Health
NMA Defends Medical Doctors’ Strike
As the nationwide strike
by medical doctors enters day eight, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) maintains that the action is for the good of the patients.
Chairman of the association in Rivers State, Dr. Ibitrokoemi Kurubo, stated this in a chat with The Tide in his office.
Dr. Kurubo noted that their demands bordered on issues that would provide quality healthcare services for their patients.
He said the health sector needed to be adequately funded to provide training for doctors to enhance service delivery, adding that part of the reason for medical tourism was the lack of personnel and conducive environment for both the doctor and the patient to function.
He maintained that the patient’s wellbeing was the doctor’s priority in the hospital, and emphasized that they would do everything in their power to deliver quality service to the patients and appealed to the public for understanding and patients.
The NMA boss also said adequate arrangements have been made to cater for their critical patients and to handle medical crises, adding that those patients who could not be moved have consultants looking after them, also saying that patients who were referred to other hospitals were given referral notes with their doctors following up on them.
Meanwhile some private hospitals are experiencing an unprecedented boom in their business.
Dr Stanley Chukwuka, private medical practitioner in Port Harcourt who affirms that business is good, also appealed to the relevant authorities to take urgent steps to improve healthcare delivery in the country.
The Primary Health centres also have increased patronage as those who could not patronize the private hospitals now visit the health centres.
However, a walk through government owned hospitals in the state, saw patients hanging around the hospitals hoping for a miracle.
Mrs Alaba Davis, who was seen at the entrance of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), lamented that her son who had already been booked for hernia surgery, could not have his surgery done, and complained that she could not afford to go to private hospital since she had already paid a certain amount for the procedure.
Davis decried in frequent strike actions embarked on by doctors, expressing her thought saying “I used to think the world of the doctors was humanitarian, why these frequent strikes every now and then?” She appealed to the striking doctors to reconsider their stand and give consideration to the suffering patients.
Expert identifies challenges facing treatment of mental illness in Nigeria
Psychiatrist, Dr Olusegun Akinwotu , on Monday identified religious beliefs, lack of financial resources, low enlightenment, unavailability of a mental health law and discrimination as challenges facing psychiatrists in Nigeria.
Akinwotu, the President, Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba said this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
“People’s religious belief about mental illness, some believe it is spiritual and that they don’t need to come to the hospital for treatment.
“We, also, in the medical profession know that when these symptoms start, relatives tend to attribute it to different things, especially if they have rivalry in the family.
“Many people believe these things are spiritual. The other is the issue of financial resources. When they are supposed to come and seek medical treatment, they don’t have enough funds.
“And some also have problems of enlightenment. They are not enlightened enough. They have beliefs that this is due to other various causes.
“The mental health law in the country does not back mental health practice as it should.’’
The psychiatrist said that proper education and improved socio-economic status would enhance better psychiatric practice in Nigeria.
He added that a mental health law would enhance the quality of care a mentally ill person should have.
“If the government can enact the mental health law it will solve most of the problems.
“People should be enlightened to know that mental illness is treatable, but because of the stigma attached to it, people shy away from owning up that they have this illness.
“In addition to that, if the socio-economic status of the entire nation can be improved, if better life can be guaranteed, the earning power of the individual is improved, things will be better.’’
Tonye Nria-Dappa
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.”
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.”
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.