Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha Governor Abiola Ajimobi has commissioned FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, fifth milk collection facility for dairy farmers in Saki, Oyo State. Speaking at the occasion, the Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mr. Ben Langat, pointed out that the event was a proof of the company’s commitment to strengthening local milk production capacity in Nigeria. “We started this investment in 2011, with a meagre supply of a few thousand litres of milk per day, working with a little above 100 farmers and one milk collection center. Today, with this fifth milk collection centre in Saki, we now have the capacity to collect over 40,000 litres of raw milk daily, from 1720 farmers.” In a statement issued by the company’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Ore Famurewa, said, “Since 2011, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has been investing in the Dairy Development Programme (DDP) and has established the country’s largest milk collection network. Today, the company

By Okechukwu AKAS Whether it is prescribed or bought over the counter, drugs is critical to health care worldwide. Whether we take it for a simple headache or much more demanding conditions such as high blood pressure, we expect it to work, especially if it is recommended by the doctor or pharmacist. Drug business is a multi-billion dollar industry and, many could not have survived illness without them. A patient takes his drugs religiously because; ‘It is the doctor’s order’ – so, there is an element of credibility attached to it. Many would hardly disobey the instructions of their personal physician. We are used to having our doctor prescribe one drug or another, but if the same doctor prescribes exercise regiment rather than usual medication, would you take it? Well, this remains a big question begging for an answer. Sad to say that even in most advanced nations like the United States, it is amazing that doctor’s networking is so uncommonly explored by

By Chioma Umeha Apostle Hussein Philips is Pastor, House of Mercy, Lekki, Lagos. In a chat recently,Apostle Philips told Independent that physical exercise is a scriptural injunction just as he explained why visit to the gym has become part of his weekly health regimen. How long have you been visiting the gym? I started last year; it’s been about a year right now. How regular do you visit the gym? I engage in exercise a minimum of three times in a week at Genesisfitness50. What were your initial complaints before you started visiting the gym? As a preacher of the gospel, you need stamina; you stand minimum of eight hours in a week either preaching or teaching, so you need strength. At a time, I noticed that I was gasping in course of my daily routine; I was also losing my strength. Generally, I was always feeling tired, then I decided to visit the gym and it’s been awesome.   Are there positive changes in your health, since you started exercising?

By Chioma Umeha Data on pregnancies resulting from frozen eggs is mixed. A small review of egg-thawing data found that 414 eggs thawed in 2013 resulted in 99 live births, meaning that slightly fewer than one in four cases were successful. This suggests that women may need to undergo multiple IVF cycles to become pregnant. Factors that affect the success of egg freezing and thawing procedures include: •             The age of the woman when her eggs are frozen: Younger women tend to produce more eggs, which are less likely to have defects •             The age of the woman at the time of egg thawing and IVF: Younger women are more likely to have successful pregnancies •             Sperm quality: Healthy sperm is more likely to produce a healthy embryo and a successful pregnancy •             The clinic: The success rates of freezing and thawing eggs vary between clinics •             The number of eggs frozen: A larger number of eggs offers more op

By Chioma Umeha The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has waived 50 per cent on registration fee for locally manufactured products to promote Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). The NAFDAC spokesperson, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, said that the measure would go a long way to promote economic development. Jimoh explained that it was a new policy of the agency under the leadership of its acting Director-General, Mrs Yetunde Oni. He said that the measure was in response to Federal Government’s policy to promote locally manufactured companies in order to boost the economy of the country. Jimoh said that in the past, a lot of people and some licensed consultants had extorted money from innocent Nigerians in the name of NAFDAC registration. “Sometime back, we discovered that a lot of people were extorting money from Nigerians for registration fee of products. We decided to license some consultants who are professionals.

By  Chioma Umeha The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, received some sets of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment from faith-based organisation (FBO) the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Apapa Family, weekend. The equipment include: four CR 5,000 ICU Beds, four Alpha Active 4 mattresses, B-Braun Infusion Pumps, Syringe Pumps, Multi-Parameter patient monitors and bedside lockers The FBO had also refurbished and equipped the ICU in the Surgical Emergency section of the hospital. The Head Pastor of RCCG, Apapa Family, Idowu Iluyomade, spoke at the inauguration of the units and handing over of the equipment. Iluyomade said that the donation was part of the church’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. According to him, the church has been partnering the state government in the area of health, to ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to all that needed it. “We believe that one of the duties of the church

  By Chioma Umeha More than 300 Single Parents on weekend, received free medical treatment during the unveiling of a non-governmental organisation called, Poverty Aid Uplifting Lives (PAUL). The event tagged, ‘Journey of Single Parents across the Nation,’ held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Lagos, women who gathered from all parts of the busy commercial city got medical attention ranging from free malaria and hypertension tests to treatment as well as weight check. Apart from the free medical treatment, 50 single parents were selected for free economic empowerment. Similarly, 100 people qualified for a raffle draw which attracted different prizes. Another 20 people went home with 50kg bag rice respectively, while each participant went home with souvenirs and free foodstuffs. Addressing journalists on the focus on single parents, the National Coordinator of PAUL, Unoma Ebun said a lot of NGOs have done one thing or the other on women o

Dr Abayomi Ajayi, Managing Director, Nordica Fertility clinics, told journalists at Nordica Bon Bon family fiesta held recently to mark this year’s International Children’s Day that foreign exchange (Forex) scarcity is the greatest challenge of experts in IVF practice. CHIOMA UMEHA was there. Excerpts: What do you consider as a main challenge to Nigerian experts in IVF practice in view of recession? The greatest challenge we have which every business has now in Nigeria is the scarcity of foreign exchange because we are heavily dependent on foreign exchange (Forex). Everything we use is imported, If we want to do IVF, everything is imported, therefore it costs money. And there is a limit to which you can increase your prices. Every challenge is just like what every other entrepreneur in Nigeria will encounter and we are also dependent on generators. For example, we have three generators and a transformer in each of our clinics. Do you have suggestions on how f

By Chioma Umeha The Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Department of Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) will be holding its seventh annual Molecular Biology Hands-on-Training workshop. This year’s Molecular Biology Hand-on-training workshop with the theme: “Protein Expression” will be a one-week event from August 7 to 11 at NIMR Conference room, Yaba, Lagos. A statement on weekend, signed by Dr. SteIla Smith, the Workshop Coordinator, listed areas which the conference will focus on during the five-day Hands-on-Training workshop including, current methods in molecular biology and ethical issues of challenges in genetic research. Other areas which the conference will cover include: Molecular evolution of viruses of public health importance – from Genomics to Proteomics; Introduction and principles of SDS-PAGE and Basic protein interaction techniques. There will also be practical sessions on PCR, SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting, the statement said.

By Sunday Apah Ughelli – A developmental economist, Prof. Pat Utomi has said that the rate of cancer will increase in the Niger Delta region in the near future, unless the current rate of gas flaring is checked to stop the degradation of the environment. Prof. Utomi noted that a healthy environment is a heritage from our fathers, but sadly we may not be able to bequeath same to our children because of activities of oil majors and our poor attitude to environmental issues. Presenting his keynote address at the second mid-year national conference of the Isoko Development Union (IDU) women’s wing weekend, with a theme; “Building Healthy People and Healthy Planet,” he stated that history will not treat us kindly if we fail to show concern about the environment. While advocating for women empowerment through proper education, he said that this enable them to take actions that will mitigate environmental challenges in future. According to him, women are closer

*Pledges Support For FOMWAN/PACFaH By   Chioma Umeha Muslim community of Lagos State weekend, assured their full support to work with Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) in collaboration with Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health Project. This group made this pledge during a courtesy call by FOMWAN/PACFaH to Central Mosque in Lagos Island soliciting the Muslim community’s support in pressurising the government to get committed in the four critical areas of child health which the FOMWAN/PACFaH’s advocacy is focused. The areas include, proper management of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea, routine immunization, nutrition and child spacing by increasing the budget to address them. Hajia Adama Kachalla, the Programme Officer, while speaking at the event also wants the Chairman of the Muslim Community of Lagos State to educate his followers on the treatment of pneumonia and diarrhoea for under-five children in accordance

By Chioma Umeha The Ogun State Government has vowed to intensify efforts on policies and programmes that would enhance family planning services to further reduce the maternal and child mortality rate in the state. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye made this known while playing host to the team from Pathfinder International, Nigeria and Executive of Advocacy Working Group (AWG), in his office, Abeokuta, Ogun state Capital Dr. Ipaye in a statement made available by the Media Officer of the Advocacy Group, Mrs. Waliyat Odemakin, said all aspects of reproductive health including access to quality family planning had been incorporated in the ‘Araya’ Health Insurance Scheme which was made free for pregnant women and children under five years in the state. The Commissioner assured that necessary process required for the operationalization of the National Task shifting / sharing policy in the state would be fast-tracked to address the challenges

By Chioma Umeha Pharmacists under the aegis of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have hailed the Federal Government on the recent Executive Order on support for local content in public procurement. Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had on May 18, 2017, signed the Executive Order, which mandated all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to give preference to local goods and services in their procurement activities. The order also directed that made-in-Nigeria products should be given preference in the procurement of relevant items as it stipulated that 40 per cent of spending by the MDAs must be expended on locally manufactured goods and services. A statement jointly signed by Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, PSN President and Pharm Gbolagade Iyiola, PSN National Secretary, which was made available to Independent, noted that the federal government deserves commendation for deeming it fit to include locally manufactured medicines in the Ex

By Chioma Umeha History was made over the weekend, when a 57-year-old mother, Mrs. Folashade Akiode was honoured during the Nordica Bon Bon family fiesta held to mark this year’s International Children’s Day for breaking all medical rules of menopause and having her set of triplets seven years ago. Mrs. Akiode who retired from the Lagos State Civil Service as Director of Service, but now doing her own business was married for 18 years before she had In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) at Nordica fertility Clinic, delivering a set of triplet. Making the presentation of N50,000 to Mrs. Akiode, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, Managing Director, Nordica Fertility nationwide told journalists that the event which held in Lagos, was organised by Fertility Awareness Advocacy Initiative (FAAI) with collaboration from Nordica Fertility to celebrate children born through IVF. Dr Ajayi also said that the main objective of NORDICA is to complete families, noting that age is not a barrier t