Chioma Umeha

Chioma Umeha The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State Branch, has called on Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor-elect, to expand the frontiers of health operations to build a virile and productive system that would become a national benchmark in the running of healthcare programmes in the country. The call was contained in a congratulatory letter Pharm. Adeniran Bolanle, Chairman, and Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunlye, Secretary, of the Lagos PSN sent to the governor-elect over his victory at the just concluded governorship poll in the state. The duo while alleging that the current managed healthcare programme is ‘haphazard and unduly skewed’ against some prime stakeholders in the state specifically urged the governor-elect to reorganise it. This, they contended, would guarantee an impactful health insurance programme with commensurate coverage and growth rate. They further claimed that the challenges of the NHIS are linked to a poor implementation mode and alert

Chioma Umeha To end tuberculosis, TB, epidemic by 2030 the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has urged the federal government to take the advantage of the availability of community Pharmacies from every part of the country to fully implement the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) programme. Pharm Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, the PSN President, made the call in a statement to mark this year’s World Tuberculosis Day at the weekend while commenting on its theme, ‘It’s time to end TB.’ Ohuabunwa pledged that the society would ensure that Nigerians with the disease are provided proper care with simplified medication that would guarantee compliance. He reasoned that if ending TB Epidemic by 2030 is one of the health targets of the sustainable development goals, “Then prevention, diagnosis and early treatment with first-line TB drugs should be given all the seriousness it requires.” The PSN President specifically promised that the pharmaceutical body would support the

Chioma Umeha Sterling Bank Plc, one of the leading commercial bank, has said it is collaborating with Premier Medical Systems (PMS) and PharmAccess Foundation to host a digital health summit aimed at transforming Nigeria’s health care sector for better service delivery. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos recently, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sterling Bank, noted that although thousands of people are making individual efforts to lift Nigeria’s health care sector, such efforts are not enough to take the industry to the next level. He said, “Our approach is to use our influence and resources to bring all collaborators in the sector together to brainstorm on the way forward through a sustainable collaboration that is digital based.” Abubakar said, “Our operations are based on three pillars. We have an agile mind, we have a digital platform and we also have specialist skills. We are bringing the specialist skills we have to the health care sect

Chioma Umeha With the poverty level of Nigerians which is put at 70 per cent, reducing out-of-pocket payments for healthcare and making it accessible to all, especially, the indigent at the grassroots has remained a huge challenge to the country. However, health insurance provides financial protection for the poor spreading risks and pooling funds makes healthcare affordable and accessible to Oyo state indigenes, writes CHIOMA UMEHA. To ensure universal access to quality health delivery by protecting Nigerian families from financial barriers to health care, and ensuring availability of funds to the health sector the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was launched 14 years ago. However, less than two decades after its launch, experts have lamented on its slow implementation as only five per cent coverage has been achieved by the scheme. It is instructive to note that the NHIS was established under Act 35 of 1999 by the Federal Government and   is expected to impro

Chioma Umeha To mark this year’s World Glaucoma Week, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has tasked Nigerians from age 40 and above to go for regular eye screening at least once a year as part of strategies to prevent glaucoma disease. According to a statement issued weekend and signed by Dr Biyi Kufo, Chairman, Committee on Eye Health, the disease has become a public health concern. Noting that cases of glaucoma are on the rise in the country, Kufo said regular screening of the eyes by a qualified ophthalmologist once a year would help people with the disease access treatment early and prevent blindness. He said surgery has been found to be more effective in the treatment of glaucoma than medical management alone. Kufo added that glaucoma remains a leading cause of blindness worldwide and in Nigeria, with a national prevalence of blindness of 4.2 percent; glaucoma contributes 16.7 percent of that figure. Decrying poor management of the disease Kufo said more aw

With 15 years of service, Bola Adeniran, the Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State Branch, is a seasoned pharmacist who has served PSN in various capacities including, past Vice Chairman, Secretary, Social Secretary, Unofficial Member of the Executive Committee at the State level.   In this interview with CHIOMA UMEHA ahead of the March 14, 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the branch, the Adeniran examines contemporary issues in the health sector with particular reference to pharmacy. Excerpts: The assent of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Bill appears to be a dominant issue in your sector in recent times, why is this bill so important? Pharmacy is a unique profession compared to many careers as it goes beyond service provision to being a commercial venture which involves a special commodity, drugs. Often, once you identify yourself as a pharmacist in Nigeria, the most likely question that follows is, what are you people doing about fake

•As Disease Cases Decline With Intensive Response Chioma Umeha Over the last five weeks, there has been a decline in the number of new cases of Lassa fever reported in Nigeria. In addition, the country has witnessed a reduction in the number of people who have died from the disease, compared to 2018, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu who said this while interacting with members of the press at a briefing held on today, revealed that the NCDC and partners have continued to sustain response activities in states across the country, despite progress made so far. According to him; “An outbreak of Lassa fever was declared in Nigeria on January 21 2019. Since then, 420 confirmed cases and 93 deaths have been reported in 21 States. The national response is being coordinated by the national, multi-sectoral, multi-partner Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by NCDC. “In addition, NCDC has supp

Chioma Umeha The high economic cost of violence against children in Nigeria has been revealed in an unprecedented report, launched jointly by UNICEF and the Federal Government, under the leadership of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. According to the report, the economic impact of the violence against children in Nigeria is estimated to be about USD$6.1 billion, which is equivalent to about 1.07 per cent of the country’s GDP, a statement signed by Oluwatosin Akingbulu, Communication Officer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said weekend. This financial loss is from the cumulative loss of earnings due to loss of productivity, stemming from suffering associated with different degrees of violence, over time. “The cost of inaction is high, when it comes to violence against children,” said Mrs. Ifeoma Anagbogu, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Developmen

Chioma Umeha Nigeria contributes 12.4 percent of the global burden of HIV infected children with an estimated number of 267,000 living with the virus, says 2017 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, (UNAIDS) report. The report also states that Nigeria has the second largest burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (HIV/AIDS) and also contributes the largest proportion of new vertically acquired HIV infection among children. With 95 percent of the National HIV response driven by donor partners, including Prevention from Mother To Child Transmission of HIV, (PMTCT), and pediatric treatment services, experts say it is important that mothers adhere to treatment in order to eliminate Mother To Child Transmission Of HIV (eMTCT). According to research, drugs adherence requires 95 per cent to achieve viral suppression and reduce Mother To Child Transmission of HIV, (MTCT). By viral suppression, the HIV virus loses its ability of being tr

Chioma Umeha Fidson Healthcare Plc,   one of the leading pharmaceutical company in Nigeria has received the Environmental Management System (EMS) certification, in compliance with the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2015, the world’s most widely recognized standard for Environmental Management Systems which minimises the impact of the company’s operations, activities, products and services on the environment. EMS is intended for utilisation by organisations seeking to manage their environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability while maintaining an eco-friendly environment. Presenting the certificate at Fidson’s corporate head office in Lagos, Samuel Sawah, CEO & Managing Partner – 4 Quarters Consultancy Limited (a support firm on EMS Certification),   noted that Fidson received this certification having met all specified requirements that must be deployed in enhancing environm

Chioma Umeha The German Government has announced a new contribution of 15 million euros to UNICEF Nigeria to support the provision of quality and equitable basic education and strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable communities, especially children, in Adamawa and Yobe states. A statement signed by Oluwatosin Akingbulu, Communication Officer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the new contribution was provided through the German Government’s Development Bank – Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The statement further said that the fund will enable UNICEF to support the Government of Nigeria to provide 1,060,000 conflict-affected children and adolescents with increased access to quality education in a safe and healthy learning environment. It will also provide 8,200 teachers with increased capacity to deliver quality learning at pre-primary and primary levels and support 500 school-based management committees to plan and maintain a safe and healthy l

Chioma Umeha It is nearly one year since the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called on the Nigerian government to arrest the increasingly widespread use of pharmaceutical drugs among the country’s youths, in which time it is expected to have strengthened existing legal framework to bring the menace under control. The expectation became rife barely one month ago with the subsequent release of the National Drug Use Survey in Abuja, which provided a snapshot of the ongoing opioid epidemic and mental health update across the country. Specifically, the survey found that the number of drug users in Nigeria which is estimated at 14.4 per cent or 14.3 million people aged between 15 and 64 years. The data suggests that the prevalence of past year drug use in Nigeria is more than twice the global average of 5.6 per cent. It is not therefore surprising that the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has sent an urgent plea to the Federal Government t