The Nation Newspaper

Tag: medical

  • Medical students advocate proper counselling

    Medical students advocate proper counselling

    There is a need for proper guidance and counseling in higher institutions.

    The advice was given by medical students of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during the presentation of a research report conducted on students of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH) in Igboora.

    The research was part of the community and primary healthcare programme organised by the medical students in Ibarapa.

    Presenting the report on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Sexual Risk Behavior (SRB) among students, Michael Dike, a 600-Level student, said ACE could lead to risky sexual behaviour.

    He said the condition could come with traumatic moments that could have negative effects on health and wellbeing. The condition, he said, could be experienced before the age 18.

    According to him, the ACE effects include physical and emotional abuse, feeling of neglect and household dysfunction.

    Proffering solutions to the condition, the medical students recommended proper guidance and counseling in schools. They said there was need for teacher-student relationship to engender mentorship and solve students’ curiosities.

    They also advocated for a forum, where students could be enlightened on sex education and peer pressure. They said efforts should be made by school managements to ensure recreational activities as part of the curriculum.

    Receiving the report on behalf of the management, the Provost, Prof Gbemiga Adewale, praised the medical students and their coordinators for choosing the college for the study. He pledged the management’s commitment to the implementation of the report. The provost said a committee would be set up to look into the report to fast-track its implementation.

     

  • Medical college prays for peace

    Academic activities were put on hold for over two hours last Wednesday at the College of Medical Sciences of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) when members of the staff and students converged on Lecture Theatre 1 to pray for the school.

    The Provost, Prof Vincent Iyawe, said the event was an opportunity for staff and students to thank God for achievements in the college.

    He said: “We are gathered here today to return all praises to God for successes and improvement of infrastructure in the college. We also glorify God for preserving the lives of staff and students. At the end of this event, everyone should leave as a changed person. While we engage in a prayer, I will enjoin you to use the opportunity to ask God for directions in your personal lives and pour your heart desire before Him.”

    In his exhortation titled: Bearers of His Name, Mrs V.A. Joseph, a professor of Medicine, called on members of the congregation to be mindful of their lifestyles within the college and elsewhere.

    According to her, bearers of God’s name must live their lives according to the dictates of the scripture.

    She said: “If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, I want you to know that you now bear the name of Christ. Do not soil that name. Remember that your life might be the only Bible some persons will read all through their life.”

    The sermon was followed by a prayer session, where staff and students prayed for peace and smooth administration of the college and the entire university. They also prayed for peace in the Northeast, calling on God to rid the country of corruption.

    Other highlights of the event included hymn rendition, worship and music sessions. Dignitaries at the event include: Prof W.E Sadoh of Child Health Department, Dr Andrew Edo of Internal Medicine Department, Dr C.S. Sakpa of Anatomy Department, Dr Stanly Okugbo, a Consultant Cardiothoric Surgeon, and Dr O.M. Uhumwangho, a Consultant Opthalmologist, among others.

     

  • 490 get free medical services

    Total of 490 persons including vulnerable children from 10 years and above in Tunga Maje, Gwagwalada area council have received free testing and vaccination against Hepatitis B and C organised by a civil society organisation, Elohim Foundation, under its free medical outreach programme.

    Speaking during the event, the Project Director of the organization, Julius Ibecheole stated that the exercise which is part of the activities marking this year’s 2015 World Hepatitis Day, marked globally every July 28.

    He further added that this year’s event is aimed at creating the needed awareness on the increasing spread of Viral Hepatitis in Nigeria, which currently has an infected population of about 20 million Nigeria.

    Ibecheole called on the Nigerian government to provide access to treatment  and support for infected persons as the cost associated with obtaining the treatment from the very few available specialist centres in the country is very high.

    He further called on development agencies and pharmaceutical groups to support hepatitis treatment in Nigeria as the burden of Hepatitis is astronomically far higher than that of HIV and the infection more deadly than HIV.

    Beneficiaries of the screening who tested negative were given free vaccination while those that tested positive were referred to Bwari and Asokoro General Hospital.

    “These hospitals  have specialist to handle the needed treatment while organization follows up the patient through linkage to her support group mechanism to enable them access behavior change communication, treatment literacy education, treatment support and adherence counselling services.

    “This is in-addition to the follow-up with the non-positives who through the issuance of a vaccination card and text messages are reminded of the need to complete their vaccination does appropriately,” he said.

    Ibecheole however decried the low level of awareness of the disease and its treatment among the rural residents of the FCT, blaming it to non-inclusion of other stakeholders particularly the Civil Society groups.

    One of the beneficiaries, Esther Jacob expressed appreciation to the organization for the kind gesture, pledging to take advantage of screening and vaccination.

    Also during the event,cassava stems and special brand of potatoes called orange flavoured sweet potatoes rich with vitamin A were distributed to the community as part of the deliverables under a USAID funded CRS project called SMILE.

     

  • ‘Prompt medical intervention can reverse stroke’

    ‘Prompt medical intervention can reverse stroke’

    There is hope for first-time stroke victims. Yes, if a first-time victim of stroke can be reached within three hours of the attack, the condition can be totally reversed.

    Consultant Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director, First Cardiology Consultants, Dr Adeyemi Johnson, made this known at the 12th annual faculty conference and gathering of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos.

    According to Johnson, the guest lecturer who spoke on, Cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria: Current and emerging trends in epidemiology, prevention and interventional therapies,  the trick is properly diagnosing a stroke when it occurs, and getting medical attention for the patient within three hours. This, he said, is tough in this clime.

    Stroke is one of the cardiovascular diseases, which is when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.  Johnson also spoke on other  cardiovascular diseases.

    Cardiovascular disease is not a single condition, but a general term used to describe conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels.

    Examples include: coronary heart disease, which describes a number of conditions caused by atherosclerosis of the arteries to the heart,heart failure, which is when the pumping action of the heart is impaired, and therefore its ability to supply blood to other parts of the body is less efficient, particularly on exertion, and peripheral arterial disease, which causes problems with the blood supply to the legs and arms.

    He identified the basic factors confronting the war against management of the diseases. They are  poor road networks, lack of many Nigerians not having any form of health insurance, quackery, not going for continuous medical education by specialists, lack of up-to-date equipment in hospitals and many not knowing their numbers or  even the cause of the disease.

    Though prevention is the best way to nip stroke in the bud, Johnson said when primary prevention fails, treatment and secondary prevention are the next stage and they are a lot more expensive than prevention.

    “With limited funding and a fragmented healthcare delivery system, this technology is not readily available to the lower income bracket,” said Dr Johnson.

    He said diagnosis and treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) has improved over the past decade and many health care facilities in the major cities now have echocardiography that is perhaps the most important diagnostic tool.

    According to him, “The main treatment is a combination of lifestyle changes (low salt diet) and medications most of which are available. With optimum medical treatment, the prognosis of heart failure has improved over the years but a significant number of patients succumb. Large proportions are at risk for sudden cardiac death (cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation) and implantation of an intra-cardiac defibrillator (ICD) can be performed to further reduce mortality.”

    He said in some patients with CHF and cardiac dysynchrony, left bundle branch block (LBBB),implantation of a cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) device can also improve symptoms and mortality.

    Dr  Johnson said: “The CRT device is a special type of a pacemaker that is placed in the heart to make the walls of the heart contract simultaneously. ICDs and CRT are available in Nigeria but they are expensive.The price ranges between N1.5 million and N3 million. Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a type of pump that can be placed to assist the left ventricle, this technology is expensive and requires continuous power supply and is not yet available in Nigeria.”

    In the meantime, Cardica catherisation, coronary angiography and stenting are now being performed in several institutions in Lagos, Ibadan and Abuja. The most effective treatment for a heart attack is direct angioplasty and stenting within 10 hours of symptom onset. In hospitals, that do not have this technology available, thrombolytic therapy is the next best option. Unfortunately, majority of patients do not get adequate treatment so mortality for ischemic heart disease in Nigeria is high.

    Dr Johnson said patients often report late, more than 24 hours after symptoms; most hospitals do not have the ability to perform ECG’s and cardiac enzymes. Diagnosis is made late, effective treatment is not given to prevent permanent myocardial damage. This increases the complication rate and mortality of myocardial infarction. The good news is that the technology is now available, the challenge is to make it accessible.”

    Dr Johnson said that many amputations being carried out in the country on people with diabetes is one too many, “because many surgeons erroneously believe that amputation is the last intervention for such people with wounds or sores that won’t heal due to diabetes mellitus. But modern management of diabetes mellitus has afforded us the luxury of rehabilitating such limbs, and the patient can live with same limbs, no matter how crude or crooked they may look. Such is better than the emotional trauma of losing one’s limbs”.

    The identified major causes of CVDs rapid growth in Nigeria to include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking, physical inactivity and obesity. “West Africa has the highest average levels of blood pressure in the world and unfortunately this trend is rising,” he stated.

    Dr Johnson said high blood pressure is responsible for approximately 50 percent of deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) and more than 60 percent of deaths from stroke- the two leading causes of preventable death, morbidity, and disability in the world.

    Excessive salt intake and reduced physical activity, according to him, are thought to be major contributory factors, “The average Nigerian diet contains about 9 grams of salt, compared to the European diet which contains about four to five grams. A meta-analysis of several studies suggests that a 5g higher salt intake is associated with a 17 percent greater risk of total CVD and, crucially, a 23 percent greater risk of stroke. The incidence of Type 2 diabetes has almost reached epidemic levels. Smoking does not appear to be a major factor in our population, but we have extremely high levels of air pollution from generators and kerosene cookers etc.,” he stated.

    Dr Johnson said eating habits are changing and a lot of people, especially the younger generation are transitioning to fast foods. “Rapid urbanisation has affected the way people get around and people are exercising less. In places like Lagos the daily commute can be anywhere from one to five hours, and there are security concerns that make it difficult to find the time to exercise or walk outdoors,” he said.

  • Medical students visit prison

    Medical students visit prison

    The Oko Prison at Oko Ogba Road in Benin City, Edo State capital, was a beehive last Saturday when members of the Christian Medical and Dental Association Students (CMDAS) of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Igbinedion University in Okada (IUO) visited the inmate.

    The students, numbering over 70, left from their campuses on an outreach to the facility. On their arrival, they were conducted round the facility by a warder, who enlightened them on the rules guiding prison yard. After the excursion, they students met with the prison inmates.

    Harry Ogodo, the association’s Mission Secretary, said the visit was part of the students’ mission to reach out to the needy. He urged the inmates not to feel condemned because of their predicament, urging them to make good use of their stay and apply lessons they learn whenever they gain freedom.

    “Being free is a thing of the mind and not necessarily means being out of prison,” Harry said.

    In his exhortation titled: Free at last, Aisosa Guobadia, a 600-Level student, told the inmate to build personal relationship with God for them to have divine mercy in hereafter. He used the story of Joseph in the Bible, who went to prison for an offence he did not commit, noting that God has better plans for the inmates.

    Some of the prisoners got born again during the encounter with the students, promising never to sin again.

    The visit also featured dental and health talk, where the students advised the inmate to wash their teeth daily and keep their environment neat to reduce the tendency disease outbreak. The students donated toiletries, wears, sanitary pad and food stuff to the inmates.

    The prison Director of Welfare Services, Mr J.I. Osemwengie hailed the students for the visit. He encouraged them to be focus and law-abiding.

    Obehi Eseaton, 300-Level Medicine and Surgery student, said the visit was more than an outreach but a life excursion. “It is good to be obedient. It is my prayers that God bring the inmates out of the prison soon,” he said.

     

  • Medical education and frustrated young graduates

    Some years ago during the Obasanjo administration, he was told that there were no positions in hospitals particularly teaching hospitals for medical graduates to do the compulsory one year requirement as house men without which their training will not be complete. If their training is not complete, they will not be able to practice medicine and they will not be able to serve in the NYSC. The president gave an executive order expanding the training positions in teaching hospitals.

    Around this time also a delegation of The Historical Society of Nigeria intimated the president that History had been muscled out of primary and secondary schools curricula and that no country can develop without a point of reference in the past. Furthermore it was pointed out to him that some of the anti-social behaviour noticeable in our youth and adults is a manifestation of the disconnect between the leadership and the follower-ship and between the present and the past. He was told that without solid grounding and connection with the past the present will be disjointed and the future will be uncertain.

    The president was persuaded and he issued an executive order restoring the teaching of history to the appropriate levels in the educational ladder. Unfortunately the presidential executive order was obeyed in the breach! The ministry of education simply put one huddle or the other in its way of implementation.

    The issue that is very critical right now is that of young people completing five or six-year medical programme in a university and having no where to finish their education as house officers. I would never have known about the existence of this problem but for the fact that my colleagues have children graduating and frantically searching for non-existent places in hospitals. I have had to join friends in this frantic search sometimes successfully but failing abjectly some other times. When my daughter finished her medical programme abroad, she did not have her dad around to run around looking for friendly CMDs.

    This is a problem that needed not to have arisen in the first place if we plan seriously in this country. The Nigerian Medical and Dental Council must share in the blame. Whenever it gave approval for establishment of medical schools, it ought to impose quotas on each approved medical school. All medical schools ab initio should be required to indicate where graduates would spend the stipulated one year of housemanship after graduating. The hospitals need not all be teaching hospitals. All specialist hospitals and some good private and general hospitals should be encouraged and funded to take in house officers. There may be need for caution in all and sundry starting medical schools. If we are not careful mushrooming private universities may catch the virus of starting medical schools for profit.

    Now that we know we have this problem the president of our country should issue an executive order immediately and not tomorrow asking the various hospitals afore mentioned to get cracking and solve the problem. Definitely there will be need for special appropriation to be made through the National Assembly and Senate. This problem must be permanently rested and terminated.

    As a professor who knows the challenges facing young people, I cannot fold my hands simply because it is not really my problem. It is everybody’s problem. There will come  a time in this country when old people like me will be challenged by young people for messing up the country if we can not plan well for the future. As leaders, we have become very insensitive to problems of the youth. There seems to be a total disconnect between the people and the leadership. The same disconnect manifests in the way we run the NYSC. Suddenly young people are being fleeced by asking them to pay N5,000 to access the NYSC website to register or get their states of posting ! Yet these young people are giving free service for their country. The same insensitivity led to young people stampeding after paying N1,000 to a private company recruiting immigration officers. Some died in the process including pregnant women. The illegality of the whole thing became clear when the Controller- General of Immigration Department said he knew nothing about the so-called recruitment. A job for the public service commission was firmed out to a powerfully connected company leading to the death of young Nigerians. Up till today no one was held accountable and punished.

    Young people are posted and put in harms way in states where it is generally known there is no security. A few years ago, parents were called to receive the corpses of their children brutally murdered in Plateau and Bauchi states during break-down of law and order. One of the governors of the states had the temerity to say the murder of youth corps members was an act of God. Lord have mercy! If God were man, He would have struck down this erring governor with thunder!

    James Baldwin wrote a book in the 1960s entitled the FIRE NEXT TIME to demonstrate pent-up anger among the youth particularly the black youth if their problems were not addressed. His prophesy came true when young Blacks during the Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidency started rioting and burning down American cities. Johnson responded by passing a comprehensive Civil Rights Act and embarked on building what he called the Great Society. To his eternal glory, he laid the foundation of what has now been described as an American Century. We should not wait until we have the equivalent of an Arab Spring or a revolt by our youth before embarking on youth-friendly policies at all levels of governments in Nigeria. If we do not do something positive to help the young people of Nigeria, we may all be swept off in the violence and blind fury that are bound to accompany youth frustration, disenchantment, discouragement and disappointment with the status quo.

  • Osaguona passes Raja Casablanca medical

    Osaguona passes Raja Casablanca medical

    Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that Raja Casablanca are on the brink of securing the signature of Osaguona Ighodaro from Enugu Rangers.

    The Morocco powerhouse showed their might after pulling the strings to arrange for his entry visa to the North African country on a weekend.

    Thus, the transfer which was on the brink of derailing was back on track, with the Nigeria international already passing a medical examination in Casablanca.

    Both parties – that is Raja Casablanca and Osaguona Ighodaro – are operating on the same wavelength, and in the coming hours the Africa powerhouse are expected to officially announce the acquisition of the Super Eagle.

    There is talk that the 24 – year – old will put pen to paper on a multi – year contract, whose duration is for four – and – a – half years.

  • Gbolahan Salami close to having medical

    Gbolahan Salami close to having medical

    Nigeria international forward Gbolahan Salami has revealed he is close to sealing a move to Red Star Belgrade when the January transfer window opens.

    The CHAN 2014 bronze medalist told AfricanFootball.com that he is excited with the prospect of joining the former European champions.

    “I am excited already and appreciate God for what he has been doing in my career. I am so happy that a big team like Red Star Belgrade is interested in my services,” Salami said.

    “My representatives Yomi Itsekure and Segun Ogunbayo(Murphy) have been working with a Serbian agent Goran Milovanovic about my move to Serbia and I have been informed that the deal is almost done. I will be in Serbia soon for a medical after which I will sign the deal,” he said.

    Salami, who got married two weeks ago, scored 17 goals last season in the Nigeria Premier League for Warri Wolves.

    The ex-3SC and Sunshine Stars striker has 11 caps for Nigeria with two goals.

  • Continuous medical education training for doctors

    Continuous medical education training for doctors

    India’s Apollo Hospitals Group, one of the world’s largest integrated healthcare providers, has held a two-day Continuous Medical Education (CME) training session in Lagos and Benin-City respectively. The training was to improve the medical competence of Nigerian health professionals.

    The training featured three topical issues in surgical procedures in knee replacement, amendment of heart failure and management of post-renal transplant conducted by Senior Consultant and joint replacement Surgeon, Dr Muhammed Sehar; Senior Cardiology Consultant Surgeon, Dr Sunil Modi and Senior Kidney Transplantation Consultant Surgeon, Dr Vijaya Rajakumari respectively. They all came from Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi India.

    Dr Modi said heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome characterised by abnormalities of left ventricular function and neuro-humoral regulation, accompanied by effort intolerance, fluid retention and reduced longevity.

    He explained that heart failure is not a disease, even as he added that diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetics, infection of the heart muscles and rheumatism could trigger failure of the heart.

    Dr Modi said hypertension is the number one silent killer of mankind because of its most common symptom which is “no symptom,” and the most common reason which “is no reason.”

    “Treating heart failure helps to relieve symptoms, helps to reduce exacerbations and helps to improve survival,” he said. He blamed the seemingly helpless situation on lack of awareness.

    While giving a critical insight into kidney transplant among patients, Dr Rajakumari explained that 50 per cent of patients were either diabetic or hypertensive.

    Her words: “If you look at these adults, the other 50 per cent will either be chronic nephritis or nephropathies. Lupus erythematosus is most common in children, some of whom are born with small kidneys. That is when they develop kidney failure.”

    Dr Oluwabusuyi Abu, one of the participants at the CME training, expressed satisfaction with the session and thanked the organisers for the initiative.

    He said: “I give kudos to Apollo Hospitals and Diamond Helix for this initiative. The session was well organised and the speakers were right on point. Within this short while, I have learnt a lot from the three different speakers who talked about issues related to our medical practice. They included knee replacement, amendment of heart failure as well as management of post-renal transplant. The three speakers did very well and I am very happy about that.”

    Another participant, Dr Gertrude Ogunkeye, said she learnt a lot from the programme, adding that she is in a better position to talk to all adults she knows to, at least, go for medical check-up once a month.

    Continuing, she said: “Make sure you are not hypertensive, make sure your kidneys are working well and whatever problems you have found, follow them with the doctor’s advice totally and carefully. Also, as a paediatrician, my job is to educate the mothers about taking care of their children’s health because a lot of problems that manifest in adults also manifest in the children.”

    Expressing her satisfaction for being part of the event, Dr Margret Uduma said: “I am going to review all the information I got here today. I am going to make sure I don’t forget any of them and I am going to put them into practice. I would also like to continue to educate myself medically.”

    General Manager, Marketing and Strategic Business for Apollo Hospitals Delhi Mr Raj Raina assured that the hospitals would provide observer programmes for Nigerian doctors.

  • Community relishes free medical services

    Not less than 1, 500 residents of the ancient town of Owo in Ondo State have benefited from free medical service courtesy of the family of one-time legislator in Old Western State House of Assembly, the late S. B. Aruwajoye. The free Medicare was provided for the community to mark the 30th anniversary of the late Aruwajoye.

    The beneficiaries will receive free treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes and eye problems.

    Speaking on behalf of the estate while inaugurating the programme, the newly installed Aruwajoye Ogbeni Oja of Owo Kingdom, Chief Akinboro Aruwajoye, said the gesture aimed at continuing the good works of their late father.

    He said the children decided to embark on the mission to further ensure healthy living of the people, even though they had been involved in the development of Owo community in the past.

    According to him, the late Aruwajoye, who was noted for his contributions to the development of Owo town, left a legacy of kindness and service to humanity which the children were trying to sustain.

    He said: “Our father left legacies of kindness and service to us as his children and to the community.

    “We have enjoyed goodwill from people. We therefore reasoned that it is imperative that we should also give back to the society in order to enhance the welfare of the less-privileged and contribute to the development of our community.

    “During the time of our late father, the community lacked water, electricity, telephone services and other amenities. He worked hard towards providing some of these services which helped in developing the community even from the council level.

    “We want to encourage well-meaning sons and daughters of Owo to join hands with others to render services that will impact positively on the lives of the people.”

    He, however, said the medical mission was a way of enhancing the health of members of the community, especially the aged.

    Aruwajoye said: “We considered those amenities and services which our people lack and which are essential for their well-being. That informed our choice of high blood pressure as one of the health issues that have caused death of many people in our community.

    “We also carry out tests on people to ascertain their diabetes status and eye problems. We are not just carrying out tests on them; we are also providing drugs and eye glasses.”

    The Head of the mission, Dr. Tony Olekwu, said the group was impressed with the turnout of people for the medical treatments.