Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha Stakeholders in the health sector have identified gaps in emergency preparedness and called for concerted efforts to bridge them to ensure global best practices. Speaking at the training of health workers from general hospitals in Lagos State on management of emerging infectious diseases, Dr. Jide Idris, the state Commissioner for Health said inadequate personnel and data on vulnerability/health risk, non-availability of risk specific contingency plans were some of the factors accounting for the poor state of affairs. Others he said were inadequate information on available resources and inadequacy of Biosafety and Bio-containment laboratories. The training was organised by the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Trust Fundat the Lagos State Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Conference Centre. Idris said; “There is therefore need for concerted efforts towards bridging these gaps.” He noted that the State Government is intensifying efforts towards

By Chioma Umeha Common belief that diabetes is    a condition    caused by excessive consumption of sugar or certain types of foods were    dismissed by scientists who spoke at an event to observe the World Diabetes Day (WDD) on Tuesday. The scientists made the clarifications at a capacity building workshop on Diabetes with the theme “Equipping Present-day Journalists for Effective Reporting of Diabetes.” They insisted that “it is not sugar or foods that cause diabetes,’’ at the event which was organised    for Health Journalist in Lagos   by Sanofi, a global healthcare firm to herald this year’s WDD. Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as Diabetes Mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they wi

By Chioma Umeha  Following growing incidence of water-borne diseases, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio, leading toilet cleaning brand, Harpic took a sensitisation programme on the treatment and proper disposal of sewage or wastewater to Ojodu Berger, a Lagos suburb to mark this year’s World Toilet Day (WTD). Due to lack of safe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, 842,000 people die yearly, some experts   said during the sensitisation programme. According to them, 1.8 billion people use source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. The event was organised by Harpic, one of the country’s leading toilet cleaning brand from Reckitt Benckiser in health, hygiene and home care products in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment to mark this year’s WTD. The experts said that wastewater is roughly composed of  99 per cent water and one per cent suspended, colloidal and dissolve

Lagos Validates Policy To Boost Human Resource In Health Sector By Chioma Umeha Lagos State government has validated the Human Resource for Health (HRH) Strategic Plan and Task Shifting Task Sharing (TSTS) Policy for the State which is meant to address dearth of human resources in health sector. The document which is a five-year implementation framework was developed by the State in partnership with Save the Children (SCI); Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative 2 (NURHI2) and fhi360. Dr. Jide Idris, the state Commissioner of Health,  who commended the development noted in his address that the new framework will ensure adequate delivery of quality healthcare services in the State According to him, Lagos State has recognised the central and strategic role of the health workforce in the provision of the required manpower for the delivery. The commissioner who was represented by Moyosore Adejumo, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, said: “This supports the

By    Chioma Umeha Medical experts have debunked widely held beliefs that Diabetes is a condition caused by excessive consumption of sugar which requires special diet. The experts made the clarification at a Capacity Building Workshop on Diabetes for Health Journalist in Lagos to herald this year’s World Diabetes Day. The workshop, organised by Sanofi, a global healthcare organisation, has the theme “Equipping Present-day Journalists for Effective Reporting of Diabetes.’’ The World Diabetes Day is marked annually on Nov. 14 and the theme for 2017 is “Women and Diabetes – Our Right to a Healthy Future’’. Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as Diabetes Mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination),

By Chioma Umeha US health authorities on Friday urged people to use condoms or refrain from sex if they live in or have traveled to areas where the Zika virus is circulating. The new interim guidelines from the US Centers from Disease Control are aimed at pregnant women and their partners, and those of childbearing age who are concerned about Zika, a primarily mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to birth defects. Earlier this week, US health officials confirmed the first case of sexually-transmitted Zika, involving a person who had traveled to Venezuela and infected a sexual partner in Texas upon return. “Men with a pregnant sex partner who reside in or have traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission and their pregnant sex partners should consistently and correctly use condoms during sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) or abstain from sexual activity for the duration of the pregnancy,” said the CDC. “Consistent and correct use of latex condoms reduces the risk o

By  Chioma Umeha Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, February 18, 2016, commended members of the state branch of Association of Local Government Medical Officers of Health in Nigeria for demonstrating understanding of their duties by committing themselves to saving lives. Governor Aregbesola gave the commendation while receiving the association at Government House, Osogbo. He, however, chided doctors in the state’s employ who are currently on strike, describing the boycott of work as a betrayal of their Hippocratic Oath. The governor said, unknown to many Nigerians who have heard only the doctors’ side of the story, they collected six months’ salaries without doing any work. He challenged them to tell the world whether they did not collect their salaries up to September 2015 when they went on strike. ?On the other hand, Aregbesola lauded the association of local government council doctors for their active service and commitment to the generality