Chioma Umeha

As more reactions greet the return of President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday after a medical vacation, pharmacists under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have joined Nigerians to welcome him, saying they were particularly delighted that the President looked hale and hearty. It would be recalled that President Buhari returned from his medical vacation in London on Saturday, August 19, after being away from office and the country for a period of 103 days. In a release by Pharm. Ahmed I. Yakasai and Pharm. Gbologade Iyiola, President and National Secretary, respectively, the pharmacists said that President Buhari’s return was an eloquent testimony to his fitness, good care and of course a self-imposed determination to shake-off all vagaries of ill-health by a passionate President. “It is therefore most apropos to return all glory and honour to the creator for divine intervention in arresting the hitherto sliding health of Mr. President while

Family planning services received a boost recently, with the establishment of a new clinic, Okokomaiko Primary Health Centre, Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos, by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative 2 (NURHI). According to NURHI 2, the new clinic will improve health services at the family planning unit of Okokomaiko PHC which is one of the 50 selected including hospitals in the State under its “72-hour Family Planning Clinic Make-Over’’ Project. The initiative is targeted toward reducing the high rate of maternal, infant and child mortality in Lagos State through the up-take of family planning, the organisation said. Speaking to the INDEPENDENT at the clinic’s inauguration, Wale Haastrup, Senior Programme Officer, Advocacy, NURHI, Lagos State, said: “NURHI promotes the use of family planning in the communities where we work. “For us to promote the use of family planning services, we have to upgrade these facilities to the basic stand

By Independent This year’s National Cerebral Palsy Family Forum will remain unforgettable in the minds of families with children living with the condition as 21 of them received wheel chairs, worth N2.1 million from Benola Cerebral Palsy(CP) Initiatives while others, even adults   went home with crutches. Over 320 CP families received free counselling and medical checks during the one-day forum organised by Benola with support from Lagos University Teaching Hospital(LUTH) to   mark the fifth anniversary, recently in Lagos. Commenting, AVM (Rtd) Femi Gbadebo, the Founder, Benola Cerebral Palsy(CP) Initiatives, said that the donation were made possible through the contributions of Trustees, Advisory Board and Programme Planning and Implementation Team of the organisation. According to him, the forum was a   huge success as there were over 320 CP families   who were attended to by 40 healthcare professionals of the 450 individuals who registered at the venue.

By Independent Nestle Nigeria has reiterated its pledged to support young people by boosting youth entrepreneurship and inspiring the talented ones through providing training and job opportunities. The pledge was contained in a statement signed by Victoria Uwadoka, company’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, in Lagos, which was released   affirm the organisation’s ideals as it celebrated this year’s International Youth Day. Uwadoka said that the move was to ensure they gained the skills that would enable them to contribute positively toward building peace in the society. Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager said, “This is in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable development Goal 8, which aims to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full off productive employment and decent work for all.’’ The youth empowerment initiatives include a training programme to develop and train young technicians fo

.......Fertility Champions Make Case For Dr Ajayi By Chioma Umeha In many African societies, children are the most important thing in life, so not to be able to have that can be devastating. To this effect, childless couples are susceptible to depression, suicidal thoughts, among other problems because of difficulties in conceiving. To make matters worse, fertility problems are something that the affected people don’t always want to talk about. And so the sense of isolation can be overwhelming. Thanks to Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, CEO Nordica Fertility Centre with clinics in Lagos, Asaba and Asokoro Abuja, who many Nigerians that have benefitted from his services said have demystified fertility problems in Nigeria. It is not surprising that he was nominated by the Centre for Policy Development & Political Studies for the ‘Lagos State Man of the Year 2017 Award,’ along with nine other very formidable great achievers. Dr Ajayi has been a medical doctor for ov

Malaria is highly endemic in Nigeria and poses a major challenge to human development. Pregnant women, especially ‘primigravidas’ that is a woman who is pregnant for the first time are particularly at risk. The disease may not only account for up to 15 per cent of anemia in pregnancy, it causes miscarriages, premature births and low birthweights in newborn babies. In view of this, researchers and stakeholders have restated the need for early commencement of antenatal care by pregnant women. According to them, this aids early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria in pregnant women as well as uptake of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy (IPTp). Making the recommendations during a recent media chat on “Malaria In Pregnancy,” they stressed that regular and appropriate use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) help to prevent malaria in pregnant women. The event was jointly organised by the National Media Elimination Programme (NMEP) and th

By Chioma Umeha The Federal Government has commissioned an ultra-modern medical warehouse in Abuja   for storage of drugs and other medical commodities that it procured or those donated by partners before final distribution to the end users. Commissioning the facility on Monday, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, said that the facility, named ‘Premier Medical Warehouse’ was a product of joint effort between the Federal Government and partners. “I want to declare publically that within this country, I am yet to see facility like this, so I truly agree that this is the work of our partnership”. Adewole explained that there are three things that constitute good health system, Human Resources, Drugs/ Commodities available in the facility and Data emanating from the facility. The three things are complementing one another and it is only when the three are put to gather that a strong health system would have been built. “A facility that have human

By Chioma Umeha One of the world’s leading medical faculties and university clinics, Hamburg-based Universitätskrankenhaus Eppendorf (UKE) has concluded plans to be the major partner in executing the proposed Thompson & Grace Medical University and Hospitals in Nigeria. To this effect, Thompson & Grace Group, proprietors of Thompson & Grace Medical City (TGMC) and Thompson & Grace Medical University (TGMU), Nigeria will hold a one-week meeting with a team of high ranking medical experts from Germany. The purpose of the visit is to get a perspective on how Education, Health, and Medicine can be transformed to benefit Nigeria and Africa. The highpoint of the meeting is the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thompson & Grace Investments Limited (T&GIL) and the University Clinic of Hamburg (UKE), Germany on tomorrow, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The agreement shall set the frame for a close collaboration between th

By Chioma Umeha Worried by the growing burden of malnutrition among children under five years, stakeholders have been urged to prioritise tracking of resources allocated to nutrition in various tiers of government. The goal is to ensure appropriate implementation to curb the ugly trend of malnutrition. According to the World Bank, Nigeria loses over $1.5 billion in GDP annually to vitamin and mineral deficiencies alone. According to experts, Nigeria needs N2.87 trillion, an equivalent of $912 million to tackle the scourge of child malnutrition which is presently ravaging the country. Dr Chris Osa Isokpunwu, Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) disclosed this recently at a meeting which was organised by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). He added that about N2.8 billion is required within the next five years to tackle the menace of child malnutrition in the country. He noted that this investment would help avert 890,000 stunting in

By Chioma Umeha An estimated 2.3 million Nigerian children under five (U5) years die every day.   This not only makes the country one of the highest contributors to the under-five mortality in the world, but also results in massive cost for the nation. More than a half of these deaths are related to malnutrition causes. Those who survive often become stunted. Six-year-old Chilotaram Mba appeared skinny and sickly. Her height is a sharp contrast to her age as anyone could easily mistake her for a child half her age. Her four-year-old sister, Princess Mba, is also in the same condition. Their aunt, Agatha Mba, who translates on behalf of their mother (because she does not speak English), told Independent that the doctors had diagnosed her two nieces as being malnourished and in need of treatment. Chilotaram and Princess represent over 11 million Nigerian children who are under five (U5) years afflicted with stunted growth, making Nigeria to rank second on