Nation
Rising Cases Of Kidney Disorders Worry Expert
A Consultant Nephrologist at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Dr Ojeh Oziegbe Odije, has expressed worry over the rising cases of kidney failure in Nigeria.
He pointed out that the factors aggravating the disorders are also on the rise.
In an interview with journalists at the hospital in Benin City, Odije said the ailment was not just wrecking havoc in the state alone but across Nigeria as a whole.
He said, “The last population studies we did in a village not far away from here showed that close to one third of the public are beginning to have problems with their kidney and that’s a terrible figure.
“I have been more or less with this kidney unit since it started around 1999, and at that particular time, we probably diagnose three or four patients a day.
“But what we have now is that in UBTH at times, we diagnose as many as 10 to13 a day. In addition, there are about four dialysis centres in Benin that equally operate at full capacity.
“We used to be able to provide all the services that the town requires but now, we are beginning to find out that there are five dialysis centres working at full capacity as the number of patients we are having is on the increase,” he explained.
On why the number of cases was increasing, he noted, “Hypertension, diabetes, other unresolved infections are on the rise; things that weren’t there some years back, are on the rise.
“A lot of people are now becoming hypertensive at a younger age and that causes close to half of the number of kidney diseases that we have.
“Use of drugs is on the rise especially the ‘feel good’ drugs. In Nigeria, there’s this habit that is very common, when they finish working in the evenings they come home and tell the chemist to give them a mixture of five to seven drugs and then those people will be putting ibuprofen, diclofenac, aspirin and they pack all those drugs for them.
“They take those and they feel happy because they feel stronger. But it causes a cumulative damage on the system.
“Our Western lifestyle is also making diabetes to increase. Now, sugar is so much part of our diet, minerals and all those things that contain a lot of sugar or sweet things encourage diabetes to increase and that causes kidney damage”, Odije itemized.
He disclosed that UBTH was now installing more equipment and also training more nephrologists.
“Management takes pain to ensure that our dialysis machines are up to date and are new. In fact, now what we are waiting for is more space to install the dialysis machines that management had already procured.
“We have biomedical engineers posted in the unit. The engineers are specifically employed for renal unit and they are there to fix the machines,” he explained.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
