Concerned about the plight of patients in the General Hospital, Kontagora, the Sani Bello Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has distributed sanitary materials, toiletries and fruits to over 100 patients.
The distribution was part of the foundation’s contributions to commemorate the 48th birthday of the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.
Materials distributed included detergents, soaps, disinfectants, tissue papers and fruits such as orange, bananas and pineapples, among others.
The materials were received by the management of the hospital that commended the gesture of the NGO. It urged other organisations to emulate the gesture in order to touch the lives of the needy.
Speaking after the exercise, the Director-General Sani Bello Foundation, Mr. Zakari Ikani said the distribution was part of the organisation social services to the community.
“This is the character of the Sani Bello Foundation. This year, we decided to celebrate the 48th birthday of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello with the patients in Kontagora General Hospital. We want to touch the lives of the patients on this special day. I believe we have succeeded in doing so. We intend to do more for the less-privileged persons in the state,” Ikani said.
The Sani Bello Foundation, which was founded by Colonel Sani Bello (rtd) in 2012, has been in the vanguard of youth and women empowerment in Niger State.
Rotary Club of Gbagada in Lagos has donated some household items to Gbagada General Hospital patients.
The club’s President, Lanre Akintilo, former president and District Governor Yomi Adewunmi and over 50 members danced from ward to ward during the donation. Many of the patients joined the chorus from their beds.
Akintilo said they embarked on the trip to show their joy at Christmas. He said the lessons of the day, which involved sacrificial giving and sharing, were also what the club preaches. He praised the hospital for its cleanliness, saying it was possible through ‘’the exceptional leadership’’ provided by its Medical Director Tayo Lawal and the hospital’s 530 staff.
For Adewunmi, it was a homecoming for the club. He traced the relationship between the club and the hospital to 28 years ago, when the club laid the foundation, built and inaugurated the Children’s Ward. Over the years, he said, the club has donated various items worth millions of naira to the hospital.
Representative of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Atinuke Onaiyiga, who is the Director, Medical Services, thanked the club for the gesture and for adopting the hospital as a recipient of its corporate social responsibilities (CSR). She praised the government for its health delivery service, noting that it is doing a phenomenal thing. She however called for ‘’strategic planning for health services for all citizens’’.
Lawal, a former president of the club also thanked the club for its gesture, noting that yearly the club members came to the hospital to felicitate with patients.
At the event, awards were given to some staff and wards. Female ward won the first prize, followed by maternity and male wards. Dr. Popoola Olalekan, won the Best worker Award while the Best Junior Worker Award went to Muyili Ramoni, the hospital’s Chief driver.
You can save a cancer patient from dying. How? It is by donating a bone marrow.
That gesture will guarantee that a seamless bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is performed on a patient.
A stem cell transplantation is recommended for people with leukemia, multiple myeloma, and some types of lymphoma. It may also be used to treat some genetic diseases that involve the blood, such as sickle cell disorder (SCD).
And that is what Miss Ronke Babalakin, Miss Babalakin, daughter of Chairman, Bi-Courtney Highways Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has developed a passion for – to recruit donors, and connect recipients to the pool site – German Registry, Die Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei (DKMS) and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
Miss Babalakin explained that a diseased bone marrow (the spongy, fatty tissue found inside larger bones) is destroyed with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and then replaced with highly specialised stem cells that develop into healthy bone marrow.
“Although this procedure used to be referred to as a bone marrow transplant, today it is more commonly called a stem cell transplant because it is stem cells in the blood that are typically being transplanted, not the actual bone marrow tissue,” she said.
As promising as this option is, Miss Babalakin said the main challenge is the dearth of donors. And that is why she has floated a non-governmental organisation Ara (Yoruba name for Wonder).
According to her, the “scarcity of donors is depriving so many cancer patients of this novel treatment. This is of concern to many, especially those who have lost family members or friends. That is why we came up with Ara, a pan-African bone marrow and cord blood donor recruitment group to explore recruitment for bone marrow donors to save lives. The group aims to get 30,000 bone marrow donors by the end of 2018; ensure that these donors can be found through international donor searches, and educate African communities about treatments for blood cancers and sickle cell anemia. We already have a website-www.ara-africa.org, and we can be contacted via info@ara-africa.org.”
Miss Babalakin, who has a background in finance, said she founded Ara because though she lost a friend, another recovered through the procedure.She however decried the low response to bone marrow donation. “It is not common in Nigeria, and even globally,” she said.
She said Nigerians should not wait until somebody is in a dire strait before donors are recruited. “Bone marrow has been found to provide cure for blood cancers and sickle cell anaemia. Culture, myth and religion are some of the reasons people do not donate their bone marrow. Less than one per cent of Africans are involved in donating their bone marrow. We have found out that it is hard for African cancer patients to find donors. Why? Going by the population of this continent, there are 68, 222 potential donors in Africa. This represents a paltry 0.006 per cent of the continent’s population. There is the need to raise awareness on voluntary donation so that people can come forward to donate their bone marrow to save lives,” she added.
“The likelihood of a black person to find a perfect match in bone marrow treatment at the time of need is slim because of dearth of donors. Our long-term goal is to provide the logistics and infrastructure to ensure the seamless recruitment of donors in cities all over Africa.
“This is different in comparison to the United States with potential donors of 10,500,000, which represents 3.3 per cent of its population. The United Kingdom has 894,714 potential donors, which represent 1.4 per cent of its population,” she said.
Miss Babalakin said the group has received about $200,000 from DKMS to start the recruitment in the country. “At the moment, there are only two registries in Africa: South African Registry and Ara,” she said.
Ara Director/Volunteer Coordinator, Miss Piriye Anga, said adults under 45 could donate, adding that it is not risky.
She said there was the need to educate people that blood collected would not be used for rituals, but only for surgery.”The greatest challenge is convincing people to donate their bone marrow. We need to raise awareness to reduce the stigma, which surrounds cancer in Nigeria and Africa,” she said.
Miss Anga said the group was already enjoying the support of other NGOs in its drive to get bone marrows.
On how to donate, Miss Babalakin said there are three ways to do so.
“One can be a donor through peripheral blood stem cell, bone marrow or be a financial supporter.
“Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation is a simple procedure. Blood is removed through a needle on one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm. It is used in 70 per cent of cases. Seventy-five per cent of all PBSC donations are completed in one session, which may take up to eight hours. A donor may feel muscle aches for about five days after the procedure, but some donors have reported feeling no pain 30 minutes to an hour after the procedure,” she added.
For bone marrow donation, “it is a surgical procedure. “Local or general anesthesia will be used, so there is no pain when the marrow is collected. It is used in 30 per cent of cases, and on children because they experience a higher success rate from marrow transplants as opposed to blood stem cell donation. Donors feel discomfort and some pains in their lower back from one or two weeks,’’ said Miss Babalakin.
To fewer than 1,000 residents of Ozi community in Kogi Local Government Area, Kogi State have benefited from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Health Initiative For Rural Dwellers Scheme (HIRD).
The one-week free healthcare service was initiated by the NYSC to impact positively on rural communities across the country.
Kogi State Governor Idris Wada lauded the NYSC HIRD initiative which was designed to provide affordable and timely healthcare intervention for the large rural population of the country who lack access to basic medical care due to their distant locations from health facilities.
Speaking at flag off of scheme, Governor Wada described the programme as novel and worthwhile as conceived by the NYSC Director General, Brigadier-General Johnson Bamidele Olawunmi.
He said that the initiative was in tandem with his administration’s transformation agenda in taking health delivery to the door steps of the rural dwellers in the state.
The governor who was represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Idris Omede stated that the presence of corps members in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, would fulfill its objectives of taking healthcare service to the remote parts of the country.
He commended the management of the scheme for its commitment to the takeoff of the HIRD Week, assuring that the administration will continue to support it.
Earlier in his address, the NYSC Director- General, Brigadier Johnson Bamidele Olawunmi explained that the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers which was conceived over a year ago has today become not only a reality, but also a programme that has gained national acceptance, stressing that successes recorded in the two pilot states of Kwara and Lagos were being replicated in the other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“Against this backdrop, the goals of the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers programme is to mobilize corps medical volunteers in the provision of health intervention through diagnosis, treatment, referrals and proper prevention mechanism, thereby enhancing general well-being of rural dwellers across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria,” he stated.
Represented by the state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Bolanle Agatha Olatunji, the DG posited that volunteer medical personnel will form the core of the team.
The NYSC medical team attended to various cases with the people of Ozi community along Lokoja-Abuja Road.
The police said yesterday that they had arrested two persons suspected to have defiled patients and nurses at a hospital in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State after robbing them.
The suspects, Demola David and Dare Oladunjoye, have also been identified as the suspected killers of Alayande Oladipo, who was shot dead in Ijebu-Ode on August 25.
Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the suspects were responsible for the robbery and rape at the hospital.
Eight robbery suspects have been nabbed by the police attached to Igbeba Division, Ijebu-Ode after a gun battle.
Adejobi said the leader of the eight-man gang, Ayomide Muruf (alias Sucker) was injured.
Other arrested members of the gang are Kayode (alias Small), Tunde Reuben, Tomiwa Adekoye, Adeyemi Adegoke, Kufe Emmanuel, Moses Udoh and Akeem Adenrele (alias Polo). He said the search for others would continue.
Adejobi said Police Commissioner Abdulmajid Ali had directed that the suspects be moved to the Special Anti-robbery Squad, Abeokuta for further investigation.
No fewer than 10 patients with hearing loss will be restored at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) between now and next month.
On Monday, a 64-year-old man has had his deafness reversed through cochlear implantation.
This is courtesy of the hearing restoration initiative of the Lagos State government.
The hospital’s Director of Clinical Service and Training (DCST), Dr Ayoade Adedokun, said some patients had been medically selected for the implantation.
The hearing restoration, he said, was in line with the vision of the state to restore hope to the hopeless.
“The experts have restored hearing to a 64-year-old man already. He is presently recuperating in the ward. The other nine surgeries would be performed between now and next month,” he said.
He said cochlear implantation started in the hospital last year with experts coming from overseas to perform the first cochlear surgery, adding: “But by the end of last year, we were able to carry out another wholly by indigenous doctors. So, the one performed on the 64-year-old man would mark the beginning of the second set of surgeries performed by the hospital staff.”
Adedokun said the capacity of LASUTH Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) experts was built in Austria about two years ago to enable them perform the surgery locally.
This, he said, will deter Nigerians from seeking such treatment abroad as it is now available locally.
The DCST said people who have lost their hearing because of their professional lives can be restored. Similarly, those with congenital hearing problem can hear again with cochlear implantation, he added.
Adedokun thanked the government for initiating the programme, stressing that it is building on the foundation laid by the administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who transformed Ikeja General Hospital to LASUTH.
Head, Department of ENT, Dr Vincent Adekoya said the ear is not just for hearing but also to maintain body balance.
He said deafness can be mild and profound or severe, adding that patients with the latter can be restored because “they need an amplifier or microphone in their ears but if this cannot address their problem will be addressed through cochlear implantation.
The causes of hearing loss, he said, are congenital, meaning somebody was born with it, infections, such as mumps and measles and drugs.
Some people, he said, can come down with hearing loss due to ear trauma, which can occur when people’s ears are exposed to more than 80 or 90 decibels of noise/sound.
“This kind of hearing loss is common among factory workers where obsolete heavy equipment/ machines are used as they produce loud noise. Also, people who use headsets are prone to hearing loss, which destroys their ear cells,” Adekoya said.
The ENT expert said the problem can be prevented if expectant mothers have antenatal and deliver at health facilities.
According to him, no Austrian has hearing loss problem because there is a system, which allows experts to pick the condition six months after the birth babies in their country.
Besides, factory workers should have regular hearing (auditory) test so that the problem can be picked early and treated.
The use of headsets, Adekoya said, should be discouraged.
He urged the Federal Government to put in place a policy to help minimise noise in public places, especially in residential areas.
A Surgical oncologist at Apollo Hospitals, India, Dr Ajit Pai, has recommended surgeries for cancer treatment, especially those in the throat, pancreas, and liver.
According to him, surgeries can be performed on patients to remove cancerous growths in some organs because they are amenable to surgical treatment.
He spoke at a workshop for surgeons in Lagos.
Those amenable to surgeries, he said, are called solid organ cancers. “They are distinct from those involving the blood or bone marrow elements (leukemias or blood cancer) or lymphatic glands (lymphomas),” he said.
He listed solid organ cancers as those involving the mouth, throat, voice box, intestinal system, liver and pancreas, genitourinary organs, breast, brain and bones.
Pai said surgical intervention is necessary in most cancers to obtain a diagnosis or to cure the patient.
He said surgical medicine is a field that is continuously evolving. “Some of the latest advances, which we have incorporated into practice, are organ preservative, minimally invasive and robotic surgeries.
He said: “In the past, cancer surgery was mutilating and associated with functional and cosmetic defects. Modern cancer treatment uses radiation and chemotherapy to shrink tumors, so that a less mutilating but equally effective operation can be performed. For instance, in rectal cancers, almost half the patients would normally require complete removal of the rectum, with a permanent bag to drain intestinal contents (colostomy). Now, we are able to shrink tumors with radiation, such that the majority of patients are able to have a normal intestinal passage without need for a bag.
“Breast cancer is another tumor wherein the majority of women do not need complete removal of the breast. Chemotherapy can be used to shrink the tumor followed by removal of the lump and the nodes in the armpit, preserving the form and function of the breast. This is especially important as we see more women with cancers at a young age.”
Pai said cancer surgery was always open with large incisions, adding that this has changed with the invention of minimal invasive surgery.
“Numerous studies have shown that ‘keyhole’ surgery, using laparoscopic techniques, is equally effective. It has similar cure rates, is less painful and has a quicker return to normal activities than open surgery. There is minimally invasive surgery for cancers of the foodpipe (esophagus), stomach, pancreas, large intestine (colon) and rectum, and for gynaecologic cancers involving the uterus and cervix,” he said.
The latest technology for cancer surgery, he said, is robotic surgery.
SIR: We wish to refer to the above article published in your widely-read newspaper on Tuesday, May 19, which was addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.
It is our pleasure to inform you that the article has resulted in significant positive results. We now get our radiopharmaceuticals in time as they are now cleared promptly from the airport.
Please, accept our sincere thanks for that prompt and timely publication.
We also wish to use this medium to express our gratitude to our President who has shown compassion to our cancer patients who are all Nigeria citizens.
Please, accept our esteemed regards while wishing you all success in your future endeavours.
In their secluded environment, love and care came to them. CHRIS OJI reports that a non-governmental organisation (NGO) provided free screening, among other things, for patients at Oji River Leprosy Settlement
Who loves the leper? For their ailment, they are quietly removed from the society, with no one but their families and fellow sufferers to talk to.
It was in that secluded settlement by the Oji River in Enugu State that the Bina Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) met them, treated them and gave them the feeling that their ailment did not make them any less human needing love and care.
There was also merriment at the meeting, just like a Christmas party. It was a visit with a view to providing for people with special needs. The children were treated to a special party in commemoration of the forthcoming Children’s Day celebrations.
There was a big cake for the occasion from the Bina Foundation and children danced happily to music provided by the Foundation’s musical band, most of who physically challenged.
•Children had their own dancing session
Prizes were won by those who competed and danced well in the dancing competition. Children were also entertained by Bina Foundation’s Superman, clown, prince and princess who distributed various gifts to them.
Bina Foundation visited the settlement with a dedicated team of volunteers made up of seven medical doctors, pharmacists, lab scientists, nurses and social workers. The team conducted medical screening tests for common ailments like malaria, diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma, among others. They also performed eye examinations and provided medications and reading glasses to patients who needed them. All these were done free of charge.
The visually challenged and the blind, who were trained at the Bina Foundation Resource and Recreational Centre for the blind were also in attendance. They were part of the medical outreach giving medical attention to those in need. It was interesting watching the blind health workers as they were checking patients’ weight, blood pressure and so on with special machines that voiced the results.
Some of the excited blind medics Emmanuel Eze and Gabriel Ejenta told our correspondent that Bina Foundation had restored their dignity by proving to them that there is ability in disability through the special trainings and programme towards independent living for the blind. “Before now, all hopes were lost, until Bina stepped into our lives, as you can see we can operate computer, these machines or gadgets in front of us with assistance. It was a dream that Bina made come true. We just can’t stop thanking Bina foundation”.
There was a mini-lab created at the venue by Bina Foundation where various diseases or ailments were tested for. Ailments such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, were investigated with an instant test that gives instant result and instant medication. All these were for free. Where a case is serious and could not be handled there, it is referred to specialist centres and subsequent follow-up exercise by Bina Foundation.
Founder and President of Bina Foundation, Lady Ifeoma Atuegwu explained that the foundation was a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to alleviating the pain and suffering of people with special needs. “We strive to improve their lives through our skills acquisition and vocational training programmes, women empowerment, poverty reduction, provision of free and quality medical services, as well as general charity works. We also provide nutritional, educational, financial, emotional and psychological support,” she told the inmates.
Atuegwu explained that the foundation was privately funded but welcomes volunteers and donors who share their vision of offering and providing selfless charity services to humanity. This, she said, includes the physically and mentally challenged, the blind, deaf and mute, orphans and vulnerable children, the aged, indigent widows, and the marginalised in our society.
The founder stressed: “In line with the aims and objectives of the Foundation we are visiting the Oji River leprosy settlement today with our total package. We have come with our dedicated team of selfless volunteers made up of medical doctors, pharmacists, lab scientists, nurses and social workers. Our team shall conduct medical screening tests for common ailments like malaria, diabetes, high blood pressure, and glaucoma, which could lead to blindness. In addition, our eye doctors will perform eye examinations, provide medications, and reading glasses, where deemed necessary.
“We are here with high quality drugs, food, drinks, snacks, toiletries, educational materials, and other gifts to be given to you all for free. We also have a special party for the children in recognition of the upcoming Children’s Day Celebration. “Our entertainment today will be provided by the very talented Bina Foundation Musical Band, majority of who are physically challenged.
“In addition, our Superman, Clown, Prince and Princess will entertain the children and distribute gifts later in the programme. By the end of the occasion, we are confident that you all will be morally and spiritually invigorated.”
She commended the efforts of the Anglican Communion for taking care of the residents of the settlement, but was quick to add, “A lot is left to be done. I humbly implore the government at all levels, high spirited individuals, philanthropists, churches, local and international NGOs to come to the aid of the residents.”
“It is obvious that the Oji River Leprosy settlement is nearly abandoned with many of the buildings dilapidated. This led to the settlers begging for alms along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway as the only means to sustain themselves and their families.
“I must acknowledge my husband and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, Pharm. Sir Chris Atuegwu, for his financial and moral support. He has accompanied me to all of the medical and charitable outreaches the Foundation has embarked on and is here with us today. The support I have always received from my children and other family members has been overwhelming, and I thank them for their passion in helping the poor and needy in our society.”
Atuegwu further expressed gratitude to the staff and volunteers of the Foundation especially the visually challenged and the blind, who were trained at the Bina Foundation Resource & Recreational Centre for the Blind, for their contribution to the medial outreach saying that it was part of their programme towards independent living for the blind.
They have been cured and certified fit to go home. The concern is that they have nothing to start a new life.
That is the situation of some leprosy patients who have been discharged from the Mile 4 Hospital in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
They have overcome the health challenge but have no idea how to start something on their own upon which to sustain themselves and their families. That is why they have appealed to anyone who can help, from individuals to organisations and governments. Cash will come in handy but they said they really need a skill acquisition centre in the leprosy colony where they can learn a trade and become self-reliant.
Speaking to our reporter during the Easter celebrations organised for the leprosy patients by the Hospital Visionaries of Mary, a charity organisation under the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, about six of the victims of the disease lamented that although they have received cure and been discharged they can’t go home because they have nothing to start life with.
Confirming their plight, a staff of Mile 4 Hospital Mr. Dennis Ndubusi said the challenge is not only that the victims can’t go home but also that most of their children have not been enrolled into primary school. The negative effect of such is that the children could be a burden to the government and society at large when they grow up.
Mr. Ndubusi said urgent academic assistance to the children and the aged ones becomes necessary because some of the discharged patients who went back home have died because nobody was there to help them and could not help themselves because the sickness effected them seriously.
Touched by the appeal from the patients, the founder of the charity organisation Rev. Fr, Dr. Chidi Obasi said he and his team would do something to help them stressing that the NGO depends on public assistance to render help to the indigent patients.
Fr. Obasi said on their own (the organisation), they may not solve the problems but was optimistic that with the support from people, hospital visitationaries will do the little they can.
He went further to commend those who have contributed to the organisation.
He disclosed that last year the organisation paid the total sum of 1.5m to offset hospital bills of indigent patients at federal teaching hospital Abakaliki and is poised to do more this year.
President of the charity organisation, Kelvin Muolokwu assured them of their prayers adding that they should love each other and have hope of healing from God.
He Explained that the Easter visit was to show them how important they are to the society and God that was why the organisation took it upon themselves to come and celebrate with them on the Easter celebration.
