Category: Medical

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) on Thursday received a donation of medical equipment and general medical supplies from Support Ulm e.V, a non-profit organisation based in Germany.

The medical equipment and supplies were received by the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula in the capital.

The donation includes hospital beds, matrasses, bedside and treatment tables, infusion stands, bath lifts, wheelchairs, standing sling units, medicine trolleys, shower chairs and roller chairs as well as toilet chairs.

It further includes physiotherapy tables, drainage tanks, physiotherapy standing devices, operations tables and chairs, sterile boxes, walking aids and general medical supplies.

These equipment and general medical supplies which are valued at N.dollars 1.5 million, were donated to the ministry through the Ohorongo Cement factory which has a close relationship with Support Ulm e.V.

In a media statement on Thursday, Ohorongo said Support Ulm e.V. is under the management and guidance of Dr Heinz Maier, together with the Haussler Group in Ulm, Germany.

“Support Ulm e.V. was established by a group of medical doctors in Germany who made it their aim to support medical projects throughout the world by means of funding, humanitarian and donating equipment and medical supplies,” read the statement.

Ohorongo Cement Logistics Manager, Sion Amalovu handed the consignment to Minister Shangula, saying the donation is specifically aimed at improving the medical services within the health ministry for it to fulfil its obligation of providing basic health needs towards the nation.

Amalovu further explained that so far the Support Ulm e.V. since 2009 has spent over N.dollars 77 million in donations to the MoHSS, through this partnership.

Shangula on his part said the donated medical equipment and supplies will go a long way in improving service delivery to patients and clients who seek medical care in various health facilities across the country.

“The donation is considered an extension to the existing measures used to safeguard lives and enhance the ability to treat and care for our patients,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Utjiua Muinjangue also attended the event.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has donated core biopsy needles worth N.dollars 100 000 to the Windhoek Central Hospital’s Breast Clinic to aid in the fight against breast cancer in Namibia.

Each biopsy needle costs around N.dollars 1000 and a biopsy is required to proceed with the treatment plan once a referral is made, either directly from a clinical breast examination or through a mammogram screening, said CAN Chief Executive Officer Rolf Hansen during the handover in Windhoek on Monday.

”CAN believes that by taking these preventive steps, we can collectively influence lives,” he said.

Throughout the rest of the year, he said, similar projects would be implemented through collaborative work between CAN and MoHSS departments, or by private physicians eager to volunteer their skills.

Breast cancer, according to Hansen, is not only a global killer in Sub-Saharan Africa or Namibia, but it is also the world’s first killer among women.

He stated that 3 945 women in Namibia had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in the last ten years.

”If found early, breast cancer is treatable and cured. As a result, the CAN advises women to become 365 breasts aware, which simply means getting to know their breasts and speaking to your doctor or contacting CAN if you notice anything unusual,” he said.

Hansen further stated that in order to combat breast cancer in Namibia, CAN collaborated with the health ministry to establish breast clinics as key nodes throughout the country, with the main clinic in Windhoek serving as the largest referral centre.

”We treat all referrals from our mobile clinics at our main clinic in Windhoek. However, because this type of cancer is treatable and curable, we encourage Namibian women to undertake self-examinations and seek medical attention as soon as possible, as the prospects of survival are very poor once detected late,” he said.

This, he stated, adds to the stigma associated with not only breast cancer but cancer in general.

“With this donation, we hope to enable and empower the medical teams at Windhoek Central Hospital to save lives. We also believe that by forming these strategic alliances, we will be able to save more lives and keep families together,” he added.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Ministry of Health and the French government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to support the health recovery efforts in Ethiopia, and specifically in rehabilitating and reequipping of Abala Hospital in Afar region.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Health, Dr. Lia Tadesse and the Ambassador of France to Ethiopia and to the African Union, Rémi Marechaux.

According to the press release, the embassy sent to ENA, France is also committed to supporting the rehabilitation of Adwa hospital in Tigray.

Ambassador Maréchaux stated “Following a field visit to Afar and Tigray in April and our support to Dessie Referral Hospital, I am happy to announce France is committed to support the rehabilitation of Abala and Adwa hospitals which will provide health support to 1.5 million people living in the surrounding areas.

“We hope that this reconstruction effort will be a prequel to further involvement from different partners in all areas affected by the conflict. The positive track towards peace and political dialogue must be solidified quickly and I hope this contribution can help foster reconciliation.,” he said.

The MoU on Abala’s hospital will strengthen health recovery initiatives in Ethiopia and represents the pursuit of a bilateral project aiming to provide support to ongoing stabilization efforts in the country, the ambassador said.

According to the press release, the 2.5million euro project is funded by the Crisis and Support Centre of France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and implemented by Expertise France, the French Public Agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Afar Regional Health Bureau.

More specifically, Expertise France will strengthen conflict-affected communities’ access to health care through the rehabilitation and re-equipment of Abala’s hospital, through a set of activities based on two mutually reinforcing expected results.

First, Abala’s hospital is rehabilitated and upgraded to provide an accessible comprehensive health care to the most vulnerable populations affected by violent conflicts; second, the hospital will be provided with the necessary equipment to relaunch the provision of essential health care.

At the occasion of this signing ceremony, the Ambassador Maréchaux handed over a letter to Dr. Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin to inform France intends to support the re-equipment of Adwa’s public hospital with a 1.5 million Euro donation provided by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the press release said.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said it was transiting the country from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases.

This is followed by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) declaration that COVID-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The NCDC via its official website on Monday, said Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology, and focused on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and recommended discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments.

The Nigeria Public Health Institute said that the move was complemented by efforts to leverage the pandemic response (lessons, resources, partnerships, etc) to improve national health security.

It said the improvement would be through health system strengthening, improving public health emergency management training, and laboratory and infrastructure aa upgrades.

It added that it would make strategic focus on improving emergency preparedness and planning at state and local government levels.

“As part of its integrated disease surveillance strategy, the NCDC continues to encourage routine COVID-19 testing along with other infectious diseases as may be indicated in healthcare settings.

This is part of clinical care for pandemic flu preparedness, as part of bi-directional testing during investigations for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria, and in high-risk populations.

“Working with partners, the NCDC is also piloting pan-respiratory virus surveillance which is aligned with WHO’s recently declared preparedness and resilience for emerging threats (PRET) initiative,” it said.

The NCDC said that as part of the genomic surveillance, the centre would introduce wastewater/environmental surveillance to track not just SARS-CoV-2 but antimicrobial resistance, Mpox and typhoid (salmonella).

“Finally, we continue to work on consolidating COVID-19 pandemic laboratory investments into a cohesive tiered national network of public health laboratories as prescribed in the NCDC Act (2018).

“With the continued emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, our frequent and often concurrent disease outbreaks and public health investments made during the pandemic to ensure health security in the country will need to be sustained,” it explained.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Friday, the Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, declared that COVID-19 was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concerns (PHEIC).

The declaration was made after a careful review of current evidence that shows there is high population-level immunity from the SARS-CoV-2 infection, improved knowledge of the virus and management of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

There is also a decline in the global burden of the virus, and also a steady increase in vaccine uptake across countries.

“The declaration that COVID-19 is no longer PHEIC is to enable countries’ transition from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases.”

The health organisation said the threat of the virus remained within countries and globally and particularly for high-risk groups,” Ghebreyesus said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Health experts in cancer care say there is need to upscale the number of mental health staff and support groups for cancer patients in order to improve treatment outcomes.

The experts said this during a Cancer Summit organised by a coalition of NGOs operating under the auspices of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), on Sunday in Lagos.

They also teamed with the Nigerian Medical Association Cancer Committee to expand knowledge and bridge gaps in cancer care and management.

The theme of the summit was: “Building Strategic Frameworks For

Strengthening Cancer Patient Support Groups’ and ‘Breaking the Bad News in the African Region”.

Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, Professor of Radiology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, , said that an integrated synergy between cancer patients and their caregivers would strengthen health outcomes.

She noted that support groups would strengthen cancer patients’ coping strategies, reduce feelings of isolation, noting that the coalition was working on expanding the number of cancer support groups in Nigeria and Africa.

Okoye, who is also the Founder, Breast Without Spot (BWS), an NGO, said that the Ministry of Health in 2021 created the Nigerian cancer health fund(CHF) to assist indigent patients access treatment for cancer disease.

She noted that lots of people were unaware of the funds which were there to assist them get treatment for breast, cervical and prostate cancer.

Okoye said that research had shown that the three cancers – breast, cervical and prostate cancer- were the most common cancers in the country, noting that there are over 200 cancer diseases.

She called for increased engagement between the Federal Government, private sector and NGOs in cancer care to expand the Nigerian cancer health fund(CHF)

Similarly, Dr Denise Ejoh, Chief Executive Officer, Cormode Cancer Foundation, advised cancer patients to be resilient and always seek medical advice along their journey.

Ejoh, a cancer survivor, said every single cancer patient needs a cancer support group, stressing that the group was critical in assisting them after a medical diagnosis, understanding and bracing up for the journey.

She said that structured group interventions for cancer patients would improve psychological wellbeing, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve quality of life, coping and mental adjustment.

Also, Dr Elizabeth Akin-Odanye, President, Psycho-Oncology Society of Nigeria, said that patients should not equate a cancer diagnosis to a death sentence.

Akin-Odanye said that life was a continuum, advising them to follow treatment and seek psychosocial support.

She appealed to healthcare workers to infuse hope, assuage concerns, be empathetic while treating cancer patients and give appropriate referral to mental health experts when necessary.

Dr Saleh Yuguda, Secretary-General, Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), said a multidisciplinary approach was needed to manage a cancer patient appropriately.

Yuguda said that multidisciplinary approach was a global best practice in cancer care management, noting that countries that adopted it had higher survival rates.

Dr Samuel Otene, Chairman, Cancer Committee, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), said that the group would continue to partner organisations in expanding knowledge to bridge gaps toward equitable delivery of cancer care in the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Faruk Abubakar, the Secretary General/Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), has reiterated the council’s commitment toward having healthy mothers and babies in the country.

He made the pledge during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday on the occasion of the 2023 International Day of the Midwife.

The day is annually celebrated on May 5 to celebrate midwives’ commitment to saving lives and ensuring the health and wellbeing of women and newborn babies.

The 2023 edition has “Together Again: From Evidence to Reality” as its theme.

The NMCN registrar, therefore, stressed the importance of the day’s celebration, saying

“it is all about having healthy mothers and babies who can compete favourably for the growth of the nation.”

According to him, the more healthy mothers and babies a country can have, the more confidence there will be in the society.

He said that a nation with healthy mothers and infants would enable less or zero incidences of diseases, and that would allow mothers and women generally to be productive and contribute their quota to nation building.

Abubakar, who disclosed that there is no formal collaboration between Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) and trained midwives in the country, however, said NMCN had been training midwives to replace the TBAs.

He said “this is why we introduced community midwives to work in rural areas’ there is no any collaboration, but rather if we train them and they are available, that is better.

”That is why we are encouraging political leaders to support this crusade, identify a community, train him or her, and send such a person back to that community to contribute his or her quota.

“The council trained 6,700 nurses in the last six years and 21,700 nurses and midwives within that period of time

“This idea will surely replace the traditional birth attendants, that is what we are focusing on, and that is our strategy as a council.”

The registrar also said that Nigeria can achieve zero maternal mortality with increased commitment and political will.

He explained that the major constraint to achieving zero maternal mortality is the absence of skilled trained midwives.

He encouraged states and local governments to also work toward training nurses and midwives and not to leave the responsibility to Federal Government alone.

He said “if all the three tiers of government remain committed, achieving zero maternal mortality is possible.”

Abubakar said the council had increased the admission quota of students into midwifery schools, colleges and faculty of nursing in schools.

He stressed that “the major challenges of the council are inadequate budgetary provision and shortage of manpower.

Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in its statement to mark the 2023 International Day of the Midwife, said Nigeria needs 70,000 more midwives to close the shortage gap.

The statement indicated that the Fund’s Executive Director, Dr Natalia Kanem, quoted the 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery Report as putting the shortage of midwives in the country at 30,000, which is six per 10,000 people.

“To close the gap by 2030, about 70,000 more midwives are needed; but with current estimates, only 40,000 more will be created.

“This shortage is particularly acute in Northern Nigeria where essential needs for maternal and reproductive healthcare are unmet.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria