Health
Expert Urges Improved Funding For Stem Cell Tech
A haematologist, Prof Sulaiman Akanmu, on Tuesday urged the
Federal Government to support and fund the Haematopoietic Stem Cell
Transplantation Technology to facilitate cancer treatment.
Akanmu, who is the Head, Haematology and Blood Transfusion,
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), gave the advice in an
interview with newsmen in Lagos.
He said that stem cell transplantation was a medical
intervention that involved taking or harvesting of tissue from one person of
the same species to another person.
According to him, the treatment being offered to cancer
patients are only aimed at palliating the cancer because the cure can kill the
patient.
“One important advantage of haematopoietic stem cell
transplantation is that it gives opportunity for cancer cure. When anybody is
diagnosed with cancer, we do not usually aim at cure.
“We only aim at palliating the cancer,if because we know, if
we aim at cure, we might cure the cancer, but we get the individual also killed
from the treatment that we are offering.
“ Because the cancer drugs, they kill the cancer cells but
at the same time, they kill what we refer to as haematopoietic stem cells in
the bone marrow that is supposed to be producing the blood cells.
“So, if you kill the cancer cells and you cannot produce the
blood cells, the individual dies.’’
Akanmu said that only few cancer patients in Nigeria could
afford to travel outside the country and pay between N14 million and N15
million for the stem cell transplant.
He said that larger percentage of Nigerians died because
they could not afford to raise such huge amount of money for the medical
procedure.
According to him, there is a need to create awareness about
haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Nigeria and for government to
support and fund the medical intervention.
“Heamatopoietic Stem
Cell Transplantation now here in Nigeria. We needed support, the political
will, encourage our scientists to keep talking about it, to keep going out
there and perfecting the skills and then, equipping our teaching hospitals with
facilities to be able to easily carry out the procedure.
“And the advantage number one is that we are able to give to
Nigerians what they need. Number two it reduces economic drainage from our
country because the huge amount of money that those people who can afford it
move out of Nigeria to have the procedure done, now they can have it done in
Nigeria at a cheaper rate.
“And of course number three advantage is that those of us in
this area of medical practice will feel more competent, feel happy that in our
chosen career, we are achieving results, it boosts our morale.”
Health
‘How Micro RNA Research Won Nobel Prize’
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
Health
WHO Begins Regulation On Antibiotic Waste
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
Health
Kebbi Harmonises Doctors’ Salaries To Curb Brain Drain
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.