growth rates. In the more developed or developed countries, population ageing took a longer time to occur allowing those nations a longer time to make national adjustments to allow for ageing processes in society. The fact that in the developing countries, these changes are happening in a relatively shorter period, means that they have much less time than the developed countries to make the necessary adjustments designed to meet up with the challenges posed by these rapid changes in age structure.

    “This is shown by the fact that at present the average annual growth rate of the population of persons over 60 years is 2.5 per cent in the less developed countries compared to .9 per cent in the more developed regions. This is almost three times as high as that of the more developed countries. This trend is emphasised by the projection of the figures for 2004 to 2050 where the rate of growth of the over sixties in the least developed counties is estimated to grow at a rate of 3.7 per cent compared to the growth rate of the same age group in the more developed countries of 0.2 per cent.”

    She called on the government to be aware of the increasing financial, social and health needs of the elderly and to be more proactive in providing affordable health care for the elderly through health insurance schemes and care providers that provide different levels and types of care including palliative care.

    “The main challenges for successful ageing to be achieved are the provision of programmes, services and facilities that enable the elderly to retain their ability to live useful and productive lives in good physical; mental; emotional and spiritual health for as long as possible.

    “To ensure the full potential of the elderly is realised, the Nigerian governments at all levels have a commitment to provide conditions that promote quality of life for the elderly so that they can continue to participate in their communities, and to live and work independently for as long as possible,” she said.

  • ‘Cervical cancer is preventable’

    ‘Cervical cancer is preventable’

    Women have been advised to go for screening and other preventive measures against cervical cancer. Head, Radiotherapy and Oncology Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof Remi Ajekigbe, advised them to seek treatment, if needed.

    He said: “This cervical cancer grows in the cervix because it begins from its cell lining. The cervix is the lower part of the womb. There are two types. The ectocervix is the portion of the cervix that projects into the vagina and the portio vaginalis. The endocervix is the inside of the cervix.

    “Cancer is the result of the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells. Most of the cells in our body have a set lifespan; when they die new cells are produced to replace them. Abnormal cells can have two problems: one- they don’t die or two, they continue dividing. This results in an excessive accumulation of cells which eventually form a lump – a tumor. Scientists are not sure why cells become cancerous. However, there are some risk factors which are known to increase the risk of developing cervical cancer.”

    The risk factors, according to the oncologist, include: “Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, a sexually-transmitted virus. There are over 100 different types of HPVs – 15 types can cause cervical cancer; probably 99 per cent of them. In addition, there are a number of types which can cause genital warts.

    It is estimated that HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases while HPV types 6 and 11 cause 90 per cent of genital warts.

    Other HPV types can cause cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) – the growth of abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix.”

    He continued: “Another factor is many sexual partners becoming sexually active. Cervical cancer-causing HPV types are nearly always transmitted from sexual contact with an infected individual. Women who have had many sexual partners generally have a higher risk of becoming infected with HPV, which raises their risk of developing cervical cancer. There is also a link between becoming sexually active at a young age and a higher risk of cervical cancer. If a woman develops cervical cancer it does not mean she has had several sexual partners, or became sexually active earlier than other females. It is just a risk factor. Women who only ever had one sexual partner can develop cervical cancer. Smoking also increases the risk of developing many cancers, including cervical cancer. People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, or transplant recipients taking immunosuppressive medications have a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.”

    He added: “Certain genetic are predisposed to developing cancer, including cervical cancer. Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, found that women with certain gene variations appear to be protected against cervical cancer. Long-term mental stress in a woman can trigger cervical cancer. A woman who experiences a high level of stress over sustained period may be undermining her ability to fight off HPV and be at increased risk of developing cervical cancer it can cause, scientists at the Fox Chase cancer Centre has reported.

    “Women who gave birth before they are 17 are more likely to get the disease compared to women who had their first baby when they were 25 or over. Women who have had at least three children in separate pregnancies are more likely to develop cervical cancer compared to women who never had children. Long-term use of the contraceptive pill slightly raises a woman’s risk.

    Is Cervical cancer preventive? Yes, the don said. He said regular cervical screening would make it more likely that signs were picked up early and dealt with before cancer developed.

    “Regular cervical screening would make it more likely that signs were picked up early and dealt with before cancer developed,” said the Oncologist.