By Ijeoma UKAZU
A group of pharmacists under the platform of the Association of Lady Pharmacists, ALPs, has said one of its programmes on the cultivation of herbal plants, known as Project 91 could reduce capital flight and lead to medical security for the country if Nigeria increases investment in the area.
National chairman of ALPs, Victoria Ukwu, said that with the required investment, the project would achieve good health, nutrition and economic benefits, adding that it is expected to boost gross domestic income, GDI, gross domestic product, GDP and thereby grow the nation’s economy.
Ukwu said ultimately it would put Nigeria on the global map alongside China and India that currently dominate the global traditional and herbal medicine market.
She added the ALPs would be going into partnership with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, to ensure that the end products from the cultivation would be standardised to meet modern pharmaceutical needs.
The plan of the ALPs was unveiled at a media briefing to announce the ALPs 15th Bienniel National Conference with the theme: ‘Pharmaceutical Value Chain for Optimal Utilisation – Where Are We?’ in Lagos.
According to her, “ALPS plan was geared towards the development of standards to guarantee the safety of consumers; said herbal medicinal plants have shown benefits in disease disorders like sickle cell anaemia.
“The emphasis now is on agriculture,” she stated, dismissing claims that pharmacists are opposed to herbal medications. Agriculture is the focus right now. We may enlist the help of all of our governors’ wives, who are our patrons, in developing herbal/vegetable gardens across the country. This will serve to empower the women, as well as help to showcase our rich herbal resources and lead to medicine security.”
Explaining the rationale behind the cultivation of the medicinal plants, Ukwu said, “Nigeria is blessed with medicinal plants; that is why we are going into this project.” She added, “It’s a zonal thing. We have gardens in Asaba and Ogun State where we are cultivating plants of medicinal value.”
According to her, ALPs are functional in 26 states of the federation including the federal capital territory. The National Chairman said the ALPs have been partnering with some first ladies on the planting of the medicinal plants.
Ukwu said four first ladies are expected at the June conference. They include the First ladies of Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Katsina states, from whom the ALPs will be requested to provide gardens for the cultivation of the medicinal plants.
The former national chairman of ALPs, Chief Yetunde Morokundiya, explained that both traditional and orthodox medicine practitioners now work collaboratively to ensure effective health care delivery. They are no longer practising haphazardly. Traditional medicine is now being properly formulated and packaged in the measured form to ensure standardisation, she stressed.
Monica Hemben Eimunjeze, the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee noted that many orthodox medicines are sourced from plants. “What we are talking about is the intentional cultivation of specific plants.
Eimunjeze said, “For example hibiscus and bitter leaf plants that are cultivated to use them for production as against just random existence.”
According to Eimunjeze, some plants promote conception for twin babies and certain plants have applications for the management of sickle cell disorder. “When you identify such plants and cultivate them for that purpose that is what Project 91 is all about,” she added.
The ALPs conference is scheduled to be held in Lagos State, and will start with a retreat at the Whispering Palms Resort, Badagry from June 5 to 8; and a quiz competition among female students from public secondary schools at the Lagos Country Club on June 8. While the opening ceremony of the conference will be held on June 9, the Biennial General meeting and closing dinner will also take place on June 10.
Ehanire launches diagnosis and treatment policy document
By Williams ABAH
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has launched a policy document that would accelerates diagnosis of disease and treatment.
According to him, this is to ensure Nigerians have unhindered access to qualitative and affordable diagnostic testing services
Ehanire added that the aims of the policy document are to improve patients’ care, in-country diagnostic capacity, affordability of tests, regulation and quality of diagnostic tests, and capabilities of laboratories across the country.
He noted that it would also provide evidence-based guidance to countries to create their own national lists of essential diagnostic tests and tools.
At a press briefing in Abuja, the minister said the policy document was developed with support from the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the Global Fund.
In his remarks, the WHO country representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Mulombo, said that the list of diagnosis is recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at the point of care and is intended as a guidance document for countries to create their national list based on their local context and needs.
Represented by WHO’s Public Health Emergency Advisor, Alexander Chimbaru, Mulombo said that the overall goal of the document is to improve access to testing, diagnostic capacities during outbreaks, affordability of tests, regulation and quality of the diagnostic. In his words, “I encouraged all states and local governments to harnessed from this document to facilitates diagnosis in their various health centre.”
Earlier in his opening remark, the director general, World Health Organization, WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesush, said that access to quality tests and laboratory services is like having ‘a good radar system that gets you where you need to go.’
LASUTH new dialysis unit will provide standard haemodialysis – CMD
By Ijeoma UKAZU
Committed to providing high-quality tertiary healthcare services to Lagos State Citizens and beyond, the management of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, led by Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, the Chief Medical Director said the new dialysis unit will provide standard haemodialysis to patients.
Speaking recently during the launch, Fabamwo said that the new dialysis unit in LASUTH is dedicated to improving health outcomes for patients who have chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injuries and end-stage renal disease.
He said the unit has eight (8) dialysis stations which cater for a minimum of 22 sessions daily and 660 dialysis sessions monthly. This is in addition to the existing six (6) dialysis machines in the Critical Care Unit, CCU, of the hospital (A Private-Public Venture).
The CMD disclosed that LASUTH is the first public tertiary hospital in Lagos State to have a Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy, CRRT, machine, stressing that, “This is a 24-hour non-stop dialysis machine used to support unstable patients with renal failure. The Unit also has two dedicated machines for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV and Hepatitis patients.
Fabamwo said that the dialysis machine performs some functions of the kidney in filtering waste products and excess fluid from a patient’s blood when the kidneys are malfunctioning. The most common form of dialysis is haemodialysis and a session takes an average of four hours and is typically carried out three times a week.
He said, “The new Dialysis Unit of LASUTH will be providing standard haemodialysis care to patients with all spectrums of renal diseases requiring dialysis. The primary goal is to ensure a safe procedure with the best possible therapeutic outcome by using the latest technology, convenient scheduling and dedicated staff.”
