Chioma Umeha

By  Chioma Umeha Professor Christiana Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says her agency has commenced effective implementation of new regulatory measures aimed at   enhancing ease of doing business as well as encourage enterprises. Prof Adeyeye who made the announcement at a Breakfast Meeting with Stakeholders and the media executives recently in Lagos, noted that this was amongst other changes in the agency since she was appointed. According to her, NAFDAC staff have been multitasking, as there was no more time to finish one thing at a time before another starts. “For instance, when I came on board, I realised there was no active information technology system. We kick started by making sure all NAFDAC staff uses our emailing system for their email correspondents. All 2,300 staff of NAFDAC now use nafdac.org. We started other ICT innovations to make our work easier.   “When I first cam

By Chioma Umeha The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has urged the federal government not to implement the recommendation by Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led reform panel proposal to move drug matters to the concurrent list. Presently, the drugs and poisons matters are on the Exclusive List (item 21 of part I of the second schedule of the 1999 constitution), but the El-Rufai-led reform panel, had recommended its removal. In a statement by the Director- General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, on the proposed decentralization of drug regulation in Nigeria, the agency declared that such recommendation portended great danger for the nation. According to Adeyeye, the reasons for placing drugs and poisons on the exclusive legislative list by countries were to ensure firm control on drugs and drug-related matters by the federal government. Cautioning further on such moves, she said other reasons for placing drugs an

By Chioma Umeha The United Nations (UN) through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, has allocated US$9 million to provide life-saving aid to 60,000 children, women and men recently displaced by on-going hostilities in Borno State, including $2 million in support of the UN Humanitarian Air Service for frontline responders in north-east of the country. The humanitarian crisis in the region remains one of the most severe in the world today, with at least 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018 in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. About 80 per cent of them, 6.1 million are targeted for humanitarian assistance. This $9 million allocation will help fund 15 projects. It will support humanitarian rapid response in areas recently affected by large-scale conflict-related displacements, particularly in the northern parts of Borno, along the Maiduguri-Monguno axis. No fewer than 30,000 persons have fled the violence in area

By Chioma Umeha To ensure better health for every Nigerian woman and across the world, experts   have advocated adoption of women-friendly health policies, noting that ‘a healthy woman guarantees a healthy nation.’ The experts made the call during the flagging-off ceremony of   month-long free screening for breast cancer and free gynaecological consultation by   a multi-specialty hospital, Vedic Lifecare Hospital in Lagos to mark this year’s International Women’s Day. On this year’s International Women’s Day, a multi-specialty hospital, Vedic Lifecare Hospital, has called for women friendly health policies that will ensure better health for every woman in the world even as it begins a month – long free screening for breast cancer and free gynaecological consultation. March 8, every year is a day women all around the world are recognized and celebrated for their achievements in spite of divisions and obstacles in their paths. To mark this year’s day, Vedi

By  Our Correspondents Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep, mood, and memory problems. Pregnancy involves weight gain and extreme hormone fluctuations and these can put strain on the body systems, making fibromyalgia worse. Many women often experience pain, discomfort, brain fog, and other symptoms that are very similar to fibromyalgia during pregnancy. A pregnant woman who has fibromyalgia may find that the physical and emotional stress can intensify the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Pregnant women with fibromyalgia may experience significant pain, fatigue, and stress, particularly during the first and last trimesters of pregnancy. Pregnancy and fibromyalgia treatment Very little research has been carried out on pregnancy and fibromyalgia and the information is limited. However, treatment and management of fibromyalgia often involves both medical and lifestyle changes. The drug treatments for fib

By Chioma Umeha The Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA) has announced the commencement of nominations for the fifth edition of the Oscar of Nigeria healthcare award. Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Wale Alabi, Project Director says, “NHEA 2018 being the fifth edition will be bigger and very exciting considering the increased activities in the Nigeria healthcare sector in the last one year as well as increased popularity and acceptance of the award by stakeholders within and outside Nigeria.” To nominate for corporate or individual categories, the public can visit www.nigeriahealthawards.com.ng to either nominate online or download the nomination form. About 23 awards and recognitions will be presented at the ceremony. It is made up of four main categories; Special Awards, Healthcare Delivery Services, Biomedical Technology and Pharmaceuticals. Special Awards, Healthcare Delivery Services and Biomedical Technology Some of the awards up for grabs

B y Chioma Umeha UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) weekend, condemned the killing of three Nigerian aid workers in a Boko Haram attack on a military installation in Borno. Speaking for the UN OCHA, Edward Kallon, the Nigerian   Coordinator, said that apart from those who died and the injured, a female nurse was missing, feared abducted. Kallon in a statement by Samantha Newport, OCHA Head of communications, said that two of the deceased were contractors with the international organisation on migration, while the third victim was a medical doctor employed as a third party consultant with UNICEF. The deceased were working as coordinators in the camp for 55,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) who fled their homes as a result of on-going crisis in the north-east. “Aid workers put their lives on the line every single day to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable women, children and men. “Our deepest condolences go to th

…25% Nigerians Engage In Open Defecation By Chioma Umeha The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that Nigeria needs not less than $8 billion(N2.88 trillion) annual investment in water and sanitation to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to World Bank figures. Mr. Zaid Jurji, Chief of UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, (WASH) Nigeria, who disclosed this lamented that less than 10 per cent of Nigerians have access to safe water, while 90 per cent have no access to safe drinking water. Decrying the impact of unsafe water and poor sanitation to every parts of human life, particularly, the development and survival of children, alerted that if Nigeria continues with the slow progress, the country may fail to achieve the SDG Goal 6 by 2030. Speaking on the overview of water, sanitation and Hygiene situation in Nigeria during a two-day ‘Media Dialogue, on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Jos, Plateau State,

By Chioma Umeha Pharmacists have said that the delay by the Federal Government in closing the open drug market places and full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) is deepening the rate of drug misuse and abuse in the society. The pharmacists who spoke under the platform of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, (ACPN), Lagos State branch, faulted government policy which promotes unrestricted access to medicines through the open drug and inadequate regulatory enforcement markets. Noting that this has remained the root cause of rampant drug misuse and abuse in the society, the community pharmacists added that the persistent postponement of the closure of open drug market places and full implementation of NDDG is worsening the situation. Pharm. Abiola Paul-Ozieh, Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Lagos State branch (ACPN) therefore urged the Federal Government to keep to the December 2018

Women waiting to receive care in the hospital. •Rise In Unsafe Abortion, Maternal Deaths Loom Chioma Umeha A little more than a year ago after the Mexico City Policy, also known as the ‘Global Gag Rule,’ (GGR) was reintroduced by President Donald Trump on his first day in office; the fear of its dreaded impact is beginning to be felt. GGR is an executive order by the US government that blocks U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organisations that provide abortion counselling or referrals, advocate to decriminalise abortion or expand abortion services. However, there were huge outcries following the signing of a piece of paper which today is preventing millions of women around the world from deciding what they can and can’t do with their own bodies. The reality of the thought that the powerful white man in the White House has effectively signed the death warrants of thousands of women is staring the world in the face. It is now clear that with