Chioma Umeha

Ahmed Yakasai, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) is a veteran practitioner with over three decades of experience. Yakasai who is a former Chairman of PSN Kano State Branch, first National Deputy President of PSN and a two-time past Commissioner in Kano State, in this interview with CHIOMA UMEHA , shares perspectives on pharmacy and health management issues. Excerpts: Nigeria has celebrated 57th years anniversary of independence. What are the challenges of the health sector? What is the way forward? Nigeria continues to contend with a plethora of challenges not necessarily caused by this incumbent administration. Among numerous challenges, the following stand out: poor funding, delayed and unlawful appointments in regulatory agencies, poor composition structures in the health sector including, lopsided appointments in Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) as well as poor attitude to research and development. If we restrict ourselves to the highli

Internationally-acclaimed cancer researcher and professor of pharmacology, Professor Isa Marte Hussaini will give the keynote presentation during the induction of  six eminent  professionals by the  Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, on September 28, 2017. According to Professor Fola Tayo, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Caleb University, who also doubles as General Secretary of the Academy, Hussaini’s work is particularly hallmarked by its focus on the use of local herbs in cancer therapy. “Professor Hussaini’s work is a tribute to academic excellence and apart from informing society about the progress he has made so far, we also want to inspire the rest of the scientific community and keep the quest for research into problems that afflict mankind, on the front-burner,” he added. Those to be inducted into the Academy, have been painstakingly selected from a diverse pool of practice areas. “Beyond the fact that they are distinguished in thei

Religious leaders in the country have called upon   to come to the aid of those affected by leprosy in the society so as to enable them live a meaningful life. Speaking at a one day symposium in Abuja, Principal Investigator, Leprosy Research Project,   Prof. Danny MaCain, lamented the high level of discrimination faced by people affected by the disease. Prof. MaCain stressed that the Church has a crucial role to play in reducing   the   stigma. According to him, “Christianity is often associated with leprosy as caused by sin; therefore, the Church has a crucial role to play in reducing stigma. Despite increased knowledge about details of leprosy, persons affected by leprosy are often still excluded from community life.’’ Speaking    further, Prof. MaCain said that the    Nigerian Leprosy Research Department of Religion and Philosophy, University of Jos carried out a study and concluded that to address leprosy related stigma, it is crucial to explore the posi

Prof. Sunday Adeoye is the Medical Director (MD) of the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki,  Ebonyi State. In this exclusive interview with CHIJIOKE AGWU, he spoke on the causes and dangers of Vesico Vaginal Fistula(VVF), vagina tightening which is becoming common among women, and other vital health-related issues. Excerpts: What is the update on the Centre so far? The Centre is the first National Fistula Centre in Nigeria and as much as possible, a lot of activities have taken place since the federal government took over the hospital. Before now there’s just one operating theatre and it is in that theatre that we have done all the surgeries that we have done and we are talking about almost 2,500 fistula surgeries. We have done 80 ureteric re-implantation surgeries, sling operation for women with Urinary Incontinence (UI), all in that single theatre and we have done close to 700 pelvic organ prolapsed surgeries and of course a lot of other proced

Agency Report Dr Arikawe Adeolu, a medical practitioner at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, has warned that an overdose of paracetamol drug could cause liver failure within 24 hours. Adeolu gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday. He said that medications generally had side effects and that some drugs, such as paracetamol, which were often abused, could lead to liver damage. “One of the major causes of liver disease is drugs. There are some kinds of drugs that can lead to liver damage if not taken as prescribed. “There is one common drug that is very popular among this class of drugs and that is paracetamol. Paracetamol if taken above the recommended dose has the ability to damage the liver. “An overdose of paracetamol can actually lead to liver failure within 24 hours. This is why it is not recommended that drugs are taken by self-medication. “Excessive consumption of alcohol is another cause

By Chioma Umeha One can easily tell the source of happiness of Igbe Assumpta, a 26-year-old mother seeing her bond with her baby as she cuddled him. The Enugu state-born nursing mother and student believes that exclusive breastfeeding provides every nutritional value her child needs for proper growth. The World Health Organisation (WHO) explains, “Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant receives only breast milk. No other liquids or solids are given – not even water – with the exception of oral rehydration solution, or drops/syrups of vitamins, minerals or medicines.” In an interview with INDEPENDENT, Assumpta said, “Exclusive breastfeeding boosts my baby’s intelligent quotient, as she is very sharp. Even my friends who are not doing exclusive breastfeeding used to tell me that my baby is very sharp. My baby is strong and healthy. “Since I gave birth to her, I haven’t taken her to the hospital. It saves me money. My baby is five months and two weeks a

By CHIOMA UMEHA The Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria (PSN) recently launched the PSN Foundation and inaugurated its Board of Trustees in Abuja, to support research, development and tackle growing challenges in the country’s healthcare delivery system. Speaking at the inauguration, Prof. Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, said that such new partnership like PSN Foundation will help in achieving optimum health, especially for the vulnerable ones within the society. Adewole,who bemoaned the disease burden in the country, identified maternal and infant mortality, low uptake of contraceptive, Tuberculosis diagnosis, immunisation as some of the challenges in the health sector. The Minister explained that without collaboration with non-governmental organisation (NGOs) among other stakeholders, no government can solely address all existing disease burden. “One of the purposes of setting up this foundation that strike me most is to support and collaborate

By CHIOMA UMEHA The birth of Kehinde Yusuf, an eight-year-old boy with hydrocephalus ailment to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Isiaka Yusuf on September 19, 2009 was celebrated with pomp and pageantry. He was born a normal child like his twin brother, but a sickness that took Kehinde Yusuf to the hospital where he was infused with drips via his head, saw him coming down with a swollen head. Visibly distressed, his father has been moving from one hospital to the other seeking for his son’s full recovery sent a SOS message through INDEPENDENT to Nigerians for financial assistance. He narrates his ordeal: “I am Isiaka Yusuf, 52, a recharge card seller while my wife is an auxiliary nurse. My eight-year-old child, Kehinde Abdul-Raheem Yusuf has been receiving treatment at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan since June 2011 for hydrocephalus ailment. “He and his twin brother, Taiwo, were born normal but six months after being born on September 19, 2009 at Iseyin

By Chioma Umeha “l am blessed with two children, after 19 years of fruitless marriage and   undergoing multiple IVF cycle failures. At that time my wife was close to 50 before we had our first children – a set of twins, comprising a boy and girl. Actually if you see my son, Seun,   he looks like me. We are like identical brothers. By November, he will be eight.” These were the words of visibly elated Adejare Akiolu, a Quantity Surveyor, in Lagos, who told INDEPENDENT that he is now enjoying a new lease of marital life after his travails with infertility ended. Akinolu said; “I got married to my heartthrob, Folake, an Educationist, in 1997. We tried to complete our family for about two years before deciding to seek medical advice. We had no inkling of any challenge in achieving pregnancy like many other newly wedded.   We thought   all was well and believed that conception will normally take place. This was because my wife did not have any history suggestive of pelvic

By CHIOMA UMEHA There’s no test to definitively diagnose PCOS. Your doctor is likely to start with a discussion of your medical history, including your menstrual periods and weight changes. A physical exam will include checking for signs of excess hair growth, insulin resistance and acne. Your doctor might then recommend: •A pelvic exam. The doctor visually and manually inspects your reproductive organs for masses, growths or other abnormalities. • Blood tests. Your blood may be analyzed to measure hormone levels. This testing can exclude possible causes of menstrual abnormalities or androgen excess that mimics PCOS. You might have additional blood testing to measure glucose tolerance and fasting cholesterol and triglyceride levels. • An ultrasound. Your doctor checks the appearance of your ovaries and the thickness of the lining of your uterus. A wandlike device (transducer) is placed in your vagina (transvaginal ultrasound). The transducer emits sound waves that