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WHO Commends Journalists for Awareness against COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

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The world Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday commended journalists for raising awareness against COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

The WHO Nigeria communication officer, Charity Warigon, in her goodwill message at an event in Abuja said journalists had proven their capability and had done invaluable work over the years.

Warigon said the theme of the conference, ‘Improving Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccine in Nigeria beyond 2021: The Role of the Media,’ was timely, saying it not only speaks to the present but also to the future of making Nigerians healthier.

She said, “Journalists can only improve on what we have achieved so far and even do better, as there is so much to attain in driving confidence in the vaccination effort by building trust and continuously being a trusted and reliable source.

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“The COVID-19 pandemic, unlike any pandemic in history, has affected everyone and every country in a manner unexpected, although there had been calls and available support to nations to build their health systems and security in preparation for future outbreaks.

“In the earlier phases of the pandemic, there was the absence of sufficient knowledge to inform the development of vaccines as the sciences were limited, which were exploited by mischief makers, through what we call, infodemics.”

“If we are to build and/or maintain trust, this noble group and profession are one out of a few that have historically been proven to be trusted to provide information that shapes the behaviour and lives of generations of peoples the world over.

“The media and journalists are the bridge between scientists and the public. It behoves every member of the Fourth Realm of the Estate to, as social responsibility, ensure the provision of accurate, timely, credible, understandable, relevant, and actionable information through various communication channels.

“Our messaging must continue to remind the public that, for the foreseeable future, we must continue to wear masks, physically distance, and avoid the crowd. Being vaccinated doesn’t mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk: relaxing public health and social measures interventions should be done cautiously and with careful attention paid to those who remain unvaccinated.”

 

 

Health

Diagnosing Cancer in a Resource-Scarce Setting: A Heartbreaking Tale of Poverty and Healthcare

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Dr Ibrahim Musa

 

By Dr Ibrahim Musa

With her beaming smile, she seemed excited that the surgeons had finally removed a growth troubling her tommy that had proven difficult to diagnose. She stretched her arm to deliver a sealed envelope containing a histology report of the growth. As an Attending, I was the only one working that day because the resident doctors were on a strike. Charmed by her smiles, I quickly opened the envelope hoping to read good news that would match her spirit and her equally excited mother. My smile froze. What should I tell her? The pathologists had made a diagnosis of a diffuse large B lymphoma. It’s quite an aggressive tumor that could overwhelm a patient within a short time.

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“Doctor, what is the report saying?” “You have cancer”, I replied. The devastating news instantly changed her mood. Breaking such bad news is a job no doctor wants to engage in. I explained the treatment options and the fact that there is a targeted therapy called Rituximab that could potentially improve survival if added to her chemotherapy. A vial of the drug costs hundreds of thousands and she would need at least 6 cycles within ~5 months of 3 weekly treatment. “Doctor, we cannot afford it,” her mother interjected.

Three months later, when I came for the ward round she had deteriorated badly. The growth is already back and almost 10 times bigger- obstructing her intestine and protruding on the anterior abdominal wall from her pelvis. She could barely breathe while struggling to hold on to her mother. As I watched her writhe in pain, I felt hopeless and sad. I felt defeated but beyond that I felt like we have all failed her. I silently fought tears as I struggled not to betray emotions. If I cry I would break the hearts of the people around at the time they needed me to give them hope. “You must be strong”, I told myself. But at that moment I was so sure that death would be a relief for her. She died the next morning unable to do even an X ray due to poverty. I keep asking myself what we can do to mitigate these unfortunate scenarios? Over 40% of the Nigerians live on less than $1 per day. With this extreme poverty, how do we expect them to shoulder the cost of exorbitant care from the angle of catastrophic spending?

Dr Ibrahim Musa is a consultant at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital

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Kano State Stakeholders Meet to Strengthen Health Response, Focus on COVID-19 and Other Diseases

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The stakeholders meeting

KANO- The Kano State Programs Officer for Resilient and Sustainable System for Health, Abdulhakeem Dayyab, recently led a biannual meeting in Kano aimed at bringing together stakeholders to raise awareness about deadly diseases such as HIV, COVID-19, and other severe illnesses.

The meeting sought to integrate traditional rulers into the healthcare system, ensuring the availability of health facilities in five local government areas within Kano. By involving community leaders, the aim is to facilitate smoother consultations with community members, ensuring their active participation in healthcare initiatives.

Community members, recognizing their role as privileged individuals, have taken the responsibility of ensuring the availability of health facilities, particularly at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level and dispensaries.

Abubakar Sadiq, from the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology Unit at the Kano State Ministry of Health, emphasized the significance of the response team’s role in combating deadly diseases. Their support plays a vital role in effectively addressing health challenges faced by the less privileged members of society.

The stakeholders’ meeting was convened with a specific focus on strengthening the provision of healthcare services at the community level, particularly in PHCs. The active involvement of privileged individuals in addressing health challenges aims to bridge gaps in healthcare access and ensure improved health outcomes for all segments of the population.

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United States Foundation Donates Medical Equipments To FMC Gusau

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The medical equipments

 

Federal Medical Center, FMC, Gusau has received donation of Medical equipment worth millions of Naira from an American Based charity foundation.

Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the Center, Dr Bello Muhammad Kwatarkwashi revealed this to journalists while receiving containers of the equipments in Gusau

Dr Kwatarkwashi explained that, the equipment were donated to the FMC Gusau by the Project CURE foundation of the United States through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB and Support from federal ministry of Finance

He noted that, the Medical equipments received include; Operation related, ultrasound, Sterilizers, Analyzers, inspection/measurements opthalmic, monitoring x-ray and other sophisticated equipments.

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Others were Modern Hospital Beds, trolleys, Drip stands, bedside lockers, urinals/Bedpans, sputum mug, wheelchairs, Furniture, orthopedic equipments among others.

“I must sincerely appreciate and thank the Registrar of JAMB Professor Ishaq Oloyede and his Team for the kind gesture. I equally thank the Hon. Minister of Finance Haj. Zainab Shamsuna for the role she played to make this project a reality”

“Special thanks and appreciation also to Honourable Minister of Health Dr Osagie Ehanire and state minister of Health Ekunmankama Joseph Nkama for their continues support to FMC Gusau” He said

Dr Bello Kwatarkwashi said, the FMC Gusau under his watch will continue to uphold professionalism in the discharge of its mandates, saying “our workers/staff are up and doing to ensure effective service delivery” he added

On his part the acting chairman of the FMC Gusau governing Board, Alh. Lawal M. Liman who commended the CMD for his commitments to reposition the Medical facility said, the Project CURE as well as JAMB Registerar and Ministers of Health and finance have done alot to the People of Zamfara for the donation and ensuring safe delivery of the equipments.

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