Medical experts have cautioned patients against rescheduling medication without recourse to their doctors.
They also advised lactating mothers of babies below six months to desist from fasting for the health of their babies.
The medical experts gave the advice in Zaria during a Pre-Ramadan Lecture organised by the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Branch.
The Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecologist, ABUTH, Prof. Abdullahi Randawa, said babies depended on their mothers for their survival after delivery.
“If such mother fast, she would not produce enough milk and the baby would suffer a lot”, he said.
Randawa, a former Provost, College of Medical Sciences, ABU, discouraged breastfeeding mothers from fasting because the baby may suffer especially if the baby is less than six months.
He added that when a baby was more than six months and was able to eat other food, then mothers could fast.
“I would not discourage a pregnant woman who is healthy from fasting if she has the motivation, but she should consult her physician for an evaluation to ensure that she is healthy”, he said.
Randawa noted that the body of a woman has been created to take care of the baby during pregnancy.
He added that babies were blessed with the capacity to participate in their survival while in the womb of the mother, hence, the need for mothers to increase food intake during pregnancy.
He said pregnancy was a condition where the mother, whether she eats or not, the growing baby would make her breakdown her own body store for his or her survival
“So, whether the mother increases her food intake or not, the baby would access her body store for his survival.
“The best thing for her is to eat more so that she and her baby live well and remain healthy.
“Therefore, it is not good for her to stay long without eating (like during Ramadan) it can lead her to suffer some minor illness, lose blood sugar and even become unconscious”, he said.
Similarly, Dr Muhammad Yakubu, Consultant Physician, Department of Medicine, ABUTH, cautioned patients against rescheduling treatment and medication without recourse to their doctors.
“It can’t be decided by the patient; some of these drugs work better at the night or in the morning, and some drugs work for a few hours while others work for long houses.
“So, if you take your decision without recourse to a specialist you may find yourself in trouble”, he warned.
Yakubu said the Holy Qur’an has exempted Muslims who were sick or traveling from fasting, explaining that the exemption is not a final statement in itself.
He, however, said the sickness referred to in the Holy Qur’an has categories and grades; the people of knowledge had classified the sicknesses, illnesses and injuries for better guidance.
According to him, if the illness will be worsened by fasting or fasting will delay the treatment of illness then in that situation fasting should be kept aside.

Prof. Abdulaziz Hassan, Amir of IMAN, ABU/ABUTH branch, said the association provided pre-Ramadan lectures annually to enlighten the members and neighbouring communities on Ramadan vis-à-vis health issues.

This year, the discourse was on pregnancy, maternal health and how people should take medications during Ramadan.

According to him, the lecture aims at preparing members of the association and the community towards achieving the maximum spiritual and health benefits of Ramadan fasting in a healthy manner.

He, therefore, called on the people to strive harder and up-skill the young ones with the knowledge of both Islamic and western education and use Ramadan period to pray for a prosperous Nigeria.

The Tide’s source recalls that the lecture was on the topic ‘Maternal Health and Ramadan Fast’, and ‘Health and Medications during Ramadan Fast’.

The Lagos State Government has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to align their procurement plans with the 2023 budget provisions.
The State’s Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, gave the advice in Magodo during the opening ceremony of the 2023 Annual Public Procurement Clinic, organised by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA).
Muri-Okunola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mrs Olasunkanmi Oyegbola, said officers of the MDAs should ensure that their procurement plans were properly developed and implemented.
According to him, properly developed and implemented procurement plans will ensure that the objectives envisioned in the approved budget are fully achieved.
He said the soundness of the procurement plan goes a long way in determining the success or failure of any budget, since the procurement plan served as the foundation on which the implementation of the budget rest.
According to him, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is very passionate about delivering quality goods and services to every nook and cranny of the state.
“Therefore, all hands must be on deck to ensure that procurement plans of MDAs are properly developed to bring the vision of the state government, as contained in the year 2023 approved budget, to reality.
“To this end, Accounting Officers in all MDAs have important roles to play, as they must all embrace the need to faithfully implement the procurement plans of their MDAs.
“They must carry out the role assigned to them under the Lagos State Public Procurement Law to ensure that the public procurement system continues to work for the benefit of all”, he said.
The Head of Service commended the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Governing Board and Management, urging them to keep up the good work they were doing in Lagos State.
He said the agency had redefined the procurement processes and the conduct of government businesses in the state.
Muri-Okunola said the agency had strengthened accountability and transparency and further enhanced value for public expenditure in government.
“We, therefore, cannot afford to relent on the gains that have been recorded in public procurement management in the state within the few years of the existence of the agency, even as we continue to strive to improve the knowledge, skills and competences of our procurement officers”, he said.
In his welcome address, the Director General, PPA, Mr Fatai Onafowote, said that during the three-day clinic, procurement plans of all MDAs of the state would be subjected to scrutiny and review by a panel of procurement specialists appointed by the agency.
Onafowote said MDAs whose procurement plans were found deficient would be required to effect corrections where necessary, while those that were found to be in order would be approved by the agency for implementation.

He said the reason why the

The Abia State Project Coordinating Office of the Lifelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has commenced selection of another set of beneficiaries for its agribusiness project.
The project’s National Administrative Officer, Mrs Ngozi Ohaechezi, who coordinated the exercise, told newsmen in Umuahia that the project is expected to bring on board at least 1000 potential beneficiaries.
She said the beneficiaries, who are otherwise known as the incubates, are the fourth set to be recruited.
Ohaechezi said the beneficiaries comprised youths aged between 18 and 35 years and women-headed households with children under the age of 15, who are interested in agribusiness.
She said persons living with disabilities were also eligible for the project, adding that the beneficiaries were being selected from 100 communities in 10 local government areas of the state that the project is operating.
Noting that 10 persons are being selected from each of the communities, she said the project received over 3,000 applications, including those of online, stressing that only 1,000 would be engaged after the screening.
“We have five teams in all the 100 communities and the 10 council areas who are supervising the exercise, but the community leaders themselves are actively involved in the screening process.
“We are trying to re-strategise and use a new approach to make sure that people are given the opportunity in our recruitment process, which is based on merit”, she said.
The State Project Coordinator, Dr Uchenna Onyeizu, said the beneficiaries would be engaged in the four agro- commodities, including cassava, rice, poultry and oil palm, which the project is working on.
He said the project had been able to engage about 1,500 beneficiaries at different stages in different agribusinesses, since its inception about three years ago.
Onyeizu said: “The project targets to engage 4,250 beneficiaries for its six-year lifespan.
“By the time we bring in the 1000, thereby getting about 2500 beneficiaries, we would have surpassed our mid-term target, which is a few months from now.
“The essence of the agribusiness is to ensure that the livelihood of the households improves significantly”. she said.