Health
Cola’s SBI Delivers Ultramodern Medical Equipment to UITH
… UITH Counts Gains of Strategic Intervention
The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria in continuation of its efforts at strategically ameliorating maternal and neonatal mortality has donated ultramodern medical equipment to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), under its Safe Birth Initiative (SBI).
During the presentation of the equipment, valued at well over $500,000.00 on Thursday November 17th, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Ifeyinwa Ejindu, shed light on the Safe Birth Initiative as the health-centric strategy with which the Coca-Cola System seeks to reduce the high rate of deaths being recorded during childbirth in Nigeria, both for mothers and newborns.
She noted that the initiative was launched in 2018 to deliver equipment and technical capacity building in tertiary health institutions across Nigeria, which she was optimistic would contribute in bridging the shortfall in the availability of state-of-the-art medical equipment and skilled manpower to effectively maintain and utilise available equipment.
A joyful Chief Medical Director, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Prof Abdullah D. Yussuf expressed gratitude at the timely intervention of the Coca-Cola System in the healthcare sector.
According to Prof Yussuf, who was represented at the occasion by Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, (C-MAC), UITH, Dr. L.O. Odeigah, some of the prominent gains of SBI’s intervention include capacity building, helping secure accreditation for courses and improved medical care.
He cited the cost savings the Institution recorded with the intervention which has seen several moribund medical equipment resuscitated, the human capacity built which would ensure sustainable use of the equipment and the role played by the equipment in securing accreditation for certain courses by the Institution.
In his words, “On behalf of UITH and those who would be benefiting from the equipment, I want to register gratitude to the donors, Coca-Cola Nigeria. It is evident that the equipment being presented to us today comes with cutting-edge technology that will aid solution to complex medical conditions. I am certain that this will impact the entire Kwara State and beyond”.
Ejindu also noted, that the SBI was launched in 2018 in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, and US-based NGO, Medshare International, with a view to supporting and strengthening the country’s healthcare capacity in line with the SDG goals that relate to maternal and new-born mortalities.
She added that this year’s interventions have seen top-notch equipment donated to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State, the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, (AKTH), Kano, earlier this year, before the donations made to UITH in Ilorin, Kwara State. She indicated that the company will continue to deepen interventions with the possibility of impacting a fourth health institution before the year runs out.
According to her, before the kickoff of this year’s SBI, it had reached over 56,000 families with over 21,000 mothers and babies impacted through its social investment program. Similarly, under the initiative, Coca-Cola Nigeria has successfully upskilled over 300 biomedical engineers and 400 end-users with requisite knowledge and skills to ensure optimal utilisation of the medical equipment, and their effective maintenance.
The impact of the SBI could be best appreciated under the background that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), places the neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria as at 2022 at 56.220 deaths per 1000 live births, a 2.57 per cent decline from 2021.
According to UNICEF, the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria currently contributes to 10 percent of the global death rate as it stands at 576 per 100,000 live births. This means that each year, over 262,000 babies die due to issues such as diarrhea, infection, premature birth, asphyxia, or congenital anomalies.
Eben Armstrong, Director, Biomedical Engineering Training & Technical Services, Medshare International, expressed Medshare’s commitment to the triangle partnership as they recognise the damage to families that results from high neonatal and maternal mortality rates.
He said, ‘’We are a humanitarian aid organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people all over the world. We just don’t provide equipment, we provide capacity building to the biomedical engineers and technicians aiding their efficient usage of available medical equipment, and this has brought hope to countless Nigerians through the Safe Birth Initiative”.
Various dignitaries who graced the event expressed gratitude to the donors and enjoined the UITH to diligently utilise the equipment for the benefit of mankind.
Some other hospitals that have benefited from this intervention include National Hospital Abuja, Federal Medical Center, Ebute-Metta, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesha, and Alimosho General Hospital.
Members of the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU) have announced a seven-day warning strike set to begin at midnight on Friday.
This action follows a 15-day notice of industrial action issued to the Federal Government.
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Addressing journalists in Abuja, JOHESU’s national chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, outlined the union’s primary demands, emphasizing a need for immediate action to address ongoing concerns affecting healthcare workers across the nation.
Key demands include the urgent implementation of the consolidated health salary structure and the payment of a 25 percent review of arrears from June to December 2023.
The union is also calling for an upward review of the retirement age for healthcare workers, a tax waiver on healthcare workers’ allowances, and the immediate disbursement of COVID-19 inducement hazard allowances.
Minjibir urged all union members nationwide to adhere to the strike directive, underscoring that compliance would be essential in pushing for their demands.
Details shortly………….
In a world where health is wealth, Kola Kuforiji, a Nigerian journalist who had worked for about two decades with Rhythm FM (Sliverbird Group) reporting business is facing an unthinkable challenge, and needs urgent help.
Kola, a 54-year-old husband and father of two, whose life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with a drug-resistant, Parkinson’s disease with pronounced difficulty in walking and tremor has been very ill for more than two years and the severity and debilitating nature of his illness has depleted the finances of his family.
He was initially treated at Ikorodu General Hospital, Lagos, where a presumptive diagnosis of his medical condition was made.
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He was over a year ago referred to LASUTH, but there has been little improvement in his health.
Medical treatment abroad now offers the best option for his recovery with a recommendation from Atasehir Medicana International Hospital – Atasehir / Istanbul, Turkey confirming that he will need a Deep Brain Stimulation surgery.
The expected total cost of the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery with traveling expenses is put at $35,000 (USD) about N57 million at recent exchange rate.
Meanwhile friends of Kola have initiated moves to seek financial support from concerned citizens to help bridge the gap and ensure that he receives the care he needs to overcome this challenge.
A bank account to receive fund for the urgent medical intervention has been opened for donation that will bring hope and healing to Kola and his family.
Name of Account: SOS FOR JOURNALIST KOLA KUFORIJI
Account Number: 1790322317
Bank: Polaris Bank
Kola’s story is one of courage, resilience, and determination, but it’s also a story of urgent need.
He had worked for about two decades with Rhythm FM (Sliverbird Group) covering business at large and had contributed immensely to deepening understanding of the economy.
Over the years he has explored his media platform as a strong tool to drive financial inclusion and expanding frontier of knowledge of Nigerians on the activities and stride of the energy, banking and finance sectors at large to national development.
Despite his illness, Kola remains hopeful and determined to overcome.
Use this link to join SOS FOR JOURNALIST KOLA KUFORIJI WhatsApp group https://chat.whatsapp.
A new study from the World Health Organization (WHO) underscores the alarming connection between smoking and lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally.
The research reveals that smoking accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases and warns that nearly three million lung cancer deaths could occur among those born between 2006 and 2010 if current trends persist.
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The findings, published in The Lancet Public Health, indicate that implementing a ban on tobacco sales for this generation—approximately 650 million individuals—could prevent about 1.2 million deaths by 2095.
This study is among the first to evaluate the potential impact of creating a tobacco-free generation and draws on data from 185 countries.
The research highlights significant disparities in preventable lung cancer deaths based on gender.
It found that over 45% of lung cancer deaths among men could be avoided, while nearly 31% could be prevented among women.
IARC researcher and co-author Isabelle Soerjomataram noted that the disparity is largely due to targeted marketing by the tobacco industry over the past decades.
Interestingly, the study also suggests that in regions like North America and parts of Europe, ending tobacco sales could lead to more preventable deaths among women than men.
In Western Europe, 78% of potential deaths among women could be averted, compared to nearly 75% among men in Central and Eastern Europe.
While the study offers a glimmer of hope, it cautions that not all lung cancer deaths can be prevented through tobacco sales bans alone.
Other risk factors, such as air pollution and second-hand smoke exposure, also significantly contribute to lung cancer rates.
Several countries have already implemented tobacco-free generation initiatives, including New Zealand, which became the first nation to ban cigarette sales to individuals born after 2008.
However, the new conservative government in New Zealand has announced plans to repeal this measure.
Conversely, the UK’s new Labour government is supportive of a similar initiative that restricts cigarette sales to anyone born after January 2009.
Despite the promising implications of tobacco-free generation policies, the authors of the IARC study stress that these measures must be part of a broader strategy to combat the health crisis posed by tobacco.
They advocate for additional approaches, such as increasing cigarette taxes, creating more smoke-free environments, and providing enhanced support for individuals looking to quit smoking.
As lung cancer remains a leading health challenge, this study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive tobacco control policies to protect future generations and reduce the burden of this deadly disease.
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