Health
‘Improve Healthcare Facilities To Prevent Medical Expedition’
Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a neurosurgeon in Abuja, recently observed that Nigerians spent an estimated one billion dollars on foreign medical treatment in various countries in 2014.
He noted that such amount of money ought not to have been lost to medical trips and treatments abroad if Nigeria’s healthcare system was adequate.
“The reason for such huge sum spent on medical tourism is attributed to low quality of the country’s medical services mainly driven by the public hospitals,’’ he observed.
Medical experts also observed that instability the in governance since the country’s independence has resulted in poor management and decay in health sector.
According to them, the decay in the sector has also led to mass movement of Nigerian medical graduates to foreign countries in search of better earnings and experience.
These views notwithstanding, Ogungbo noted that what drove Nigerians abroad for medical attention was tertiary healthcare.
“Sub-specialties such as orthopaedics, cardiovascular, renal, assisted reproduction, oncology and neurosurgery, top the list of reasons why people seek treatment abroad.’’
“But spine surgeries, neurosurgeries, knee replacement surgeries, hip replacement surgeries, renal transplant, open heart surgeries, minimal access surgeries and surgeries for complex fracture management, among others, have become routine in many private and world class hospitals in Abuja.
“Hospitals in Abuja have recently carried out kidney transplantations, heart operations and numerous deliveries of babies via the test tube.
“These operations were performed safely and at much reduced cost than travelling abroad; this process of offering treatment locally will save Nigeria billions of naira,’’ he said.
In the same vein, Prof. Opunbo da Lily-Tariah, a specialist in ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, observed that the country could handle various health developments.
The specialist said that the high level of awareness and communication had contributed to the management and control of many diseases.
“Sickle cell is something we have made progress on, survival is much higher, we understood the disease better and superstitions have given way to more logical thinking and management.
“No one can take away the achievements Nigeria has recorded in the primary and secondary healthcare segment of the nation’s health system over the last several decades.
“Under-five year mortality rate has reduced, HIV and AIDS have been tamed while Nigeria has exited the countries which are still harbouring the wild polio virus,’’ he said.
Similarly, Dr Otabor Christopher, an Orthopaedic surgeon with Alliance Hospital, Abuja, explained that in the last few years, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had become a suitable place for both foreign and locally trained specialised healthcare professionals, who were largely seen in selected private hospitals.
Christopher observed that in the last five years, one could hardly think of any health condition that genuinely required foreign referrals either due to lack of skilled manpower or cutting edge medical equipment.
Corroborating these opinions, Mrs Cecilia Obuzo, who recently underwent goitre operation at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, said the level of medical advancement in the country was commendable.
“My children told me that I would not die because Nigerian doctors are very competent to conduct the surgery successfully,’’ she said.
For efficient healthcare, da Lily-Tariah said researches were still on in teaching hospitals, especially in the area of fine-tuning drug composition and administration.
“There are researches to see how local remedies and plant extracts could be inculcated into the mainstream medicine.
“These are going on in all the major laboratories and schools of pharmacological sciences; of course, in terms of disease pattern, researches are going on interestingly,’’ he disclosed.
This notwithstanding, da Lily-Tariah said Nigeria had not finally attained the desired level in healthcare system.
He stated that developing technology in healthcare sector would make the country not to depend on other countries for medical treatment equipment.
He also cautioned against indulging in technology transfer as it would be very expensive and the country might not have the fund to invest in such.
The don also identified poor service delivery as another factor impeding the nation from getting to the desired height of healthcare delivery system.
He called on appropriate authority to solve the challenges facing healthcare service delivery “to deliver in time and in the manner which will be satisfactory to all.
“If we have universal insurance in this country, access to health facility will be much easier for everybody.’’
By and large, da Lily-Tariah and other medical experts observe that with President Muhammadu Buhari’s emphasis on providing facilities in key sectors, health sector will receive the required attention and funds to make healthcare service delivery effective and prevent unnecessary medical trips.
Jane writes for News Agency of Nigerian (NAN)
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.