Chioma Umeha

Chioma Umeha Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe has called on the federal government to set up a Nigeria Health Fund which the private sector will be compelled to pay 0.2% of their pre-tax profit into. He made the call after he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA 2019) in Lagos. The award was presented by the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. (Mrs.) Noimot Salako-Oyedele. According to a statement weekend signed by Moses Braimah, Director, Marketing, Communication, & Strategy Dr. Stella Okoli, Group Managing Director of Emzor Pharmaceutical and Professor Eyitayo Lambo, former Minister of Health were also given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Akinkugbe who went nostalgic, gave an account of how similar fund(s) was set up in the past, both in local and foreign currencies, but was frittered away by a past military regime. The amount raised was so huge that it was almost higher than the Nigerian budget. He believe

Chioma Umeha and LUCY SAMUEL Emeritus Professor Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe, Dr. Stella Chinyelu Okoli and Prof. Eyitayo Lambo were the three eminent persons who cart home the Lifetime Achievement prize of the sixth edition of Nigeria Health Care Excellence Award (NHEA). The award which held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos weekend, also bestowed the special recognition award on Dr. Mohammed Pate for providing leadership in the reduction of polio in Nigeria, while Dr. Aranmolate Ayobami received his for the revolution of cosmetic surgery in Nigeria. The event which had several doctors, hospital administrators, pharmacists, owners of health management organisations (HMOs), captains of industry and stakeholders in the health sector in attendance also awarded ‘Outstanding CSR Health Project of the Year’ to Healing Stripes Hospital for providing free dialysis for the less-privileged. Also, Nasarawa State won the Outstanding State Government Hea

•Says FG Should Retain Drug Matters On Exclusive List To Avoid Abuse Chioma Umeha Pharm. Bolanle Adeniran, Chairman, Lagos State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has criticised the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for increasing drug and product registration tariff by a whopping 350 percent, warning that it would bring about grave consequences of morbidity and mortality to consumers of healthcare products in the country. Adeniran who was quest speaker on the “Ease of Doing Healthcare Business with the National Agency For Food, Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigeria Customs Service” on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), explained that it would now cost N1.05 million to register a prescription only medicine up from N350,000.00, while Over The Counter (OTC) drugs have moved from a hitherto expensive N1 million to N4 mil

Chioma Umeha Today, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is treatable unlike three decades ago when receiving an HIV diagnosis was comparable to being handed a death sentence. This is because advances in HIV research have led to treatments that can make the virus undetectable and nontransmissible in less than six months, though many are still ignorant of this. New infections are on rampage among Nigerians, especially among women, as thousands are still dying of HIV-related causes despite accessible and effective treatment due to stigma. The recently released Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) showed that women aged between 15 and 49 years are more than twice more likely to be living with HIV than men. Consequently, women are now bearing the burden of being prospective sources of HIV infection with its associated stigma and discrimination. Research has shown that stigma shame leads to poor health outcomes in HIV patients, and unfortunately, stigma shame is

• Lagoon, GTB, Others Nominated Chioma Umeha Lagos – Online voting has commenced for the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA 2019) for over 110 organisations and individuals on the award platform and will end midnight. The theme for this sixth edition is ‘bringing standard to Nigeria healthcare.’ A statement signed by Moses Braimah, Director, Marketing, Communication and Strategy said, Final nominees were selected by the NHEA Jury for e-voting following about 6,000 nominations received from the public. Winners for each award category will be announced at a grand ballroom ceremony in Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday, June 21, 2019. Moses Braimah, NHEA Director of Communication, Marketing & Strategy says, “The over 300 percent increase in nominations received this year compared to 2018 edition has broken all previous records. It once again shows increased acceptability and confidence of stakeholders in our processes.” “The NHEA Jury

Chioma Umeha SYNLAB has opened a new wellness-focused facility in Victoria Island and expanded its comprehensive medical test portfolio to offer advanced genetic testing relating to sports medicine, nutrition and pharmacology. Apart from offering advanced diagnostic services, for which SYNLAB, formerly PathCare Laboratories, has earned a reputation of accuracy and reliability over the years, the new facility spearheads three advanced genetic tests which are designed to improve precision in the practice of personalised medicine and enhance the quality of life in Nigeria. These tests, which are concurrently being launched in Europe, are pillars in personalised medicine and have been brought to Nigeria in line with SYNLAB’s commitment to ma MyPGx, a once-in-a-lifetime pharmacogenetic test, is designed to assist doctors to streamline the treatment of patients by personalising the choice and dosage of medication that is being prescribed. MyPGx results effectively eliminate “tr

Chioma Umeha Global effort to ensure improved water, sanitation and hygiene conditions seems like a drop in the ocean. As at today, about 4.4 billion people do not use improved sanitation, while 2.1 billion people worldwide are still drinking unsafe water. The new WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reports broke the sad news that “About 2.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, readily available water at home, while 4.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation.” Analysts have described the trend as a worrisome one which has pitched children worldwide up the creek. The reason they say is simple – Clean water, sanitation, good toilet and hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. Open defecation, unclean water, and sanitation-related diseases are some of the leading causes of death of children under the age of five. Every day, over 800 global children die from preventable diseases caused by poor Water, Hygie

Chioma Umeha The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday condemned the use of children as suicide bombers by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria’s northeast. The agency’s statement which came hours after two underage girls and a boy blew themselves up at a community football viewing center in the Konduga area of Borno State – the heart of the 10-year-old insurgency. According to the statement which was signed by Oluwatosin Akingbulu, Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, UNICEF and made available to DAILY INDEPENDENT, Peter Hawkins, the agency’s Representative in Nigeria condemned the incident which left at least 30 dead and 40 others injured. “UNICEF condemns the use of children as human bombs and in any combat or non-combat roles in the conflict in northeast Nigeria,” the statement read. “It is unacceptable that children should be used in this way. UNICEF appeals to all those involved in this terrible conflict to protect children at all times and to keep

•Conducts Second Phase Of Vaccination Campaign Chioma Umeha To ensure an unbroken record in the Nigeria’s renewed attempt to become polio-free, Lagos state government with support of other local and international partners has successful conducted a second phase of the immunisation campaign against the disease. Disclosing this at a media/ stakeholders sensitisation workshop in Lagos, Titilayo Goncalves, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and other agencies, have successfully concluded another polio vaccination campaign. According to Goncalves, the state-wide vaccination began Saturday, June 15 and ended Tuesday, June 18, 2019, following the confirmation of environmental strand of Polio Virus in Makoko, Itire and Maracana Canals in the State. The Permanent Secretary also said the vaccination campaign was to halt the spread of polio virus and increase coverage of immunised children against vaccine-preventa