The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LUTH

  • LUTH discharges stoned thug

    The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) said yesterday that Demola, the stoned ballot box snatcher, is not their member.

    A statement by OPC Publicity Secretary Yinka Oguntimehin said OPC was a responsible organisation that believed in democratic process and freedom of choice during elections.

    The incident, he said, was not connected to OPC.

    He said: “We are not touts or ballot box snatchers. As law-abiding citizens, we will never do anything to compromise our integrity. Let it be known that OPC is not a political organisation. We reaffirmed our commitment to a peaceful, free, fair and credible election. OPC under Aare Gani Adams has nothing to do with thuggery or violence.

    “I need to state clearly that Demola is not a member of our group. Ours is a group of professionals and educated members. We have structures across the country. People can attest to the fact that the Aare Gani Adams-led OPC are not vagabonds or thugs.

    “We have transformed into a new OPC, with a clear-cut ideology. Part of our ideologies is to propagate peace across the country, especially in the Southwest.”

    •Police assure of security at Okota
    •Hoodlums on rampage in Orile

    The police in Lagos have dispelled rumours of an ethnic clash at Okota following attack on a suspected thug identified as Demola, during the elections on Saturday.

    It was gathered that Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu had held meetings with community leaders in the area on the need to forestall any attack.

    The Nation learnt that security has been tightened at Okota following rumours of a reprisal by members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC). Demola was said to belong to the group.

    He was pelted with stones on Saturday afternoon by a mob after he and others allegedly disrupted elections in most polling units at Okota, Lagos Mainland.

    Although Demola was initially feared killed, findings by The Nation yesterday revealed that the suspect was rescued and taken to a private Hospital, GraceValley, Ago Palace Way, around 1:30pm.

    Doctors at the hospital told our correspondent he was barely conscious after losing so much blood from the injuries on his head. They said they battled to stabilise him for over two hours.

    “It is true he was brought to our clinic. The Divisional Police Officer, Oyin Nemisighan, and her team brought him. He was barely conscious and had lost so much blood.

    “We had to stabilise him, treat his wounds and refer him to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba for further attention. He was in our clinic for over two hours,” Dr. Matthew Amusan told our reporter.

    Also, Dr. Bath Ufoegbunam told our correspondent that Demola was stable and he had been in touch with LUTH.

    “I have been in touch with LUTH. The young man is alive and stable. The last time I called, I was told he has been discharged,” he said.

    Hoodlums went on the rampage at Sari-Iganmu in Orile on Saturday evening, looting shops and houses.

    It was gathered that the miscreants, who returned to the area to wreak havoc yesterday morning, stole residents’ valuables and vandalised vehicles.

    The Nation learnt that it took the intervention of policemen from Orile Division to restore peace to the community.

    Confirming his discharge from the hospital, police spokesman Chike, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), said investigations were on in respect of the issue.

    He allayed fears of outbreak of violence at Okota, saying more security operatives had been deployed.

    Oti said: “The young man did not die. He was rescued by the police and taken to hospital. I confirm that he has been discharged from hospital.

    “There is no tension at Okota. People should not be afraid to go about their lawful businesses.

    The command has provided adequate security to prevent crisis.

    “Our men are everywhere. The police commissioner has deployed adequate security in that area. We have our riot squad and our intelligence unit all over the place. We also have our men patrolling streets at Ago Okota.”

    On the Sari-Iganmu incident, Oti said the police received distress calls around 5am on Sunday that hoodlums were fighting in the area.

    He said: “We received a distress call that area boys were engaged in a free for all and policemen were deployed for quick intervention.

    “On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums took to their heels to evade arrest, but 25 of them were arrested. The DPO has deployed patrol men there to avoid further violence.

    “Nobody came to report that anything was damaged or stolen. Our officers intervened as soon as we heard that information. The Commissioner of Police has directed that the arrested suspects be profiled and sent to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation,” Oti said.

     

     

     

     

     

  • NGO donates to LUTH

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Grant Children Heart Foundation, has donated materials to the Pediatrics Department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.

    They include one suctioning machine, pulse oximeters and mobile ward screen.

    Mrs Lois Nwaogwugwu, a board member of the NGO, said the donation would address needs of the hospital.

    According to her, many parents of children with heart defects do not have the funds to take care of them, especially to do surgery.

    She said: “We are health workers and we visit hospitals to see what Nigerians go through before they can have access to medical attention. It is our passion to help people in alleviating their sufferings and to give them hope. We, particularly, have the interest of children born with heart diseases in mind and we are pledging to make the gesture  continuous by partnering with LUTH.”

    While receiving the items on behalf of the hospital, the Head of Department, Pediatrics, Prof Christy Okoromah, commended the group for the gesture.

    Okoromah said: “The government alone cannot cater for the health sector because it is a huge part of the economy. The Federal Government, through the management of the hospital, is working hard to improve infrastructure. So, I think the private organisation can come to see what they can they contribute”

    “Gestures of this nature would help to improve the quality of care that we provide to patients. We encourage more people to team up with this kind of gesture for children with heart holes.”

    She added: “This is a good development. I am pleased that they are interested in helping children who have heart problems. Unknown to people, heart problems in children are common. People only know about holes in the heart, but there are many more problems, including hypertension, asthma.

    “Some of the things they are presenting here are very useful for children. This is the beginning of greater partnership. We will be engaging them more to ascertain the area of interest and It is a good move, especially at the beginning of the year.’’

     

     

  • International Day of Activism: FIDA Lagos donates to sick children at LUTH

    The Lagos State Chapter of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria, has donated gifts to sick children hospitalised at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos.

    The gesture was part of the association’s activities to mark the United Nations’ 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

    The event is globally marked between November 25 and December 10 every year to raise awareness about violence inflicted on women and girls across the world.

    The theme for this year is: “The  World: #HearMeToo”..

    The women lawyers during the visit, donated gift items such as toiletries, mosquito nets, provisions, cereals  to the Ward E4 also known as FIDA Children Ward at LUTH.

    Speaking during the visit, the Chairperson, FIDA Lagos, Mrs. Ngozi Ogbolu, said the gesture  has been one of the major focuses of the association because of their passion for women and children.

    “We are here to visit the children in FIDA Ward E. This is FIDA Nigeria Ward in LUTH. The visit is part of the programme to commemorate 2018 16 days of activism  tagged: Violence against Women and the Girl Child. We  added the visitation to this Ward to our programs”, she  said.

    Noticing that doctors were on strike  during the visit, Ogbolu called on the government to make health sector its priority.

    “We noticed when we came that as against previous visit, we see more children in the ward.  We are urging government to take seriously anything  that has to do with women and children and their health in particular in this country. It is not an issue to joke with because anything can happen and they owe it a duty to protect citizens’ lives.

    “So, the government should make health sector its priority, ensuring that the doctors and  other medial personnel do not go on strike”, she added.

    Also speaking during the visit, Mrs. Adero Olagbegi Fadahunsi, a member of FIDA, who facilitated the visit on behalf of the association, explained that gender-based violence has become a global pandemic and a moral affront to most women and girls.

    She said the fact that FIDA Lagos  chose to commemorate the 16 days of activism by visiting  FIDA Children’s Ward at LUTH to show their affection for  the hospitalised children, adding that the association has  passion for children, the less privileged especially its activism against gender-based violence.

     

  • DANGER SIGNAL!(1) HIV patients cry out on looming disaster

    • Boycott care centres over alleged introduction of strange fees

    • Claims of illegal fees a lie, say LUTH, NIMR

    • Death rate on the rise as 68,803 victims die in five years

    At the opening of a two-day North-West Zonal Dissemination of 2016 National Guidelines for HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care in Kaduna recently, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said the federal government was set to implement a guideline that would ensure that people living with HIV (PLWH) received free health services at all levels in both public and private health institutions. More than two years down the line, the promise is yet to come to fruition as some of the victims lamented that their health conditions have continued to deteriorate over their inability to pay the myriad of fees allegedly charged at their treatment centres. With about 68,803 victims comprising 4,141 children and 64,662 adults, officially confirmed to have died in the last five years, INNOCENT DURU examines the impending danger for the victims and the country if the government tarries in filling the gap created by dwindling foreign support on account of which treatment was previously offered free of charge.

    Mrs. Daudu sat crestfallen as she tearfully narrated how she was compelled to take to begging in order to stay alive. Daudu does not beg to feed or meet inordinate needs. She told The Nation that her decision to take to begging was informed by the need to raise money to pay the prerequisite charges demanded by her treatment centre before she can access her medications as a person living with the human immune-deficiency virus (HIV).

    In an emotion laden voice, she said: “I receive treatment here at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos. To pick up drugs every month, I must pay N1,000. They call it service charge. If you want to see a doctor, you pay N2,000 for each visit. We visit two times a year. They call that consultancy fee. Each time we visit, we always go to the laboratory to do test for them to review how we are doing. We always pay N2,900 for that.

    “At times, I don’t have the money to pay and access the drugs because I am not working.  I lost my job because of the time I was spending coming to collect the drugs. Since then, I have been begging and saving some of the small money that comes my way in order to pay and get my drugs.

    “I must have at least N8,000 in my pocket each time I am coming to the clinic. This includes the fees and the transport fare.”

    Even though she makes some money from begging, Daudu said she sometimes does not have the resources to pay and access her drugs. The failure to maintain her treatment plan, according to her, often has a telling effect on her health.

    “The drugs boost our immune system and reduce the effect of the virus in our bodies. Each time I don’t have access to it, the virus gets stronger and my condition deteriorates.

    “Many of our colleagues have developed other health challenges like tuberculosis because they have not been following their treatment regime religiously because of financial challenges.

    “I want the government to help us look into these problems, because many of us are suffering.  They should make the treatment free for us as it applies in some other centres. Even if they want to collect money, it should not be that high. It would not be bad if we are asked to pay N500 for treatment.”

    Both federal and state governments have at various times identified the need for domestic funding for the treatment of persons living with HIV in the country.

    After the National Economic Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in January, Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, on behalf of his governor colleagues, stressed the need for domestic funding for the management of HIV.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, at the end of the PEPFAR 2016 COP meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was reported to have given his commitment to getting the government to take substantial responsibility for HIV treatment programme by funding procurement of commodities for response.

    At the 2016 National Guidelines for HIV prevention programme, the minister, represented by his Special Adviser, Segilola Araoye, assured that “from this day hence, everyone who tests positive to HIV is automatically eligible for treatment, and this applies to everyone with equal emphasis, child, man and women, pregnant or not.

    “From today onward, we are duty bound to offer anti-retroviral drugs as prevention to all persons who are at high risk of contracting HIV infection.

    “From today forward, all persons on treatment are entitled to at least one viral load test per year.

    “From today hence, we will place greater emphasis on differentiated systems of care that are adjustable to the individual needs of the patient.”

    He noted that the recommendations in the 2016 guidelines, by current standard, were audacious, unambiguous and un-apologetically pro-patient.

    But some HIV patients told our correspondent that they were yet to distinguish between genuine concern and regular political rhetorics in the promises as none had been fulfilled.

    Another patient at the NIMR, Alice, also looked distraught as she spoke about her ordeal skipping her treatment plans because of financial challenges.

    She said: “I have had to skip my medication because of financial challenges. If one continues to skip the medication, the CD4 Count will start going down. If you take these drugs very well, you will have a suppressed viral load. When you don’t take them as you should, your viral load will go up and the CD4 Count will be going down. This can make one to develop resistance to the drugs and the drug will no longer work for the person. There are a lot of our colleagues that have got to that stage. They have dropped down to the second line which is more cumbersome to take.”

    Alice corroborated Daudu’s allegations about the fees charged at the centre, adding: “Here, there is what they call fast track. That is if you want to urgently see the doctor, you will pay the sum of N5,000. It is not really easy paying these fees. You may say that N1,000 is too small for drugs collected in a month, but it is not small at all because some of us have no means of livelihood.”

    Prior to this time, Alice said, they had the opportunity of working at the NIMR and earning some income which they used to pay their bills and access the drugs without stress. But that has long changed as she alleged that they have been relieved of the jobs.

    She said: “The jobs we were doing here as positive people have been taken from us by the management. When they relieved us of the jobs, they filled our positions with their own people and even increased their stipend.

    “Most of us don’t have anything doing and the challenges out there are enormous. Once you test positive, nobody wants to give you a job. Sometimes, the money to pay for transportation to come here is not even available. When you come here, you see people crying that they don’t have money to pay for their drugs and nobody cares.”

    Alarmed by reports of dwindling support from foreign donors, Alice said: “If they withdraw, it is not going to be pleasant at all, because like I said earlier, most of us are jobless and cannot afford to buy the drugs.

    “Some of our members who were working have lost their means of livelihood in the course of coming to take their drugs. The stigma out there is too much. Nobody has employed me since I graduated. If the donors truly withdraw, I am afraid that many people will die.”

    A male victim, Celestine, who also gets his drugs from NIMR, expressed fears about his future and those of his colleagues as he raised questions about the fees. He said: “The question I would want to ask is whether the government is aware that they are collecting money from us here. Is the money we are paying going into the coffers of the federal government?

    “Before now, we were paying through the banks. But now they are collecting cash. The treatment was free before, but payment was introduced later, and that was in late 2014. We don’t know whether government is aware that we are paying these fees so that we can be sure we are not paying this money into wrong hands.”

    The implication of paying to access the drugs, according to Celestine, is that “people are defaulting. I heard the other day that some members are failing to take their drugs. Why would people not fail to take their drugs when they are paying money to collect them? People are shy to make their status public. When you now ask them to pay all these fees, you further make them to withdraw and die in silence.”

    It was also a tale of woes when our correspondent met Bose, who claimed to be formerly receiving treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). According to her, “it was a hell getting attention from the workers. We pay N5,000 every six months. Many people are down with tuberculosis because they cannot pay and get their drugs. When we approached the workers at LUTH, one of them told us that the fee was for fuel to power their generator.

    “In some other centres, the treatment is free. I skipped my treatment because of this and had to move to another centre for treatment.  Many members are defaulting now because of this.”

    Contrary to what obtains in some of federal government owned treatment centres, the coordinator of the support group at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) told our correspondent that they don’t pay money to take drugs but often pay for prescribed tests.

    “If you are a new intake, you will pay N4,500. But if you are an old patient, you would pay N2,000 for kidney test and others. We don’t pay for folder and we don’t pay to see doctor,” he said.

    Insignificant as N2,000 may appear, the coordinator said some members of her group find it difficult to pay the sum for test. “When we confirm that some of them can’t pay, I help them to get exempted from paying. Once you are on tests, if you don’t do your viral load, they can give you one month drug.  The viral load is done free of charge.”

    The Programme Manager of Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA), a non-governmental organisation based in Lagos, Francis Umoh, said: “Before now, everything was completely free, but some facilities have introduced user fees. Don’t forget that donors’ funds are dwindling. They have been supporting us for quite some time but gradually, funding is beginning to dwindle.

    “The fees charged by some of the centres vary and it starts from N1,000 and above. Some of these people can’t afford the fare to go to their treatment centres.

    “That is the concern we are having, and that is why we are calling on government to take ownership by appropriate funding so that many of the PLWH (People Living With HIV) can access treatment and stay alive.”

    Commenting on the implication of withdrawal of foreign donors, Umoh said: “If the drugs are not available in the right quantity, it means some people will not have access to them and consequently, they would discontinue their treatment. This may translate to going back to the period that people were dying.”

    The Coordinator of Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Ibrahim Umoru, said: “South Africa has the highest disease burden in the world and contributes from local resources nearly 80 per cent to their response to HIV. Our response to HIV is abysmally shameful. It is less than 10 per cent, which is even questionable.

    “Our response is donor dependent and whenever these donors sneeze, we catch fever. PEPFAR alone caters for about 70 per cent. Global Funds contributes about 20 per cent or so.

    “Prior to this time, we were compelled to buy patented drugs, which were more expensive. As far back as 2001, I was buying one of the drugs for N21,000, and it was for a month. At that time, people were using dual combination. But now, people are using tipple combination.

    “Because of the input of generic drugs, the cost has come down to about $5 to $10 a month. We have the first line, the second and the third line. If the cost of first drug line is $5 to $10, the second line is about 20 times that amount. You dare not go near the price of the third line.

    Majority of people are on the first line drugs and Nigeria has over 3 million people living with HIV. Now, once you are HIV positive, you will start treatment immediately. This means there would be more people in need of the treatment, and right now, there is a gap of 1.5 million of people who need to be placed on treatment.

    The government should use its tongue to count its teeth.

    Menace worsens in spite of wide campaign

    Despite the massive campaign across the country about the existence and ravaging effects of HIV, official statistics of annual health sector report and estimates obtained by The Nation from NACA shows that the number of victims have been on the increase in the last five years. Cumulatively, the overall figure stood at 15,479,887 in the last five years.

    In 2013, 302,167 people were officially living with the menace. This increased to 302,358 in 2014. The figure is about 7,688 higher than the 2013 figure.

    The number of infected people rose to 3,037,364 in 2015 with a difference of 8,006 from that of 2014.

    The figure increased to 3,200,099, with a total of 162, 735 above that of 2015.

    The 2017 figure which was still under review as at the time the statistics was obtained, stood at 3,191, 396. It fell 8, 703 below that of 2016.

    Death rate rising annually

    Contrary to belief in many quarters that the challenge of HIV has been drastically curtailed, statistics show that the menace, rather than abating, is taking a turn for the worse in the country.  Statistics show that over 68,803 victims have died of complications resulting from HIV in the past five years (2013-2017).

    In 2013, the statistics showed that a total of 8,732 victims, 672 children and 8,060 adults died. The figure represents 12.69 of the population of victims that died of the challenge in the year.

    In 2014, a total of 10,949 victims made up of 695 children and 10, 254 adults were officially recorded to have died. The figure represents 15.91 of the total number of the dead in the year. The figure is 2,889 (3.22 per cent) higher than the death rate in the preceding year.

    In 2015, a total of 11,321 victims—875 children and 10,446 adults—died. The figure represents 16.45 per cent of the total death rate. The figure is 372, about .54 per cent higher than the 2014 death rate.

    16,897 deaths made up of 1,899 children and 14,998 adults were recorded in 2016, representing 24.55 per cent of the total death rate. The figure is 5, 576 (8.1 per cent) higher than that of 2015.

    The 2017 statistics showed that 20, 904 victims comprising mainly adults died (statistics for children were yet to be provided). This represents 30.38 per cent of the total death rate in the last five years and 4007(5.83 per cent) higher than 2016 figure.

    LUTH, NIMR react

    Contacted, the spokesman of NIMR, Eyerundu, refuted the allegation that the centre collects cash from patients. “The allegation that they are paying cash is false. Nobody pays cash here. My DG banned people from paying cash here. There is a bank in this institute. They brought bankers from outside where people make payments and collect receipt.

    “They made it possible for them to pay in the banks here because they were embarrassing and not attending to them as HIV patients in the banks out there.  Before, some of them would go to bank and for one week would not be able to pay. The service they are getting was commended by American government.  My DG is a disciplined and thorough man who would not allow such. Some patients like to cut corners and like to engage touts to do things for them.”

    Eyerundu clarified that the N1,000 being paid by patients is not meant for drugs, adding: “Patients come here and defecate everywhere. Where would you get money for disinfectants and other things for maintaining the centre?

    “Sometimes people don’t show appreciation. Instead of them thanking God for the service being rendered to them, they are claiming that money is being collected from them. Who is eating their money? When people have problems and they don’t get solutions, it is because they are ungrateful. In three months, they pay N1,000, and they claim they are killing them.”

    The Head of Department of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, LUTH Professor Akanmu Alani Sulaimon, equally denied the allegation against the hospital.

    He said: “It is not true that patients pay fees to collect their drugs. If there are charges, that has to do with laboratory tests. Here, they don’t pay consultation fee to see doctors, to be attended to by nurses or pharmacists. The drug that they are taking is free. The most important monitoring test that we do to show that the anti-retroviral drug we are giving them is working well is free. But if they have to do kidney and blood count, they pay for that, and it is routine for any human being that visits the hospital.

    “To say that they are paying money for HIV related tests is not true and to say that they are paying money to access the drug is not true. If it happens in other hospitals, it does not happen in LUTH.”

  • LUTH records high patient turnout after JOHESU strike

    Activities have started picking up at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi-Araba.

    This followed the end of the strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).

    The union embarked on an indefinite strike on April 17, and the action entered seventh week when the union ended it.

    Patients have started receiving optimal medical and surgical attentions at various outpatient clinics, accident and emergency unit, as well as the paediatric sections.

    Our reporter, who visited the hospital yesterday, discovered that all the clinics were filled with patients.

    Doctors and other categories of workers were busy attending to patients – on appointment cards, registration desk, pay points and the consulting rooms.

    The outpatient clinics our reporter visited are: Diabetics, Cardiology, Neuro-surgery, Haematology, Paediatrics Cardiology, Paediatrics Neonatology, Immunoprophylaxis, Cleft palate, Gynaecology, Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) and Orthopaedic.

    The pharmacy, paying points as well as private and hospital’s diagnoses centres were also functional.

    Doctors were also attending to patients at the annexe of the teaching hospital at Harvey Road in Yaba, where the Dermatology unit is located.

    The Nation observed an unusual attendance at the clinics, just as the medical team attended to the patients with promptness.

    While some patients occupied the sitting furniture, others were seen leaning on the walls.

    A patient, Mrs Felicia Amoo, complained about the effects the JOHESU strike had on patients before it was called off.

    According to her, she resides in Winners Chapel area of Ota in Ogun State with her five-year-old child who is undergoing diagnoses for the cause of fast-breathing.

    She said: “We have gone to the Cardiology (unit) and the cause had not been established. So, we were sent to Neurology, where we were told that it was the day we came for the appointment that the strike started.

     

     

     

     

  • UNILAG students donate blood to sickle cell child patients

    …during the Save 500 Lives exercise
    No fewer than 360 students of the University of Lagos (  UNILAG  ) turned out on Wednesday to donate a pint of blood each to sickle cell and cancer child patients.

    The donors trooped out in multitudes to donate their blood at the New Hall and Bookshop areas of the Akoka campus where makeshift blood transfusion centres were provided.

    The blood donation exercise was spearheaded by Project Smile, a non-governmental organisation, in partnership with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Association of Medical Students, UNILAG (AMSUL).

    According to the organizers, the joint-project tagged Save 500 Lives is aimed at raising at least 500 pints of blood for sickle cell and cancer child patients in LUTH.

    Although, they did not reach this target on Wednesday, the organizers have said that they intend to conduct a supplementary exercise to meet their target.
    The organizers explained that the donation exercise was due to the insufficiency of blood reserves in the Hospital’s blood banks.

    This issue, however, is not just a reality in LUTH, but it stretches even beyond many hospitals countrywide.

    Nigeria’s former minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, in 2013, said that less than 10 percent of Nigerians voluntarily donate blood.

    He noted that while 60 percent of the country’s blood donations came from commercial donors, the remaining 30 percent were from family members.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Donor Officer, Haematology Department, LUTH, Mrs Mercy Onofomi, acknowledged that the hospital was currently struggling with low blood supply to its reserves.

    Onofomi blamed the blood bank supply shortages on lack of voluntary blood donation by Nigerians.

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    She said, “In LUTH, we use up to 50 pints (of blood), and you can imagine how many days these 500 (blood pints) will last.

    “And our blood [bank at LUTH] is not always enough because of the volume of blood we use. We use blood for cancer people, we use it for accidents, we use for obstetrics, that is pregnant women. We have people that live on blood.

    “So, the volume of blood we use per day in LUTH is very high, and family cannot replace all.”

    She, however, called for more voluntary participation by Nigerians in blood donation exercises.

    “You can imagine where one person uses 15 units of blood. How many will the relation replace?

    “…How many can their relation donate that will be enough? That’s why we need this kind of voluntary blood donation to really augment the one family replacements donate.

    LUTH’s medical personnel screening students’ blood during the exercise
    LUTH’s medical personnel screening students’ blood during the exercise

    ”And in a normal practice, it is not supposed to be family replacement; it is supposed to be voluntary blood donation that they use. So, that’s why this blood [donation exercise] is very important. “

    Speaking during the exercise, one of the co-founders of Project Smile and creator of the Save 500 Lives initiative, Oyinda Olayinka, explained the initiative was inspired from an encounter with the sickle cell and cancer child patients at LUTH.

    According to the 300 level Medical student, “It started with a Christmas party we had for children with sickle and cancer last year. After the party, we started hearing requests that these children actually need blood.

    “So, we thought about what could we do for them? And we came up with this idea: We get people to donate blood, and we give it to them for free.”

    “We plan to get 500 pints of blood for 500 people. So, basically, we are saving 500 lives; a pint for a child with sickle cell (or) cancer,” Oyinda Ige, a co-founder and Medical student, added.

    Also, AMSUL’s President, Chukwuemeka Agbarakwe, said that the initiative would be organized for the second time within the next one year.

    “Considering the passion and the vision that both the organizers and all other stakeholders have kept, it’s an initiative that will continue.

    “It wouldn’t even wait till one year to replicate itself,” the 600 Level Medical Student said.

    Some of the donors (including first time donors) shared their views about the initiative and the donation exercise.

     

     

     

  • Boy, 3, needs N9m for heart surgery

    Boy, 3, needs N9m for heart surgery

    Always, the arrival of a new baby into any family is heralded with pomp and ceremony. This excitement was at its peak on May 22,  2014 when the family of Mr and Mrs Amos Adeniyi from Ondo State was blessed with their third child, Richard.

    Parents, understandably, are eager to see their children grow up well and healthy with the prospect of becoming responsible members of the society. Most parents feel disappointed; and may break down if their child that had been a source of joy turns, as it were, to be a source of sadness and despair due to some complicated illness.

    That exactly, is the mood pervading the family of Mr and Mrs Adeniyi as their son Richard has not shown any sign of “growing up well and healthy.”

    According to the boy’s father, Richard was hale and hearty; full of life before December 18, last year. During breakfast, he could not finish his meal, he became very weak and his health condition changed drastically as he had seizure.

    Not comfortable with the unwholesome situation of their son, the Adeniyis took Richard to  a private hospital in Ifako from where they were referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.

    He has been a patient of the Pediatric Cardiology Unit of (LUTH), Idi Araba Lagos.

    According to clinical evaluation, Richard has symptomatic congenital heart disease, which was confirmed as Tetralogy of Fallot by Echocardiography

    Richard requires urgent cardiovascular evaluation and open heart surgery to correct his heart defects in order to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications. He is the last child among the three children of the Adeniyis and his medical condition has weighed down the family physically, emotionally and financially.

    Narrating his plights, he told Southwest Report that he has spent so much and he is still buying expensive drugs which Richard takes every eight hours to sustain him before the operation in Germany by mid-March.

    A Medical Report from LUTH issued and signed by Dr. J.O. Sokunbi, a Consultant Paediatrician/Paediatric Cardiologist on January 9, 2018 reads:

    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

    SUMMARY OF THE MEDICAL REPORT FOR ADENIYI RICHARD

    DOD: May 22, 2014.  Sex: Male Age: 3 years 7 months. Hospital number: 697757.

    The above named three-year-seven-months-old male child is a known patient of the Paediatric Cardiology Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba.

    Clinical evaluation indicated that Richard has symptomatic congenital heart disease, which was confirmed by echocardiography to be Tetralogy of Failot.

    Richard will require further cardiovascular evaluation and possible open heart surgery to correct his heart defects in order to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications.

    This letter, therefore, serves as an introduction of the patient for any assistance that will facilitate surgical intervention at a centre with facilities for cardiac surgery.

    You may wish to contact the consultant in charge if further clarification or information is required on Richard.

    The crux of the matter here is that the life of a fellow being is in danger.

    The sum of N9 million is required to carry out the heart surgery in Germany (all expenses included) which the cardiologist said must be carried out as quickly as possible to save the life of little Richard. This sum of money is too hard for his parents to afford.

    Therefore, Mr and Mrs Amos Adeniyi are crying to kind-hearted Nigerians, people who believe in the future of our children, Nigerians who appreciate children as precious gifts from God Almighty, Nigerians who can imagine the pangs of labour that a mother goes through and the pains a mother or a father could go through in the event of losing a child to death and Nigerians who can willingly choose to be Simon of Cyrene who helped Jesus Christ to carry His Cross on the way to Golgotha.

    The world Cross is symbolic here. Whenever and at whatever point in time you help in reducing the burden or pains of fellow humankind, it will be on record that you clothed, fed and gave water to Jesus to drink. History and destiny would certainly smile positively on you. Little Richard, for now, may be nobody. But a little help and sacrifice to help a dying little soul will certainly make him to be somebody tomorrow.

    Hear Mrs Adeniyi, mother of little Richard: “In tears I beg fellow Nigerians to help in seeing that my child lives. When I remember the pangs and pains of labour, I wish I could have provided the money a day after the discovery of this defect in my child’s heart. But since my husband and I could not afford the huge amount of money required in exchange of my son’s life, I run and cry to you my fellow Nigerians to help in ensuring that this little Nigerian lives to be useful to himself and the country. I am confused.”

    It is not out of place for this mother of three to feel disappointed and be confused at one point in time or the other when she feels that the days of her precious child are numbered if nothing is done and fast too.

    In the same manner, his father Amos pleads:”I have emptied all my accounts to save the life of my son. I cannot meet up financially, the life of my son Richard means everything to me now. I need the support of all to make him survive. I want well-meaning Nigerians and organisations to assist me to save the life of my beloved son; any delay of the operation is dangerous. I believe God will bless everyone who supports and donates to fund my son’s surgery.

    “We are appealing for help from Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and others to come to our aid urgently.”

    For more information, call the following details call Richard’s father on 08115207882. Those who are moved by these pleas can donate funds to the following account details: ACCOUNT NAME: ADENIYI RICHARD DESIRE. ACCOUNT NUMBER 5044627014 (SAVINGS) BANK: FCMB

  • Stanbic IBTC renovates LUTH’s Accident and Emergency Unit

    Stanbic IBTC renovates LUTH’s Accident and Emergency Unit

    Accident and Emergency (A/E) Unit of the Lagos University Teaching (LUTH), Idi Araba, has been renovated. It was done by the Stanbic IBTC bank.

    At its commissioning, Stanbic IBTC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Demola Shogunle thanked the management for giving the bank the opportunity to be part of the development going on in the hospital, which is an integral of the health care industry in Nigeria.

    Dr Shogunle said as a group Stanbic IBTC engaged in humanitarians endeavour as an organisation: “ IBTC goes beyond transaction, we believe in supporting our stakeholders because we know that our success as a corporate identity is tied to their success. For us it is not only about commissioning the Accident and Emergency Centre but for us in reality, it is about creating an enabling environment, for future leaders, and empowering Nigeria.

    “We took on LUTH as a leading institution to ensure we synergize and play our role by keying into that development. As an individual and corporate firm, we need to do our own part in the development of the health care sector which Stanbic IBTC believes in, which lies within what we are doing naturally.

    “So, to us this project is what we are proud of because it represents what we stand for as a banking institution, enabling progress, which is one of the things we stand for. The kind of value health sector adds and the partnership between the private and public sector when it comes to health care delivery must be taken to the next level and for Stanbic IBTC it is for us to support.”

    Dr Shogunle said the company’s corporate social responsibility has played the part of building a veritable health care sector by keying into the mission statement of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital by enabling its focus on health, education and economic empowerment.

    He said the staff members of Stanbic IBTC Bank contributed to the cause of operational excellence with their own personal finances before the bank came up to give support.

    He emphasised that the newly rehabilitated Adult Accident and Emergency centre is about creating an enabling environment for future leaders and Nigerians to thrive and add values towards good health care.

    LUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Chris Bode said his hospital has the largest assemblage of specialists in Nigeria and should be applauded, “so investing in the hospital means you are investing in the Nigeria project and that is why we are happy that Stanbic IBTC as part of its own social and public responsibility remembered LUTH. It is not possible for government alone to fund every sector and that is why responsible and corporate organisations like Stanbic IBTC bank should be commended for doing this for health sector especially in LUTH.”

    Prof Bode, who was represented by by the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof Wasiu Adeyemo affirmed Stanbic IBTC consideration, “Because as you have come to support us and help to renew the aging infrastructure the institution suffers from, we are most grateful.”

    Stanbic IBTC Bank in transforming the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s Adult Accident and Emergency centre.

    He said the hospital has about 800 beds and over 3,000 staff with the largest number of specialists more than any Nigerian hospital. Lagos is the commercial capital in Nigeria and that investing in Lagos University Teaching Hospital can be likened to investing in Nigeria.

    According to Prof Bode in any tertiary hospital, the first point of call is the accident and emergency. However, LUTH is upgrading to be continuously regarded as the first tertiary health institution in Nigeria and West Africa.

  • PZ uplifts LUTH Children Emergency ward

    PZ uplifts LUTH Children Emergency ward

    The Professor Olikoye RansomeKuti Children Emergency ward of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has been renovated by PZ Plc and branded with two of its brands – Cusson and Premier.

    The company also donated bone marrow transplant equipment for the treatment of sickle cell anaemia.

    The Chief medical Director (CMD), Prof Chris Bode said the donation, which adds 200 new bed spaces to the hospital would help address the overstretched facilities.

    Prof Bode described PZ Cussons Plc as a wonderful answer to the hospital’s endless prayers over the parlous state of facilities at its children emergency ward.

    The CMD said though the Emergency centre is temporary, it will nonetheless assist in catering to the needs of children in need of extreme care that are often referred to the hospital from all over the country. He added that a 500-bed space facility which is under construction when completed will help in reducing the plight of doctors, most of who are stretched thin, and often get infected with the same illness they are trying to cure in their patients.

    He said: “We see thousands of children-patients everyday and as a teaching hospital, we cannot refer anyone brought here anywhere. So you can see our plight. That is why we are extremely happy that a company like PZ can think of this kind of intervention as the best thing that could happen to child care in Nigeria. Your intervention to provide a comfortable, convenient and a friendly ambience at the facility, has gone a long way to show that the company is interested in the growth and wellbeing of children who are being referred here in their hundreds on a daily basis. This is an investment into the future of this great health institution and it will greatly assist us in increasing our capacity to respond to the needs of our children.”

    Prof Bode said the building; complete with painting and mural is more child-friendly and now more comfortable for parents, doctors and other workers of the hospital.

    The Head of the Emergency Centre and Consultant Paeditrician Dr Yemi Osinaike thanked Illumia Health Organisation for the partnership that made it possible for PZ Cusson to step in.

    He said the Centre receives no less than 20 referrals every day, of children between the age of Zero to 15 years, adding that the newly renovated facility and the additional equipments supplied by the firm will assist in bringing relief to many homes as it would reduce the mortality rate of Sickle Cell anaemia.

    The Coordinator of Illuvia Health Organisation who mooted the idea to PZ, Mrs Amaeze Eguavoen said her organisation is happy to have contributed to creating a total healing environment for children at the hospital.

    The Regional Director PZ Cussons, Mr Jimi Taiwo said his company is happy for the opportunity to bring better care to the children.

    He said: “This project is sowing into the future of the nation. We are happy that this facility will create friendlier environment and make you happy you are coming to the hospital, the paintings are warm and welcoming and makes children and mothers feel better, coming to the hospital. PZ will be ready to partner with the hospital anytime it is called upon because it is one of the institutions that have greatly contributed to the wellbeing of children who are the future of the nation.”

  • Adadevoh, LUTH get awards

    Adadevoh, LUTH get awards

    The Ebola amazon, the late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, will be honoured with a posthumous life-time achievement award in recognition of her selfless services to humanity and ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

    The event, first of its kind, will hold on Sunday, October 22 in Lagos. It is being organised by Amity Awards and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in recognition of the immense  achievements recorded by the late woman and the hospital under its  management.

    According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CIDL, Solomon Alao, the award is aimed at recognising and celebrating heroes, who exhibit the highest levels of professionalism and stay the course, to elicit pride and reinforce good behaviour.

    Also, corporate bodies, such as Guinness Nigeria PLC, Nigeria Breweries PLC, Chevron Nigeria and National Sovereign Investment Agency, will be recognised for their contributions to LUTH.

    The Lions Club District 404A will also be honoured at the event.