Rivers
UPTH Begins Kidney Transplant, Oct
The management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) says it would begin kidney transplant by October 2024.
Chairman of Medical Advisory Committee, (MAC), UPTH, Prof Datonye Alasia, gave the timeline for the operation at the hospital grounds presentation by the Renal Department.
Prof Alasia said UPTH is collaborating with the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, and other organisations to equip the centre for the service.
“NLNG has a foundation where they support healthcare and they have been doing this across the country. So for us, there is an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to equip a dialysis centre, but we felt that would be limited in scope. So, we had to find a way to push it up to align with our plans for a transplantation centre, so that collaboration is there and we are happy to say that NLNG has done something significant.
“They have funded the provision of equipments and some supports to the external works and we are actually at eighty five percent of completion and that’s going to contribute to the success of the project.
“For us, our strategic timeline is October 2024 and that’s what we are working towards, but, of course, if all the assumptions go as we planed, it will be October because we have trainings of staff, people will travel, MoUs will be signed, procurement timelines will also affect us, but our focus is to stay on that date and see that we achieve it”, he said.
On the importance of the Ground rounds presentation, the Chairman said the essence is to get the hospital community and the public to be aware of the services and what’s involved in it.
“For today, we have the Renal Department presenting because of the planned renal transplantation and the essence is to create the awareness internally and from the programme you see that it involves different professional groups such as nephrology, pharmacists, paediatricians, nurses, psychologists and virtually everybody in the hospital. So, it is a multi-disciplinary thing.
”This presentation also helps members of the team to have a better understanding of what they are expected to offer, transplant patients and every aspect of the service that will influence the patients journey. We also believe that this would improve that multi-disciplinary team spirit”, he explained.
The MAC Chairman further said UPTH has commenced a transplant clinic to further demonstrate its preparedness for the transplantation programme.
“We have kicked-off the transplant clinic. While it was there, it was not structured specifically to attend to patients before transplant and post transplant, but now there is a deliberate attempt to structure it to make the public know clearly that the transplant clinic is a dedicated service.
“We used to run within the nephrology clinic before and the urology clinic but it’s now a clinic of its own. That’s the first step, the public should know that the service is being offered here as a collaboration and partnership with people such as foundations who have interest to support transplantation and they may now find that since they are aware, they can now interface and network with us to see how they can support because kidney transplantation is a very cost intensive venture”, Alasia said.
Earlier, UPTH Transplant Team Leader, Professor Onyenunam Okeke said the presentation at the Ground Rounds centred on the prospects of starting a kidney transplant programme in UPTH, adding that the hospital has qualified personnel to handle kidney disease cases.
“UPTH has a large team. UPTH is set up as an institution for trainning, Service and for research, but we are highlighting the area of service, so we have a lot of skilled personnel and we have the patients that also requires transplant. We have not started before now but we are in the process of starting the transplant programme”, he explained further.
Okeke disclosed that the programme is part of the management’s strategic programme, saying UPTH is collaborating with organisations and sister institutions to get the service started.
“The present management of the hospital as part of the five years development programme wants to carryout this kidney transplant.
“We cannot do it alone, so we are collaborating with some centres, both locally and internationally, and through the efforts of management, we have a specific building that’s design for it”, he said.
Okeke, who doubles as Deputy Provost, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, urged members of the public to know that when kidney fails they can be replaced, stressing that the process of transplantation is safe and for all and sundry.
By: Chinedu Wosu
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor