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Nov132019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Police Arraign Man for Posing As Doctor

Police Arraign Man for Posing As Doctor

NEWS
The Lagos State Police Command has brought before the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court one Ebuka Duru for allegedly parading himself as a medical doctor. Duru was arraigned on Tuesday on four counts of conspiracy, stealing, impersonation and unlawful possession of medical instruments. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.It was gathered that Duru paraded himself as a medical doctor and commenced treatment of unsuspecting members of the public of various ailments. News Agency learnt that some medical equipment such as syringes, injections and drugs as well as a Toyota Matrix and Toyota Camry cars, both valued at N4.2m, were found in his possession when he was arrested. According to the police prosecutor, Ezekiel Ayorinde, the defendant committed the offences between April and August 2019 at the I
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Nov132019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
NACA Decentralises Office, Says its To Strengthen Fight Against HIV/AIDS

NACA Decentralises Office, Says its To Strengthen Fight Against HIV/AIDS

NEWS
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Dr. Gambo Aliyu, has said the decentralisation of the agency’s office to the six geopolitical zones of the country is to strengthen its fight against the spread of the disease. Aliyu said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the South-East Zonal Office of the agency in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. He said the measure was meant to take the war against HIV closer to the people, to further identify the carriers and avail them of easy access to the facility and medications. He also said the zonal offices of the agency would help to drive the fight against the stigmatisation of persons living with HIV/AIDS. He admonished Abia residents to visit NACA and State Agencies for the Control of HIV/AIDS (SACA) faciliti
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Nov132019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Africa Bears 25 Per Cent of Global Disease Burden, Says CMA President

Africa Bears 25 Per Cent of Global Disease Burden, Says CMA President

NEWS
The newly installed President of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele has lamented that Africa with its huge population bears 25 per cent of global disease but is home to only three per cent of the global health workforce. Enabulele stated this at the Benin Airport when he was received by friends and associates after his installation as the first Nigerian to lead CMA 57 years after the association was born. He said he would use the next three years to work with all commonwealth countries to ensure adequate healthcare for their people just as he said an award of excellence would be instituted to reward countries who improve on the health of their people. Enabulele said; “Africa even though contributes a very large percentage of the population of the world, it b
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Nov132019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Obiano Warns Immunisation Workers against Collection of Tips

Obiano Warns Immunisation Workers against Collection of Tips

NEWS
The Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has warned health workers participating in the routine immunization campaigns against collecting tips from residents. Obiano gave the warning during the one-day Sensitisation/Engagement Meeting for Measles Second Dose (MSD) Vaccination held on Monday in Awka. Dr. Nnamdi Uliagbafusi, Head of Department, Immunisation and Disease Control, Anambra State Primary Health Development Agency (ASPHCDA) made the position of the governor known to participants at the meeting. Uliagbafusi said that the state had yet to apprehend any offender but added that rumours going round had it that some health workers on immunisation demanded tips from residents. “Immunisation is free and it is both national and state policy that it be administered free to the tar
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Nov132019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Enabulele Emerges Head of Commonwealth Medical Association

Enabulele Emerges Head of Commonwealth Medical Association

NEWS
A former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele has emerged President of the Commonwealth Medical Association, CMA. Enabulele, a family physician and the first Nigerian to attain the position, was a past Vice President of the CMA before he was elected president. He took over from Vajira Dissayanake, a physician from Sri Lanka and will be piloting the affairs of the Association in the next three years alongside other elected officers.  During his inauguration  last Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 25th Triennial Conference of the Association in Abuja, anelated Enabulele said his leadership will institutionalise the CMA safe hospital initiative to address violent related cases in health facilities. “During my presidency, all disadvantaged
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Nov122019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
NAFDAC Calls for Stiffer Punishment for Importers of Fake Drugs

NAFDAC Calls for Stiffer Punishment for Importers of Fake Drugs

NEWS
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for stiffer punishment for importers of fake drugs and drug traffickers in the country. The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call during news conference on Monday in Abuja. Adeyeye decried what she described as light sentences handed peddlers of Tramadol and counterfeit drugs and urged the judiciary to review the penalties. ”It breaks my heart that a sentence of five years imprisonment or N250,000 fine is given to someone that is trafficking Tramadol that is killing our youths, destroying homes and casting shadows on the future of Nigeria. “I am pleading with the judiciary to look at the consequences of narcotics on our homes and review the sentences,” she said. The NA
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Nov122019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Ban Chaining Of Psychiatric Patients, HRW Tells FG

Ban Chaining Of Psychiatric Patients, HRW Tells FG

NEWS
People  with mental health issues are  chained, subjected to  hardship and abuse by health workers in Nigerian hospitals and  rehabilitation centres, Human Rights Watch  said in a report published on Monday. The  international rights group called on the Federal Government to ban chaining of psychiatric patients and ensure that those rescued had access to psychosocial support and social services. HRW  also asked the FG to urgently investigate chaining of people with mental  issues  in state-owned rehabilitation centres, psychiatric hospitals, and faith-based and traditional healing centres in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. In the last one month, over a thousand inmates of Islamic rehabilitation centres  and traditional healing homes in Kaduna, Katsina, Ka
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Nov82019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Health Educator Advises Students to Report Sexual Predators, To Curb Harassment

Health Educator Advises Students to Report Sexual Predators, To Curb Harassment

NEWS
A Health Educator, Prof. Basirat Oladipupo, has advised students of Lagos State University, Ojo, to always speak out and report sexual predators to the school authorities to curb harassment. Oladipupo, also Director, Sandwich Degree Programme in LASU, gave the advice at a workshop organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences Gender Committee, LASU on Wednesday in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the workshop was: “Sex for Grades in Tertiary Institution: Matters Arising”. Oladipupo said that reporting such cases to female lecturers or Student Affair Units on time would help other students not to be the next victims. She said that it would also assist the management to curb sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in the country. “University authorities sho
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Nov82019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Ibom Specialist Hospital to Begin Training Radiologists in 2020

Ibom Specialist Hospital to Begin Training Radiologists in 2020

NEWS
Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state will begin the training of Radiologist specialists from next year, 2020. The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Emmanuel Ekanem who disclosed this yesterday to newsmen added that the hospital has successfully operated 10 free open-heart surgeries on children. Ekanem who explained that the hospital was chosen in the country for the pediatric operations because it met the criteria set by the sponsor, disclosed that the successful operations were carried out in collaboration with the Hospitals for Humanities. “Since I came on board in July 2019, we have done two brain operations. We have done one spinal cord surgery. I did not need to bring anybody from outside. The hands we need are available. I have what I need but as we expand, we will need
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Nov82019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
FCT Healthcare Workers to Improve Maternal Care

FCT Healthcare Workers to Improve Maternal Care

NEWS
Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are stepping up efforts to improve the quality of care (QoC) given to new mothers at their facilities. This is just as health workers from 10 Health facilities, including seven PHCs and three Secondary health facilities gathered in Abuja to compare notes and discuss the best way to tackle issues of poor maternal health. With Supports from the World Health Organization (WHO), 35 trained healthcare providers attended the peer-to-peer learning session on improving maternal, newborn and child quality of healthcare. Speaking during the session, Mr Akila Udoji, the Officer in Charge of the Karu PHC expressed gratitude to WHO and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) for introducing the QoC programme and building capa...
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Nov82019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Polio : Jigawa LG Vaccinates 61,546 Children

Polio : Jigawa LG Vaccinates 61,546 Children

NEWS
No fewer than 61,546 children under the age of five have been vaccinated against polio in Kaugama Local Government Area of Jigawa during the just concluded November round of polio vaccination. Alhaji Garba Musa-Jabo, the Immunization Officer in the area, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaugama on Thursday that the figure represented 100 percent of the targeted children. He expressed delight that residents of Marke, Dakayyawa and Yansiminti who had a history of rejecting the vaccines, had accepted them during the exercise. He attributed the success to massive awareness campaign by his office as well as the efforts of traditional rulers in mobilizing their subjects for the exercise. Also speaking to NAN, the Kaugama Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Yahaya-Marke commended st...
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Nov82019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Scientists Discover New HIV Strain in 20 Years

Scientists Discover New HIV Strain in 20 Years

NEWS
For the first time in almost two decades, a new strain (sub-type) of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, has been discovered. A team of scientists from Abbott, a global healthcare company, announced today that it identified the new HIV subtype, called HIV-1 Group M, subtype L.1. Findings from the study, entitled “Complete genome sequence of CG-0018a-0 establishes HIV-1 subtype L, ” are published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, JAIDS. The study shows the role that next-generation genome sequencing is playing in helping researchers stay one step ahead of mutating viruses and avoiding new pandemics. In the views of Dr. Mary Rogers, a principal scientist and head of the Global Viral Surveillance Programme, Diagnostics, Abbott: “Identifying new viruses such as t
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Nov42019 by PharmaTimes9 Comments
Polio: Jigawa LG Commences Vaccination of 43,380 Children

Polio: Jigawa LG Commences Vaccination of 43,380 Children

NEWS
Alhaji Yusif Tudun-Wada, the Council’s Immunisation Officer, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gumel that the vaccination began on Saturday and would end on Nov. 5. He said the council had so far received 41,340 doses of polio vaccines from the state government for the exercise. “The release of 41,340 doses to us by the state government is based on our target children for the July round. “But we agreed with them that more doses will be supplied to us when we exhaust the available ones,” Tudun-Wada said. The official said 324 Adhoc staff were recruited and deployed to 11 wards in the area for the exercise. Also speaking to NAN, Alhaji Habu Magaji, the Primary Healthcare Development Agency Manager in the area, thanked the council for purchasing 30 cartons of chocolates used in luring c
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Nov42019 by PharmaTimes1 Comment
Adamawa Patent Medicine Seller Promotes Self as Doctor, Turns Bedrooms to Clinic

Adamawa Patent Medicine Seller Promotes Self as Doctor, Turns Bedrooms to Clinic

NEWS
The Adamawa Police Command has confirmed the arrest of an alleged fake medical doctor in Modire-Yolde-Pate ward in Yola South local government area. The Command spokesperson, DSP Sulaiman Nguroje, confirmed the development to News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Yola. Nguroje said the suspect, identified as Gambo Adamu, was arrested and remanded in prison custody. He said Adamu was initially a patent medicine retailer who suddenly began admitting patients for treatment. “The suspect, Gambo Adamu, was apprehended on October 24, 2019, following intelligence report. “According to first intelligence report, Adamu is a patent medicine operator, but he suddenly turned a three bedroom house to a clinic and began admitting patients. “The suspect is already charged to court, while investigation c
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Nov42019 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Presidency Secretly Strips Health Ministry of Procurement Powers

Presidency Secretly Strips Health Ministry of Procurement Powers

NEWS
A secret order by the Presidency which stripped the Federal Ministry of Health of the powers of procurement and transferred the authority to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is causing disquiet in the health sector. Competent sources within the Presidency and the two ministries told our correspondent that the secret order, which was given by fiat in October 2018, was caused by a power play between the then Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, and the President’s powerful Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. Kyari and Adewole had been involved in many battles, one of which was caused by the latter’s decision to suspend the then Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, a move which was later overruled by Kyari. Due to the friction
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