Health
Lawmaker Wants Quality Health Centres In LGAs
A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Bisi Yusuff, last Monday, urged the federal and state governments to provide quality primary healthcare centres (PHCs) for local governments in the country to address the health challenges of the people.
Yusuff, a third-term lawmaker, representing Alimosho Constituency I in the state House of Assembly, made the plea at the grand finale of the seventh edition of free health mission by his foundation “Prince Hope Turns to Reality Foundation”.
The lawmaker, who noted that the annual outreach was to mark his birthday, added that with the number of patients who besieged the six venues of the health mission in Alimosho council area, there was a lot to be done in the area of primary healthcare.
He said that the gesture was geared towards creating a system that would continually support the most vulnerable in the society, increase access to quality healthcare, better education and improved social wellbeing.
“We have three levels of government, and the primary healthcare centres (PHCs) belong to the local governments, hence the need to empower the government at the grassroots to provide quality primary healthcare for the people”, he said.
“They should focus on this seriously. As a former local government chairman, I established many PHCs and today, three of them have turned to semi-general hospitals.
“This is what we are talking about. They (government at the grassroots) should spend part of their resources on this,” he said.
According to him, the mission has been able to attend to over 300 surgical operations, while the target is about 500, with 25 doctors and surgeons on ground.
Yusuff added: “All praises and adoration go to the Almighty. I was marvelled with the success of this year’s edition.
“People came in multitude from far and near, which shows that we have a long way to go in healthcare in Nigeria. I give the doctors credit for what they have done for me.
“About three people came with hunchbacks that were as big as calabash and they were removed. One of them had had his own hunchback for over 35 years. It was a perfect job.”
He said that the mission, which lasted for five days, began from Ipaja-Ayobo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the permanent venue for all surgeries, and later extended to other LCDAs in Alimosho constituency.
The lawmaker said that the health mission covered hernia, ganglion, lumpectomy, keloid and other operations, while free eye screening and eye glasses were provided to those having eye challenges.
According to him, the mission also covers checking of blood pressure, treatment of malaria, HIV, Hepatitis and inoculation, among others, adding that more than 30,000 people have so far been attended to.
He challenged health professionals to find cure for some rampant diseases, adding “we should know the root cause of diseases like hernia, keloid and others.
“We must have research centres to know the causes of these diseases. I challenge the professors of medicine and medical experts to look into this,” he said.
An 11-year-old beneficiary of hernia surgery, Isaiah Ibiyeye, who came from Ojo constituency, told newsmen that the lawmaker had successfully borne the burden of his parents through the free health mission.
Ibiyeye, a Basic Five student, who prayed for the lawmaker, urged him to continue with his good work for the less-privileged.
The mother of young Ibiyeye, Mrs Adeola Ibiyeye, who noted that the lawmaker had carried a burden of more than N40, 000 for her family, urged other politicians to always remember the masses.
Also speaking, Mr Kamarudeen Tijani, a beneficiary of Lipoma surgery, said that he had been suffering from the ailment since 1996, urging the lawmaker to continue to help the vulnerable.
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.