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Day: November 20, 2018

Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
How Flogging, Beating Children Leave Them with Brain Changes, Aggression, Suicidal Behaviour

How Flogging, Beating Children Leave Them with Brain Changes, Aggression, Suicidal Behaviour

Children's Health, NEWS
Leading pediatricians’ group in the United States (U.S.) has strengthened its advice against spanking and other physical punishment because of the potential for long-term harm. In an updated policy released Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that can include aggression, brain changes, substance abuse and suicidal behavior in adulthood. Previously, the AAP’s 1998 discipline policy said parents should be ‘encouraged’ not to spank. Now, the group says parents should not spank, hit, slap, threaten, insult, humiliate or shame their children. Instead, they should find ‘healthy’ forms of discipline. It says spanking is falling out of favor among parents, especially those with young children. While some parents still believe it can lead to short-term improvements
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Nigeria Reiterates Commitment to Tackling Noma Disease

Nigeria Reiterates Commitment to Tackling Noma Disease

Children's Health, NEWS
The federal government has reiterated its commitment to tackling Noma disease and has given hope to children born with the disease in the country. Noma is a gangrenous and disfiguring infection that eats away the facial tissue leading to pain, discomfort and discrimination. Despite being preventable and treatable, a large number of noma patients die due of low awareness and lack of access to healthcare. The permanent secretary of the ministry of health, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, at the second edition of the National Noma day in Abuja on Monday stressed the government’s readiness towards tackling Noma in the country. Mr Abdullahi, while urging state governments to implement new ways of reducing the disease, said the federal government is also intensifying efforts to eradicating Noma disease
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
NMA Seeks Greater Cooperation with Nurses

NMA Seeks Greater Cooperation with Nurses

NEWS
The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called for the reintroduction of the old good working relationship that existed between medical practitioners and nurses to promote better working relations in the healthcare sector. The NMA President, Dr Francis Faduyile, made the appeal on Monday when he visited the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Abuja. Faduyile said that the NMA was prepared for better relation with the nurses and always committed to the restoration of the lost glory between health workers, especially the doctors and nurses relationship. He said that such collaboration would guarantee better working relationship, quality healthcare service for patients and better working environment. “It is true that nurses have not had the best of times over
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
‘Nigeria’s Losses to Medical Tourism More Than 2018 Health Budget’

‘Nigeria’s Losses to Medical Tourism More Than 2018 Health Budget’

NEWS
The amount of money Nigeria losses to medical tourism annually is more than the amount allocated to the health sector in the 2018 Budget, National Secretary, Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Dr. Theophilus Ndubuaku, has said. He stated this in Abuja during the launch of the 120 Watts Holmium Laser equipment popularly called Moses Technology  procured by Kelina Hospital. Dr. Theophilus Ndubuaku said Nigeria losses N359.2 billion to medical tourism annually, which is more than the N340.45 billion allocated the health sector  in the 2018 budget. He added that this represents 3.9 per cent of the total N8.6 trillion expenditure plan, and pegs the health cost per citizen in 2018 to N1,888. He said:  “Through an average of 9,000 medical tours occurring monthly from
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Antibiotic Resistance May Result in 10 Million Deaths by 2050

Antibiotic Resistance May Result in 10 Million Deaths by 2050

NEWS
A lecturer in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Bamidele Mutiu, has warned that failure to address the problem of antibiotic resistance could result in 10 million deaths globally by 2050. Mutiu said this during the World Antibiotics Awareness Programme organised by St Rachael Pharma, last Friday at the company’s headquarters in Lekki, Lagos. “We are running out of effective antibiotic drugs to fight infection because new ones have not been produced in the last 30 years. Some drugs don’t even get to the market. They end up in the laboratory because, for every drug that gets into the market, it costs a lot of money. It is a multinational investment and government alone cannot do it,” he said. He said that some of the reasons
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Unauthorised Clinical Trials Going on in Nigeria — NAFDAC DG

Unauthorised Clinical Trials Going on in Nigeria — NAFDAC DG

NEWS
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojsiola Adeyeye, has said that a number of unauthorised clinical trials are ongoing in various institutions in the country. Adeyeye made the statement while delivering a keynote address at the Global Congress on Oncology Clinical Trials held at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, last Wednesday. She said, “There are several challenges facing the agency in terms of regulating clinical trials, but the most critical is the discovery that quite a number of unauthorised clinical trials are going on in various institutions in the country. “This is unacceptable. It is one of the reasons why clinical data emanating from this part of the world are rarely considered as credible by our counter
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
In-Kitchen Gas Cylinders: NOHIL Worries over Rising Cases of Domestic Accidents

In-Kitchen Gas Cylinders: NOHIL Worries over Rising Cases of Domestic Accidents

NEWS
The Chief Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Dr Mustapha Alimi has raised the alarm over increasing cases of burns in the hospital, blaming them on what he described as ‘nonchalant attitude’ of Nigerians in the use of cooking gas. Alimi who spoke during the Hospital’s Burns Awareness Walk further maintained that the increase in burns being recorded in the tertiary institution was due to poor handling of cooking gas or kerosene, generator and the use of phone touch lights while fueling generators. He warned Nigerians against keeping their gas cylinder inside their kitchen as many may not be lucky with such act. “If you are using cooking gas or kerosene, keep it outside. Your kitchen must have a window. If kerosene finished inside the stove while you a
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Pneumonia: Big Killer of Little Children on Rampage in Nigeria, 4 Others

Pneumonia: Big Killer of Little Children on Rampage in Nigeria, 4 Others

NEWS
New report says 16 deaths occur every hour and death toll may reach 11m by 2030 In the space of 3- 4 minutes that it takes to read this story, 1 child would have died from pneumonia, equating to at least 16 children every hour. Chances that the children would be Nigerians are high because Nigeria ranks among the countries with the highest burden. Experts say except there is urgent intervention, Nigeria is set to bear the highest burden of deaths from pneumonia by 2030. Their concern is coming on the heels of a new analysis conducted by Johns Hopkins University and Save the Children based on a model developed by researchers tagged: ” the Lives Saved Tool” (LiST) which revealed that 10,865,728 children will die of pneumonia by 2030 with the highest burden of deaths in Nigeria estimated
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Nov202018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
World Toilet Day: RB Task Nigerians on Proper Defecation

World Toilet Day: RB Task Nigerians on Proper Defecation

NEWS
As Nigeria yesterday joined the rest of the world to celebrate 2018 World Toilet Day with the theme: “When Nature Calls”, Nigerians have been urged to practice proper defecation as well as imbibe simple hand washing with soap with a view to breaking the chain of infections due to open defecation. Speaking during an event to mark this year’s World Toilet Day in Lagos, the General Manager, Reckitt Benckiser, RB, West Africa, Mr Dayanand Sriram said millions of children in developing countries including Nigeria die from preventable illnesses, such as diarrhoea annually. Sriram who noted that the global vision of the company was to ensure people are healthier and live better said: “Simple act of hand washing with soap and proper defecation could save more lives than any single vaccin
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