Health

‘Improve Healthcare Facilities To Prevent Medical Expedition’

Published

8 years ago

October 28, 2015

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)

Health

RSG Plans Fresh Training For TBAs

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Plans are in the works by the authorities in the Rivers State Ministry of Health to conduct training for Traditional Birth Attendants(TBAs) in the State.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh gave the hint while chatting with newsmen recently in Port Harcourt.
She said the training has become crucial to school the TBAs on methods and measures to complement in maternal health care.
In her words,” We are aware of of their roles, but we need to be confident that they can still play that role, especially the skills set needed to complement what government is doing.’’
Dr. Oreh explained that maternal and child care has evolved, hence, the TBAs need to be schooled,” we want them to scale up their skills, especially on high risk pregnancies.”
She continued, “ We want to make sure that our system mops up those high risk pregnancies, because we know that many of them carry out clandestine activities they are not helping us.”
Assuring of improved manpower in the State health sector, Dr. Oreh said the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration has embarked on fresh recruitment exercise for health workers to meet current challenges.
She assured that once the recruitment exercise is completed, the various health centres and hospitals will be staffed with qualified manpower to provide efficient health services in the State.

Kevin Nengia

Health

Viral Hepatitis Claims 3,500 Lives Daily -WHO

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm on viral hepatitis infection that claims 3,500 lives each day.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, the number of lives lost due to the viral hepatitis is increasing.
The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally — with 1.3 million deaths per year, the same as tuberculosis, a top infectious killer.
The report, released at the World Hepatitis Summit revealed that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, and decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled.
It, however, said, reaching the WHO elimination goal by 2030 is still achievable, if swift actions are taken now.
New data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83percent were caused by hepatitis B, and 17percent by hepatitis C. Every day, there are 3,500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added, “WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”
Updated WHO estimates indicate that 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12percent among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58percent of all cases.
New incidence estimates indicate a slight decrease compared to 2019, but the overall incidence of viral hepatitis remains high.
In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections, down from 2.5 million in 2019.
These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and nearly one million new hepatitis C infections. More than 6,000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis each day.
The revised estimates are derived from enhanced data from national prevalence surveys. They also indicate that prevention measures such as immunisation and safe injections, along with the expansion of hepatitis C treatment, have contributed to reducing the incidence.

Health

How Dates Boost Fertility -Research

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Now, researchers in a study, suggest that date palm is an arsenal to fight infertility in couples. They found that 1-month consumption of date palm has a positive impact on the sexual function of infertile couples.
The study to investigate the effect of date palms on the sexual function of infertile couples was in the 2022 edition of the BMC Research Notes.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted on infertile women and their husbands who were referred to infertility clinics in Iran in 2019, researchers found sexual function in females (arousal, orgasm, lubrication, pain during intercourse, satisfaction) in the intervention group was significantly increased compared to females in the control group that had no date palm.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
The intervention group was given a palm date capsule and the control group was given a placebo. The starch powder was applied to prepare the placebo capsules.
Also, all areas of male sexual function (erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction) significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Infertility is not only a medical problem but also affects all personal dimensions and social life of most infertile individuals. Infertile couples are more prone to psychological problems (anxiety, depression, and stress), which may result in marital distress, social dysfunction (stigma, social exclusion, and feelings of failure), and reduced quality of life.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
Dates palm is known to have come from what is now Iraq. In Nigeria, dry and soft date fruits are sold out for consumption. However, in the northern part, they are added to the locally brewed alcoholic beverage to help reduce the intoxicating power.
Dates are a good source of energy and vitamins and important elements such as phosphorus, iron, potassium and a significant amount of calcium. It is also rich in phenolic compounds possessing free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity.
Since ancient times, the date palm has been used in Greece, China and Egypt to treat infertility and increase sexual desire and fertility in females. There are few studies on the effect of date palms on male and female sexual function in human beings.
Besides, studies have shown that the various parts of its plant are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders which include memory disturbances, fever, inflammation, paralysis, loss of consciousness and nervous disorder.
Culled from Tribune online.

The researchers suggested that the improvement in male and female sexual function can be due to active ingredients and increased levels of sex hormones following the consumption of date palms since studies indicated that increasing sex hormones are effective in sexual function.

They, however, recommended more studies with a longer duration on the use of date palms on sex hormone levels in infertile couples.

Previously, a study revealed that using date palms in postmenopausal women for 1 month had a positive and significant impact on sexual desire and arousal. Another suggested that using date palms had a positive impact on orgasm, satisfaction and lubrication in women and also reduced pain during intercourse in women.

In the laboratory, administering date palms to male rats and measuring their sexual behaviours, researchers showed that sexual behaviour parameters (number of ejaculations, number of intercourse) increased compared to the control group.