Month: October 2019

Oct302019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

ICYMI: Buhari Mourns LUTH Oncologist, Prof. Ajekigbe

NEWS

President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the Ajekigbe family, the academia, and the medical profession, on the passage of renowned oncologist, Prof. Aderemi Ajekigbe. The President’s condolence message was conveyed in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Tuesday. The deceased practised for decades at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, rising to the headship of the Oncology and Radiology Department. President Buhari noted that, even in retirement, late Ajekigbe “still lent his God-given intellect to research and advocacy of early detection of cancer, so that the scourge can be reduced in the country.” The President saluted the commitment to the scholarship of the departed, which saw him first qualifying

Oct302019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Take Your Nutrition Seriously, Pharmacist Tells Nigerians

NEWS

The Chief Executive Officer of Olpharm Nigeria limited, Johnson Olusetire, has advised Nigerians to take their nutrition seriously, saying it is essential in living a healthy lifestyle. Olusetire, at the unveiling of Pentasure Hexagon Nutrition Supplement in Lagos, said global bodies identify good nutrition as the foundation for development. “Well-nourished women, children, adolescents, and adults live healthier lives with greater resilience to life-threatening diseases. “Global progress hinges on investment in nutrition. It is an essential building block for the healthy development and wellbeing of all, particularly women and children,” he said. The pharmacist also lamented the effect of malnutrition on children, calling for urgent attention from the relevant stakeholders. He noted tha

Oct302019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Obaseki Launches Edo Health Insurance Scheme, Lauded For Reforestation

NEWS

Governor Godwin Obaseki is to launch the Edo State Compulsory Health Insurance Scheme tomorrow geared at ensuring affordable healthcare for all residents. In a statement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said his principal would equally inaugurate the Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the 20 revamped Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) under the Edo State Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) at the Ofunmwengbe Primary Healthcare Centre in Okada, Ovia South West council area of the state. According to him, “the state government has recorded a number of achievements in the health sector, which include rehabilitation of the 20 primary healthcare centres in the 18 local government areas (LGAs) of

Oct302019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

18 Die of Suspected Yellow Fever in Katsina

NEWS

The Executive Secretary of Katsina State Primary Health Development Agency, Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya on Tuesday confirmed that 18 deaths had been recorded from an outbreak of a disease suspected to be yellow fever in the Matazu Local Government Area of the state. He stated that laboratory tests carried out in Abuja and in Lagos on the disease had not indicated clearly that it was yellow fever. Yahaya said, “As of today, Tuesday, October 29, 2019, the number of deaths recorded from the outbreak of the disease in the council (Matazu) was 18. Total cases recorded were 45, out of which 18 deaths occurred. “We had the first reported case of the disease in the Matazu LGA on the 29th September, 2019. It was reported by our diseases surveillance officer. Since then, we have been monitoring situ

Oct302019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Minimum Wage: Doctors Decry Exclusion from Negotiations

NEWS

Nigerian doctors Tuesday kicked against their non-inclusion in the just-concluded negotiations on new minimum wage. The doctors, under the umbrella body of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), argued that their members on the Consolidated Medical Salary Schemes (CONMESS) had made special arrangements for payment of some allowances, which were not considered in the latest negotiations. NMA National President Dr Francis Faduyile expressed the association’s concerns yesterday in Abuja when he led some members of the association on a visit to Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige. He said NMA had made arrangements to include hazard allowances in the negotiation through what he called Collective Bargaining Agreement. The union leader added that such allowances needed to be rev

Oct242019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

66% of Lagosians Can’t Afford Quality Healthcare, Says Health Commissioner

NEWS

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said that about 66 per cent of Lagos residents cannot pay for quality healthcare as they live below the poverty threshold. He said this percentage of people in the state could not pay for healthcare and could not be captured in the insurance scheme. Abayomi, who spoke yesterday at a press briefing organised by the state Ministry of Health, said with the health insurance scheme aimed to ensure accessibility and affordability, only 33 per cent of people who were well to do could access it. He said if the whole equity funds of the state were used to address the issue, they would only cater for five per cent of the under-privileged population who could not afford healthcare, leaving 61 per cent out. He, therefore, said that the...

Oct242019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Doctors Seek Interventions, Mobilisation of Resources to Tackle Suicidal Behaviour

NEWS

Meanwhile, stakeholders in mental health advocacy have called for the urgent need to establish a national suicide prevention strategy to curb the rising menace, especially among youths in Nigeria. The stakeholders, including medical professionals, social workers and non-governmental organisations among others, lamented the rise of suicide rate in the country, which they said could be prevent by putting measures in place to address it. They gave the assertion ahead of the 2019 national conference scheduled to hold on Saturday, 26, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), with the theme: “Suicide, a Challenge to Developing Country”. The Chief Executive Officer, Sparkle Foundation, Olasimbo Ojuroye, lamented that there are lots not issues with stigma and mental health, as more youths are commit

Oct242019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Organisation Calls for Collective Effort against Chronic Diseases

NEWS

In its quest to combat the scourge of chronic diseases among Nigerians, the War against Chronic Disease Initiatives (WACDI) has called for collective effort in tackling it. Charging parents and children to engage in regular exercises and medical checkup, the nongovernmental organisation took to the streets of Somolu, Pangroove, Onipan and Yaba in Lagos State recently to enlighten residents of the benefits of preventive measure as a more affordable means to living healthy. This walk is coming after research showed that at present, about eight million Nigerians suffer from hypertension and four million have diabetes with 100,000 new cases of cancers diagnosed annually in Nigeria. Speaking on the theme, ‘Independence from Chronic Disease’, a founding member, Mr. Bentoro John said: “We are

Oct242019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

RFCA to Give Persons Living with Breast Cancer Voice through ‘Patient Navigator’

NEWS

Run for a Cure Africa (RFCA), a foundation involved in early diagnosis and cure of breast cancer in Nigeria, is set to better engage Nigerians with breast cancer education. This they intend to do through its newly launched audio series tagged, ‘Patient Navigator’ which will be airing on Nigeria Info 99.3fm every Tuesdays from 11am to 11:10am. This is coming in the wake of the foundation’s 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for October 26, 2019, which the foundation would be celebrating by providing free breast cancer checkups in three different locations in Lagos state, and her annual, ‘Jollof Rice War’ event. The founder, Dr. Ebele Mbanugo, speaking at the launch of the series, said this was in response to the fear and confusion from patients trying to seek help in Nig

Oct242019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Stakeholders Advocate Urgent National Suicide Prevention Strategy in Nigeria

NEWS

A Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Justin Achor, has said that no country has succeeded in reducing the burden of suicide without a national suicide prevention strategy, explaining that the tide of suicide in Nigeria can be stemmed through multi-level, multi-component interventions involving clinical and public health facets. He stated that such a strategy would include the political will and commitment to prioritize and tackle problems, leadership and guidance on the necessary interventions and mobilizing the needed resources for their implementation. Speaking on the topic, “Curbing the increasing trend of suicide in Nigeria: the role of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)”, during the 2019 Physicians Week of the Enugu branch of the NMA, Achor also stated that doctors could contribute in

Oct232019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Ehanire: FG to Explore PHC Models that Include Round-the-Clock Healthcare Services

NEWS

The Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has said that the Federal Government is open to exploring Primary Health Care (PHC) models that upgrade Primary health care centers to offer round the clock services. The Minister made this known in Abuja, at the Nigeria Health Watch Maternal Care Stakeholders Summit, theme: Advancing quality maternal care in Nigeria: What are the missing links? He also said that partnerships that include private medical services or Public Private Partnerships that increase the reach of healthcare to rural dwellers where the gabs are most evident are also being considered. In his key note address, Dr. Ehanire said that many studies have been carried out to identify the challenges in the provision of healthcare services to Nigerians, particularly, wome...

Oct232019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

WHO Signs Mou with International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association to Promote Access

NEWS

Full access to medicines is hampered by a variety of factors. Two important barriers are high prices and regulatory issues such as long lag times in bringing medicines to market. To address these issues, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, and Jim Keon, Chair of the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association, today signed a memorandum of understanding. The new agreement is an important step in WHO’s drive towards universal health coverage by underscoring the importance of generic and biosimilar medicines to increasing access to affordable, quality treatment. WHO is an active supporter of expanding use of generic medicines: The vast majority of the products in the WHO Essential Medicines List are generic. WHO’s prequalification programme – which asse

Oct232019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Euracare Multi-specialist Hospital Hosts First West African Bariatric Surgery Masterclass

NEWS

Euracare, a leading multi-specialist hospital in Lagos, has hosted the first ever West African masterclass on minimally invasive bariatric surgery for weight loss. The symposium which held on October 17 and 18 this year at Euracare premises in Victoria Island Lagos, was aimed at demonstrating weight loss surgery techniques to bariatric surgeons across West Africa. Bariatric surgery, according to research, is a specialist procedure used to achieve weight loss to control obesity and diabetes. The masterclass initiative is in partnership with healthcare product manufacturing giant, Medtronic as part of a West African wide campaign to bring together other specialists in this new field for collaborations on best clinic practice, training research, and capacity building. The Consultant Gener...

Oct232019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Nigeria Pledges $12m to Fight AIDS, Others Globally

NEWS

Nigeria has pledged $12m to a global campaign to tackle AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world. The Head, Public Relations and Protocol Division, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Toyin Aderibigbe, in a statement on Monday, said the country made the pledge at the Sixth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Lyon, France, between October 9 and 10. The statement read, “An unprecedented 23 implementing countries from Africa made pledges to the Global Fund. “Nigeria demonstrated its support and solidarity with the international community by making a financial pledge of $12m (a 20 per cent increase) to the Global Fund, while expressing its commitment to increasing domestic resources for health and disease programmes.” According

Oct232019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

NAFDAC Urges Pharmacists, Patent Medicine Dealers to Store Medicines with Care

NEWS

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised pharmacists and patent medicine dealers to store medicines with due care, to sustain their shelf life and potency. Mr. Venatius Ihekire, NAFDAC Assistant Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday. Ihekire noted that the expiry period of pharmaceutical products had meaning only if the products were stored under proper conditions. The assistant director said that otherwise, the products were likely to lose their potency before the actual date of expiry. He said that storage of medicines and other medicine-related products was an important requirement of good pharmacy practice, to maintain their potency and ensu...