Chioma Umeha

Chioma Umeha Nigeria population is estimated to be over 200 million, while the Lagos State figure put at over 21 million as at 2016 by the National Population Commission of Nigeria (NPopC). It is no surprise therefore that there is increasing family planning campaigns in Lagos states to tackle envisaged overpopulation and its consequence. Research shows that the socio-economic infrastructure of any state is often over-stretched if families are not planned, more so in a country struggling with inflation and economic depression. Overpopulation has a definite effect on a country’s economy. Overpopulation also means that more goods and supplies are required to support the population when over population occurs. One of the main economic problems for any country with an overpopulation problem is the shortage of food, minerals, fuel and other resources. As a means of ensuring effective population control, the global community has set a target that by

Chioma Umeha A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Ogun State, Family Health Initiative Ogun (FHIO), has rolled out new plan aimed at creating enabling environment that will strengthen family planning programmes in the state. The NGO’s Chairperson, Mrs. Kemi Balogun, while speaking at its quarterly meeting, held in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, restated that the group is committed to facilitating required resources and logistics for the State, in the provision of qualitative and accessible health care services to families. Balogun explained that the advocacy drive of the organisation targeted at relevant stakeholders for the formulation and actualisation of policies and programmes that would help to improving health of children, reproductive health of adolescents, youths and mothers through effective family planning/childbirth spacing services delivery. According to her, the group is passionate and concerned about adequate provision of qualitative and acces

Chioma Umeha The negative attitude of some medical and healthcare personnel at Gwamna Awan General Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna, have has been flayed by some enrollees of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the state. In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kaduna, the enrolees complained of absenteeism and lateness by doctors and healthcare staff, forcing them to wait long frustrating hours before being attended to. A correspondent of NAN monitoring the quality of service delivery at the NHIS unit of the facility reported that he visited the section at three different occasions and found no doctor on seat to attend to patients. According to the report, there was no doctor on seat on Aug. 23, and after long hours of waiting, patients were refereed to another doctor in the main hospital. In another visit on Aug. 31 patients were told no doctor was available to see them until Sept. 4; and the doctor did not show u

Chioma Umeha The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy will on September 12 honour two distinguished Nigerians with ‘Lifetime Achievement award and Honorary Fellowship,’ respectively in a special ceremony which will also feature a lecture by a distinguished scientist. According to Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, Vice President of the Academy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee, the lecture with the theme, “From Plant to Patient: Driving Research & Innovation for Industry,” will be delivered by a former Vice Chancellor, Benson Idahosa University, Benin-City, Professor Ernest Izevbigie. For his pioneering and entrepreneurial trailblazing efforts in the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe, currently the oldest surviving former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), will receive the academy’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award.’ Chief Akinkugbe who was the pioneer General Secretary of the defunct Niger

Chioma Umeha Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Thursday, August 30, 2018, led a delegation of Pharmacists to the 78th International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Glasgow, UK, which began from September 2. The theme of the congress is ‘Pharmacy: Transforming Outcomes.” The subtopics which are major issues of discussion at the meeting ending tomorrow include; “From bench to bedside: Advancing pharmaceutical care,” “Partners in health (New collaborative practices, research and educational models)” and Empowered for health. The meeting is also geared to emphasise on training and leadership development for innovations in disseminating new knowledge through the identification of key competencies or skills sets and targeting special interests in the different fields of pharmacy.

Chioma Umeha The Medical Director,   Fatimah Clinic Kaduna, Dr Maryam Abubakar has advised Nigerians to imbibe the habit of frequent hand washing   to avoid viral and bacterial infection of the eye. Abubakar gave the advice in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Kaduna. She noted that the number of patients with acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, also known as Apollo, is on the increase hence the need for people to imbibe safety habits to avoid contact. According to her, children with eye infection need to take days off from school and for members of the public to seek medical help whenever their eyes become swollen, pink and itchy. Abubakar also cautioned against sharing towels or personal hygiene kits with others, and for those infected to avoid rubbing the affected eyes. She advised those affected to rest for two weeks, so as to minimize crowd exposure and spreading the infection. Also, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani of the Foundation for Protection

Chioma Umeha The Enugu State Agency for the Control of AIDS (ENSACA) says it is currently treating 28,973 people living with HIV/AIDS in the state. The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Uche Agu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Friday that the figure represented about 30 per cent of the people within the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of state. Agu said: “So, we are covering just 30 per cent of the people, just like the national level now have 30 per cent coverage.’’ He said that the agency has 22 major centres where the engagement was taking place in health facilities across the state. According to him, the HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state stood at 4.9 per cent of the entire population of the state. The executive secretary said that the agency had adopted the Test and Treat Modal (TTM) strategy to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS in the state. However, Agu noted that funding had been a serious challenge affecting the agency especially

Chioma Umeha A Nutritionist, Miss Patience Chima, on Wednesday said lack of adequate nutrients during pregnancy was responsible for most foetal malformation and deformation in babies. Chima of the Dietetics Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, advised pregnant women to ensure that they have enough nutrients in store to aid the formation of their foetus. She gave the advice at the 6th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference organised by the Nigerian Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NISPGHAN) in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that theme of the conference is entitled: “The Role of Specialised Paediatric Gastroenterological Care in Improving Child Health.’’ NAN reports that the conference, which started on Wednesday, will end on Friday. Chima said: “Preconception status is the nutritional status of the mother before conception and in our society, lots of mothers d

Chioma Umeha Despite insurgency, Borno is ahead of other states of the federation in the number of birth registrations conducted nationwide in the last five years, the National Population Commission says. Emmanuel Mark, Head of Department, Vital Registration Department, National Population Commission (NPopC) in Borno, disclosed this in an interview with the DAILY INDEPENDENT recently. Mark made the revelation during a Media Dialogue on Birth Registration in Kano, convened by the United Nations Children Education Fund in support of the Child Right Information Bureau, Federal Ministry information, Culture and Tourism. Over 40 participants were in attendance at the meeting which aim was to tackle obstacles against birth registration in the country. With 83 per cent under-one registration, and 20 per cent under-five registration within the period, Borno is ahead of others in the chart of birth registration in Nigeria, the Head of Department, NPopC said. He

Chioma Umeha As part of efforts to promote optimal health condition and improve on emergency preparedness and response time, the Lagos State Government, on Monday commenced the year 2018 Medical Screening Exercise for operatives within Safety Arena, Bolade Oshodi. Performing the flagging off of the medical screening exercise was Oluseye Oladejo, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations. Oladejo said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode envisioned the Safety Arena complex to house Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) relevant to security and safety issues to serve as a one stop shop and improve synergy amongst safety agencies and operatives. According to the Commissioner, the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in order to reduce the prevalence of chronic health diseases has made preventive measures a pivotal factor in ensuring that disabilities and deaths from these diseases are minimised. He added th