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Tag: University College Hospital

  • UI students protest 82-day power outrage at UCH

    UI students protest 82-day power outrage at UCH

    Students from the University of Ibadan (UI) on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest against the 82-day power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

    UCH is the teaching hospital where medical students from UI are trained.

    The Nation learnt UCH has been experiencing power outage for the past year due to debts owed to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC.

    IBEDC cut off the power supply to the hospital in March 2024 due to unpaid electricity bills.

    The electricity distribution company earlier disconnected the hospital’s power supply in November 2023 for the same reason.

    The power supply has not been restored.

    To express dissatisfaction with the situation at the hospital. The students were led by President of the Students’ Union, SU, Bolaji Aweda.

    Read Also: JUST IN: UI students to embark on peaceful demonstration after 7-day ultimatum to FG over blackout 

    Speaking with newsmen, Aweda stated that students of the institution have been directly affected.

    According to him: “We are protesting against what is happening. And, of course, our students are affected.

    “For 82 days, there has been no light at UCH, and this is due to the inability of UCH to pay its electricity bill to IBEDC.

    “IBEDC has demanded that UCH settle its debt before they will restore power.”

  • ‘I saw the good, the bad and the ugly sides of UCH’

    The immediate past Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, in this interview with Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE reflects on his eight-year tenure which ended February, 2019.

    HOW has it been in the last eight years?

    Well, I think it’s been more of a mixed lesson and a lot of challenges having been thrown up and for me, the mindset prior to assuming office has been well articulated. There are few things that I probably would have loved to put in place but I couldn’t. But in all, I think I feel fulfilled.

    At the start of your career, what were the things you desired to accomplish as the CMD of UCH and looking back today, how much did you accomplish?

    I must begin by stating categorically that I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly times of the University College Hospital (UCH). I began my medical career as a student at the University of Ibadan 1977/78 session as it was called, and I moved over to the University College Hospital in 1980. Those for me were the days when there was excellence in practice, attitude, and Medicine was exciting as a profession. Subsequently, after my internship, I proceeded to serve the nation and then I began my postgraduate studies in 1987. Between 1983 and 1987 when I graduated, there was huge defect that I found when I came in to start my postgraduate studies. Technically, I saw the good and I saw the bad when things were not the way they should. And then when I went to England to train as an Orthopaedic surgeon, I came back in 1995 and I saw the ugly. My understanding of the funding principle of the UCH was still registered in my mind, from my initial clinical days in 1980. So, my mindset was to try not re-enact the good old days because if you look at the good old days, it means you’re retrogressive. I wanted to bring about the changes that would reposition the UCH as a centre of excellence in clinical service delivery, and also as the reference point in healthcare in Nigeria. And I adopted a theme called REBIRTH OF EXCELLENCE.

    The UCH was established on a tripod – training, research and service delivery. On assumption of office on the March 1, 2011, the deficiencies that I saw in the system prior to my assumption of office were quite frightening. So, my mindset was to try and address those defects.  I, therefore, set about wanting to know what has gone wrong with the training. It was apparent to me that most of the healthcare professionals had not even gone for refresher courses, or update courses for up to five to 10 years and the aftermath of that is that they were deficient in new technologies, new methods of treating patients, new investigations and all of those things. They were living on past glory. I then embarked on the 3B principles of management. I wanted to build the people, get every professional group to up their game by engaging in training of all sorts – some postgraduate, some courses, and then when these people are trained, my perception was that they would come up with new ideas, then they can set up what I call a system. That is the second B – building system. Any institution that does not have a system or a structure is bound to fail. The system that is dependent on individuals just popping up now and again is bound to fail. And so I wanted these people that have been built up in their various professional callings to come and build me a system and a structure that will outlive everybody. So we began the building of standard operating procedures. You have to be knowledgeable enough in what you’re doing for you to be able to give a standard operating procedure for various techniques – whether clinical, surgical or laboratory. Building infrastructure was the third B. Those 3 Bs I have, by the grace of God, been able to put together.

    We now have a training centre that allows courses to be run in the hospital, to bring the courses home. People will technically be forced to go for the training because this time they’re not travelling to Maiduguri or going to Rivers State. The first training centre is called Professor Olu Ajebo Continuing Development Centre. We established a training centre for every cadre. We have a dry lab, we have a wet lab, we have the lecture theatre. We have toilet facilities attached to a generator, cooling system so that when you’re having your lectures, you have a very conducive atmosphere. And till date, that training centre has been the bedrock for training in UCH.

    We instituted the cardio pulmonary resuscitation course. It is a mandatory course in any health institution. You must know how to resuscitate somebody who collapses. You don’t have to be a medical doctor. We teach them the basics. So, almost one third of UCH staff, as I speak, have been trained in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation that we call CPR. Then we began to run the basic trauma course. The basic trauma course is for every newly employed medical doctor, whether as a house officer or as a resident doctor. Outside of medical emergencies, the second commonest emergency in the Emergency Department is actually trauma-related. So, you must know how to handle the patients who come in. The Total Quality Management (TQM) was established primarily as a policeman for me and the management. They were to look at issues in the hospitals for which there are complaints, they are to address them or proffer solutions. So the TQM Department, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, has actually instituted 105 processes. They have numerous processes. One of them is patient compliance with medications, attendance in clinics, waiting time in clinics, water supply to the clinic, and the kind of food patients eat, the quality of the food, the taste of the food etc.

    In 2012, the commonest causes of death were hypertension-related diseases like stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Of course, we made so much noise about cardiovascular diseases, people should check their blood pressures, we had outreach programmes, we offered free treatment for patients with hypertension and diabetes. Two years after, we looked at the mortality, the deaths from cardiovascular diseases had been overtaken by trauma and as at 2015, the commonest cause of death was cancer. Interventions may not show up immediately. But over a long period of time, we can see the effect. We didn’t treat all of them but the fact is that there was an awareness going on in the 11 local governments in Ibadan and four local governments in Oyo where we found that the commonest disease among the people above the age of 40 was hypertension-related. We believe that our intervention is having effects.

    What would you describe as your most anxious moment as the CMD?

    It is when we have industrial actions and there are many patients in the ward at the Emergency Department. My mindset or one of the guiding principles that made me to apply for the job was to reduce the incidents of preventable deaths. So, I get very anxious when there’s a strike. What that means is that patients are not going to be looked after. The chances are that some of them will die prematurely on issues that are preventable. So, those are the only times I get a little bit agitated. Otherwise, I take this job as personally as I can.

    How did your immediate family receive the news of the end of your tenure as the CMD of UCH?

    Well my wife is excited, very excited. She is happy that she’s going to have more time with me. I love farming, I usually go to the farm every Saturday unless we have restrictions like the election or there is an important wedding I have to attend. I’m not a very sociable person, so I’m family oriented. I like to stay with my nuclear family. So, she is very happy that this burden of being in the hospital all day, all night is over. I only see my wife on Sundays. We prefer to go to the farm, she also loves farming. So, we play golf together on Sundays. We spend about four hours just talking to each other and playing golf.

    You’ve been here for decades; you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career both in practice and administration. Are you going back to the classroom or looking forward to contesting as a politician?

    (Laughs)…Well, contest is not in the making at this moment but the truth of the matter is that I still love research. I’m going to be 60 years old next year and my retirement at the university as a professor is pegged at 70 years. So, I still have 10 active academic years to run. I’ve been embarking on a research activity for almost 20 years. I’ve been working on bone infections. I may do a little more research on antibioticarial system, this time not treating bone infections alone but also treating chronic bone cavities and also treating infected wounds. I hope to work with my son who is currently studying for his Master’s in Biotechnology and he has produced a particular material that I think I might work on and he said if I need to be taught, I should come to his lab. So, I’m looking forward to that. And if an offer of a job that I think might impact lives comes up, yes I will take it but for now I will be more than happy to go back to what makes me deep. That’s to teach and to operate patients. I had a patient that accosted my secretary while I was the CMD. He said “I’ve never seen your boss this happy. He’s smiling, laughing…” I just operated on him. They told him that the happiest day of Professor Alonge’s life in the week is when he goes into the operating room and he comes back. This is because all my attention is focused on getting somebody getting better, aligning the bone and treating infection. That’s what makes me happy. Otherwise, I am open to a lot of things but I am not contesting.

    While doing your research, would that mean that you are still a member of staff of the UCH?

    Well, I will be part of it as an honorary consultant. I’m going to resume back at the University of Ibadan on March 1 because I was loaned by the University to the hospital. So, I took leave of absence for eight years. I am going to be appreciating the Vice Chancellor for allowing me to serve as the Chief Executive of UCH and I will be more than happy to teach my students. I’ve got a mentee, a medical student attached to me and I’ll still teach my resident doctors. I read their proposals, give them topics for their parting dissertation, I’ve done that as a CMD. My books and scrups are in the rest room. So, I will be back to the College of Medicine as a member of staff.

  • JOHESU Strike: Health workers shut down UCH

    Activities at the University College Hospital (UCH) , Ibadan collapsed on Wednesday as scores of health workers deserted work in compliance with the national strike embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) .

    There was panic among patients as the news of the industrial action spread yesterday , while all out-patients were turned back .

    Five unions under JOHESU ; Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals ( NUAHP), Non Academic Staff Union( NASU), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives , Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria, and Senior Staff Association of University Teaching Hospital and Research Institution , all complied with the directive contained in the circular  number  NUAHP/GS/NEC/JOHESU/VOL.I/ 0 4,  from the national body dated 16 April ,2018.

    All departments except medical practitioners, were shut down.

    The management, though said it has put a lot of palliatives to cushion the effect of the strike , still found it difficult to handle the load of work created by the strike.

    Mr Ayodeji Bobade, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the hospital said the management was not caught unaware of the strike , adding that adequate measures have been put in place to manage the crisis .

    For example, he said medical doctors were fully on ground to handle emergency cases , while cases that could not be addressed were promptly referred to other hospitals.

    When our reporter visited on Wednesday, about 90 percent of the departments were paralysed by the strike which commenced on Wednesday.

    Activities at Physiotherapy, Records, Pharmacy, Radiography , Engineering , Stores, and Medical laboratory departments were severely affected .

    The President of  NUAHP , Dr. O. Ogbonna justified the action , blaming the federal government for turning deaf ears to the agreement entered into with the union since 2014.

    He charged members of the union to maintain strict compliance with the decision of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) .

    “Any act of sabotage or threats to any member by the Management or whatsoever should be reported to the National Secretariat without delay please. Please, note that the action is total and indefinite”, he warned.

     

  • UI: Medical students protest N100, 000 new professional training levy

    A peaceful protest was staged on Thursday by the medical students of the University of Ibadan against the introduction of N100,000 health professional training levy.

    The protesting students drawn from the College of Medicine made their displeasures known at the Alexander Brown Hall (ABH), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, displaying placards with different inscriptions.

    Some of the inscriptions read: “Health Professional Training Levy is scam”, “No to N100,000”, “We cannot afford it”,  “Save Ibadan Medicine”, and “Free Education is my right.”

    The protesting students also locked the gate to the hall of residence and prevented entry and exit into the ABH until around 4pm.

    One of the protesters who spoke under the condition of anonymity said: “We are protesting because of the increment on top of our N23,000 school fees. Initially, the management told us that they would add professional training levy to our school fees, and it will be for all professional courses in the university such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering and so on.

    “But the medical students in the College of Medicine are the only ones that have been mandated to pay the fees. It is not good. Why will brilliant students will be treated poorly like that?”

    Another protester also stated: “The College of Medicine said it takes about N600, 000 to train a medical student. And gradually the university wants to increase the fees we are paying gradually through the college to N600, 000.

    “In this ABH, our accommodation fee has also been increased from N14, 000 to N40, 000. Only one tap is working in this hall. We go as far as UCH first gate to fetch water, yet we are not complaining. But the N100, 000 health professional training levy is too much. Many of us cannot afford it.

    “I am in this College of Medicine because I am brilliant. I do menial jobs to complement the stipend my parents are giving me in order to maintain my studentship in the college. Many of my colleagues are orphans.

    “If the levy is not reversed, many of us will drop out of school.  Not only that, Medicine will become a course that will be studied only by children of the rich. I know my financial capabilities, which is why I opted for federal university. If I have rich parents, I would have gone to a private university.”

    Efforts to get comments from the Provost, College of Medicine, did not yield positive result as he was said to have gone for a programme on the campus of UI at the time of visit to the office.

    Sources however hinted that Prof Adebowale Afuwape, who was introduced as Dean of Students, College of Medicine, was said to have addressed the students at the ABH with a promise that he would take their message to the management of the college.

    The protesting students, it was learnt however, did not allow him into the premises of the ABH, as he addressed them from across the gate that was firmly locked.

     

  • UCH resident doctors issues fresh strike notice

    UCH resident doctors issues fresh strike notice

    Members of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, University College Hospital Ibadan Chapter on Friday, issued a ten days strike notice to the authorities of the hospital over issues ranging from poor working environment, employment of more doctors to poor remuneration of members.

    The doctors said they would proceed on total strike unless the management of the hospital paid the arrears of their salaries and employ more doctors to ease the pressure on them.

    President of the union, Dr Olusegun Olaopa, while addressing journalist at a press  conference which held at the secretariat of the Association, said the hospital lacked the required number of resident doctors and that the available ones live in dilapidated quarters and in fear of snakes and other reptiles that competed the space with them.

    He said: “After the national strike was called off based on understanding with the Federal Government, the UCH management is handling the issue of resident doctors poorly. One of the issues is the employment of more doctors. The hospital continues to postpone plan to employ more doctors despite having a huge shortfall in the quota.

    “The doctors cannot run the hospital with their blood. We are 457 in number instead of the recommended 525 doctors. What this means is that we are now doing the work of ward maid in addition to our statutory duties. It is clear that the FG pays subvention to cover 525 doctors so the hospital should employ the balance.

    “It is shocking that despite the fact that the FG released money to pay our shortfall of salaries, we have yet to be paid. The FG should come and look at the audit system in the hospital to ascertain what the money was used for. For the past two weeks, our salaries have been released to the hospital by the FG but that money has yet to be paid even though other staff has been paid. We got 72 per cent of our salary in August. This is no more acceptable”

    ‘We are giving a grace of 10 days to the management to address all the issues raised after which we would go on total strike.

    “The lives of people taking care of patients are being endangered by the hospital management. If these issues are not holistically addressed in the next 10 days, we will not have an option than to proceed on total strike. We appeal to the public and government to help us prevail on the management to do the right thing,”
    Olaopa lamented that several letters had been written to the management as regards the issues as well as held several meetings but with no result, adding that the failure of the management to resolves the issues at stake has impact negatively on the harmonious working environment at the hospital.

    He stated that some structures within the hospital are in bad shape while members of the Association as well patients are being exposed to danger on daily basis due to negligence of the management.

  • JOHESU Strike: UCH grounded as workers place sacrifices in hospital

    JOHESU Strike: UCH grounded as workers place sacrifices in hospital

    Medical activities were on Thursday paralysed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan as members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in the Hospital complied with the directives of the national body on an indefinite strike amidst pandemonium and fears.
     
    Leaders and members of the various health unions in the hospital had converged at the school of Nursing within the premises of the hospital from where they marched to the main gate of the hospital for the declaration of the strike.
     
    The Union members had converged within the premises of the hospital as early as 7am and were said to have allegedly placed sacrifices prepared inside pots at strategic locations in the hospital.
     
    To create more fears, one of fetish ‘sacrifices’ was placed few meters to the office of the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof. Temitope Alonge.
     
    Some of the items used in the preparation of the sacrifice include; pap, palm oil, palm fronts, grasses and some other items, all frightfully arranged in big brown calabash.  
     
    The workers in their desperation to ensure all measure to hinder their strict compliance were jettisoned also blocked the main entrance to the hospital thereby making entrance into the hospital difficult for those who had come for medical check up or treatment.
     
    Also, leaders of the workers unions further led other members, in their hundreds to shut down their various offices in compliance with the directive of the umbrella body on the national strike.
     
    The office of the Chief Medical Director, Professor Temitope Alonge was also not sparred as he was shut out.
     
    Other areas also shut down include the power source that serve the hospital as well as instruments and equipment rooms.
     
    Addressing the workers in an emergency congress shortly before dispersing them, Chairman, Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), UCH Branch, Mr. Olusegun Sotiloye said the unions had been pushed to the wall stressing that they had employed all peaceful means of dialogue but to no avail.
     
    He said, “I want to plead with you not to be intimidated, all your heads of department have been duly informed about this exercise, so there is no need for us to fear, the exercise is going to be total.”
     
    Other union leaders who spoke at the congrese decried the insensitivity of government to their plight stressing that the strike is total and that until their demands are met, none of the offices will be opened.
     
    Accoding to them, the indefinite strike was sequel to the failure of the government to give due attention to their demands stressing that health workers in Nigeria have been greatly marginalized and that this is the time to say no and take a stand.
     
    The various speakers also implored their members to go home and keep their phone lines open at all time as there will be need for them to be contacted for further development about the indefinite strike warning that any member that violate the procedures of the strike by reporting for duty will be sanctioned.
     
    The Nation observed that most of the offices were under lock and keys at hospital as the union leaders supervised the workers as they return to their various homes.

  • Expert says Seven out of 10 Nigerians are hypertensive

    Prof. Modupe Onadeko, a former Reproductive Medicine Consultant at the University College Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan, has said that no fewer than seven out of 10 Nigerians are hypertensive.

    Onadeko made this disclosure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ibadan on the occasion to commemorate the 2017 World Hypertension Day.

    According to the consultant, 50 per cent of the affected people are unaware of their condition while the remaining ones do not even bother to seek any medical help.

    NAN reports that May 17 of every year was being observed as the World Hypertension Day, which began in 2005 by The World Hypertension League (WHL), a health organisation.

    The day is not a work free day but it was set aside to increase public awareness about hypertension and why everyone should maintain a normal blood pressure.

    The theme of the 2017 occasion is: “Know Your Blood Pressure”.

    Onadeko said in order to avoid complications arising from hypertension, one of which is stroke, patients should avoid certain habits such as smoking and alcohol intake.

    She said that it was better for the patient to adopt low sodium (salt) intake of 1.5 to 2.5 g, low-fat and high-fiber diet, fruits and green vegetables.

    “Treating the disease also involves proper physical exercise: aerobics, healthy weight, regular pulse, and low cholesterol level as well as a record of healthy family history among others,” she said.

    Onadeko advised that people should adhere to their doctor’s instruction on healthy diets and physical exercise because hypertension is a “silent killer”.

    The UCH Mortality Report and Statistics indicated that from January to December 2014, stroke due to High Blood Pressure (HBP) was the leading cause of death.

    In the report compiled by Prof. Temitope Alonge, out of the total 1,915 deaths recorded in UCH, stroke came first with 201/10.5 per cent of the record.

  • Nigerians don’t have adequate knowledge about their hair – Dermatologist

    Prof. Adebola Ogunbiyi, a Lecturer and Consultant Dermatologist at University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, says Nigerians do not have adequate knowledge about their hair.

    Ogunbiyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday that hair loss was common condition that affect most people at some times in their lives.

    She said many men and women noticed mild physiologic thinning of hair from
    mid 30s and 40s due to illness, emotional trauma, pregnancy, puberty and menopause; which were some major causes of hair loss.

    She explained that hair loss from breakage of hair shaft was different from hair loss from decrease in hair growth, while hydro-genetic hair loss was common both in men and women.

    She added that hair problems in Nigerian women had become worrisome as most hair stylists were not properly trained and equipped in hair and scalp management.

    Ogunbiyi said thyroid disease, anemia, protein deficiency and low vitamin levels were major medical causes of hair loss.

    She pointed out that alopecia areata (Thinning of frontal hair) was a relatively common cause of hair loss.

    She noted that “the lack of knowledge about hair management and improper training of local hair stylists are major causes of hair loss in Nigerian women.

    “Most of these local stylists do not adhere to instructions from experts and as a result, the hair and scalp are damaged when applying chemical and braiding the hair.

    “This is because of the nature of the African hair, which is shorter and breaks easily; various grooming methods have become difficult and painful.

    “Traction should be avoided when doing weaving, braiding and corn- rows styles, as this may cause inflammation and breaking in future, particularly the frontal hair.”

    Ogunbiyi advised that hair should be washed thoroughly with water through shower, which applied pressure that pushed the chemicals out, after applying chemicals.

    She said good hygiene, regular shampooing and good nutrition, medical health screening for hair loss, high iron level, vitamin B were good for the prevention of hair loss.

    She said medications indicated for hair re-growth was useful in managing hair loss, adding that these drugs were available over the counter at most pharmaceutical shops.

     

  • Health officer urges mothers to join fight against malaria

    Health officer urges mothers to join fight against malaria

    As the rains intensify, Mrs Grace Adekoya, Chief Public Health Nursing Officer, University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, has called on nursing mothers to join government in the fight against malaria.

    Adekoya told newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan that there was usually high transmission of malaria and other communicable diseases during the rainy season.

    “Mothers should endeavour to take special care of their babies and children, especially when entrusting them in the care of helpers and daycare attendants.

    “Infants should be kitted with appropriate clothing to fight the cold weather and also, the environment should be clean,” she said.

    According to Adekoya, malaria is an endemic disease that has been plaguing tropical regions like Nigeria.

    She said that the Federal Government and international agencies had spent a lot of money to fight the disease.

    The health official said that the primary causes of malaria in both children and adults are the vector anopheles mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant waters in our homes and environments.

    “The way our refuse and wastes are managed are also influencing factors that cause the spread of many water-related and air-borne diseases, among which malaria is one of them.

    “As a prevention strategy, I advise we make our surroundings clean, as well as ensure there are no weeds and grasses near homes.

    “Water tanks should be properly covered because, if not, mosquito larvae will grow on it within three days.

    “Also, rain water should be properly covered and not oxygenated.

    “We should also ensure proper drainage of used water from the kitchen and toilets so that mosquito breeding through this stagnated water will be avoided,” she said.

    Adekoya said that some control measures against malaria would include ensuring the prompt treatment of those having malaria, as well as making sure that no carrier of malaria parasites was left untreated.

    On the treatment of malaria, she said: “Treatment of malaria includes its prevention and ensuring that the vector mosquito is avoided or prevented.

    “The use of the drug, Artemether, in addition to one or two other anti-malaria drugs, is a recommended effective standard dose by the WHO.

    “In very rare cases, malaria leads to cerebral malaria, which is common in children and pregnant women.

    “To avoid this from occurring, prophylactic treatment is given to pregnant women prior to delivery.

    “We should also ensure that our children and family live in well-netted homes and sleep under treated mosquito nets.

    “The best way to treat malaria is by preventing it; if you have been bitten by mosquitoes before going under the nets, it is as good as not having any net prevention,” she said.

    According to Adekoya, the UCH had treated 229 malaria cases in children between the ages of one and four, in the Children and Emergency Ward, between August 2016 and February 2017.

    She commended the efforts of government at all levels in their intervention strategy to curb and eliminate malaria by distributing free malaria treated mosquito nets.

    The expert also called on all stakeholders to join in the fight against malaria through intensified prevention and sensitization mechanisms, especially during the rainy season.

  • Screening will reduce adult mortality in Nigeria – Expert

    A Consultant Pathologist at the University College Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan, Prof. Femi Ogunbiyi, said on Tuesday that early health screening would reduce adult mortality in the country.

    Ogunbiyi made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ibadan.

    He defined screening as “an examination or testing of a group of individuals to separate those who are well from those who have an undiagnosed disease or defect”.

    The consultant pathologist said that screening included individuals with presymptomatic or unrecognised symptomatic disease.

    According to him, the goal of screening tests was for early detection and lifestyles changes is to reduce the risk of diseases or to detect it early enough to treat it most effectively.

    “The objective of medical screening is to identify a disease in its pre-clinical stage and, therefore, hopefully still curable phase.

    “Screening tests are somewhat unique in that they are performed on persons apparently in good health.

    “Screening interventions are designed to identify diseases in a community early; thus enabling earlier intervention and management, to reduce mortality and suffering from a disease,” he said.

    Ogunbiyi said that although some screening might lead to an earlier diagnosis, adding that not all screening had been shown to benefit the person being screened.

    He said that over-diagnosis, misdiagnosis and creating a false sense of security are some potential adverse effects of screening.

    The consultant said that a test used in a screening programme especially for diseases with low incidence, must have good sensitivity in addition to acceptable specificity.

    He said that there were several types of screening but the most common were: the universal and case finding types.

    “Universal screening involves screening of individuals in a certain category (for example all children of a certain age).

    “There is also the `case finding screening’, which involves a smaller group of people based on the presence of risk factors, either in the family or by heredity.

    “Screening interventions are not designed to be diagnostic and often have significant rates of both false positive and false negative results’’, he said.

    Ogunbiyi said common screening programmes included: cancer screening, pap smear or liquid-based cytology to detect potentially precancerous lesions and prevent cervical cancer.

    Some others are: mammography to detect breast cancer, colonoscopy and fecal occult blood test to detect colorectal cancer.

    Other examples are (Purified Protein Derivative) PPD test to screen for exposure of tuberculosis and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to screen for depression.

    Ogunbiyi advised all teenagers and adult females from 18 years and above to go for periodical screening, adding that this would help in early detection and avoid spread of deadly diseases.

    He said that adult mortality would in the long run be reduced in the country.