Nepal’s doctors shut hospitals across the country on Friday demanding that the government accept the demands of a fellow physician and an activist who has been on a hunger strike for 23 days.
Govinda KC, a senior orthopaedic surgeon, has been on a hunger strike demanding amendments to a medical education bill that would reform the country’s medical education system.
The Nepal Medical Association (NMA) announced the protests that closed the hospitals after the upper house of parliament endorsed the Medical Education Bill on Thursday.
“We are hurt by the government’s apathetic attitude towards Dr KC, whose condition has deteriorated in the last few days.
“We warn the government to not force us to take stronger actions,’’ Lochan Karki, an NMA spokesman, said in a statement.
The health workers have halted services nationwide except for emergency and intensive care.
The 61-year-old doctor’s demands included healthcare services for poor people in remote regions and an end to the commercialisation of medical education.
The Congress of the Coalition of Health Sector Unions (COHESU), Kwara branch, has suspended its indefinite strike due to the outbreak of Lassa fever, Yellow fever and Polio in some parts of the state.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Mr Joseph Adekanye, Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Mr Murtala Olayinka, Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in Ilorin on Thursday.
The health workers had embarked on an indefinite strike across the 16 local government areas of the state on Jan. 21.
The workers were agitating over the non-implementation of the 10 Consolidated Salary Structure (CONHESS) for workers.
The statement read: “The strike is suspended due to the current outbreak of Lassa fever, Yellow Fever and Poliovirus in some parts of Kwara, to allow the participation of our members in efforts to curb the spread of diseases.
“That due to the intervention of well-meaning stakeholders in the state, we hereby suspend the strike and our members are expected to resume work immediately with the hope that the state government will urgently address the issues that led to the strike.”
The statement further called the attention of the Kwara State Head of Service, Mrs. Susan Oluwole, to the fact that both medical bodies were recognized trade unions.
It said the unions were established under Decree 4 of 1996, with membership spread across all the tiers of governments, therefore, should be represented at the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC).
“That full implementation of promotion should be paid rather than being short paid as noticed in the last payment of promotion exercise.
“We also request that the payslip is given to our members on a monthly basis as health workers in the 16 local councils are not certain how their salaries are being deducted.
“That seniority list is followed in the appointments of officers into various positions and those abnormally appointed should be corrected in order to maintain sanity in the system,” it stated.
The statement also called for resolution of the issue of manpower shortage, both at the state and local government levels in the health sector.
It said there should be concerted efforts to implement the 10 percent CONHESS for all the 16 councils health workers in the next JAAC meeting for the month of January, 2019.
The statement also appealed to the Head of Service to use her good office to mediate on the lingering issues after which COHESU will have no option than to resume the suspended strike.
In the near pitch-dark, you can hear them before you see them – millions of cockroaches scuttling and fluttering across stacks of wooden boards as they devour food scraps by the ton in a novel form of urban waste disposal.
The air is warm and humid – just as cockroaches like it – to ensure the colonies keep their health and voracious appetites.
Expanding Chinese cities are generating more food waste than they can accommodate in landfills and cockroaches could be a way to get rid of hills of food scraps, providing nutritious food for livestock when the bugs eventually die and, some say, cures for stomach illness and beauty treatments.
On the outskirts of Jinan, capital of eastern Shandong province, a billion cockroaches are being fed with 50 tons of kitchen waste a day – the equivalent in weight to seven adult elephants.
The waste arrives before daybreak at the plant run by Shandong Qiaobin Agricultural Technology Co, where it is fed through pipes to cockroaches in their cells.
Shandong Qiaobin plans to set up three more such plants next year, aiming to process a third of the kitchen waste produced by Jinan, home to about seven million people.
A nationwide ban on using food waste as pig feed due to African swine fever outbreaks is also spurring the growth of the cockroach industry.
“Cockroaches are a bio-technological pathway for the converting and processing of kitchen waste,” said Liu Yusheng, president of Shandong Insect Industry Association.
Cockroaches are also a good source of protein for pigs and other livestock. “It’s like turning trash into resources,” said Shandong Qiaobin chairwoman Li Hongyi.
“Essence of cockroach”
In a remote village in Sichuan, Li Bingcai, 47, has similar ideas.
Li, formerly a mobile phone vendor, has invested a million yuan ($146,300) in cockroaches, which he sells to pig farms and fisheries as feed and to drug companies as medicinal ingredients.
His farm now has 3.4 million cockroaches.
“People think it’s strange that I do this kind of business,” Li said. “It has great economic value and my goal is to lead other villagers to prosperity if they follow my lead.”
His village has two farms. Li’s goal is to create 20.
Elsewhere in Sichuan, a company called Gooddoctor is rearing six billion cockroaches.
“The essence of cockroach is good for curing oral and peptic ulcers, skin wounds and even stomach cancer,” said Wen Jianguo, manager of Gooddoctor’s cockroach facility.
Researchers are also looking into using cockroach extract in beauty masks, diet pills and even hair-loss treatments.
At Gooddoctor, when cockroaches reach the end of their lifespan of about six months, they are blasted by steam, washed and dried, before being sent to a huge nutrient extraction tank.
Asked about the chance of the cockroaches escaping, Wen said that would be worthy of a disaster movie but that he has taken precautions.
“We have a moat filled with water and fish,” he said. “If the cockroaches escape, they will fall into the moat and the fish will eat them all.”
Pneumonia is set to kill nearly 11 million children around the world by 2030, research suggests. Based on current infection rates, Nigeria, India, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be the four countries worst hit.
But more than a third of these deaths – 4.1 million – could be avoided by vaccination, effective treatment or good nutrition, according to forecasts by John Hopkins University.
The researchers predicted future global rates of pneumonia alongside experts from Save the Children in a model they called the Lives Saved Tool. Results show that based on current trends, 10,865,728 children will die from pneumonia in the next 12 years.
Nigeria will have the most fatalities at 1,730,000, followed by India (1,710,000), Pakistan (706,000) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (635,000). But scaling up vaccination so it covers 90 percent of children under five could save 610,000 lives.
Cheap antibiotics may also prevent 1.9 million deaths while ensuring youngsters have good nutrition could save 2.5 million.
Combining all three of these treatment techniques would avert 4.1 million deaths.
Meanwhile, as the world marks the World Pneumonia Day, Nigeria and other countries have been urged to step up the fight against disease experts described as the most infectious killer of infants all over the world.
To mark the day, Save the Children International and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health launched the Pneumonia Global Report at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Monday.
Save the Children International is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and has been operating in Nigeria since 2001.
The report titled “Fighting for Breath, A Call to Action in Childhood Pneumonia,” noted that the disease killed about 920,000 children in 2015.
It said about 5.3million lives could be saved from pneumonia over the next 15 years but about 735,000 children could die in 2030 alone if the current trend of treatment and prevention remains.
Speaking at the event, Save the Children International’s Country Director, Ben Foot, said although lots of lives would be saved by immunizing children against the disease, about 170 million children globally are yet to receive the vaccine.
Mr. Foot said one million lives could be saved in the next five years from Pneumonia prevention and treatment, noting that two children under five die from the infection every minute.
He urged governments, NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector to come together to tackle the killer disease.
The President of the National Medical Association (NMA), Francis Faduyile, said the “silent killer” places a huge burden on families and the health system in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria is one of the 15 countries responsible for 70 percent of global deaths attributable to pneumonia and diarrhea among under five.
Mr. Faduyile, who was represented at the event by Mustapha Yahaya, urge a review of the National Health Insurance Act to make health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.
This, he said, is the surest way to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
The Country Representative, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, said pneumonia should be considered number one problem in Nigeria.
Represented by Yusuf Yusufari, Mr. Basinga said his organization is committed to helping children in Nigeria and will support the fight against pneumonia.
He noted that the coverage of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in Nigeria is still very low, warning that no progress can be made under that situation.
He urged the federal government and other partners to ensure every child in Nigeria is immunized.
In his remarks, the Country Representative, UNICEF, Mohammed Fall, said every day should be considered world pneumonia day because the disease is the leading cause of death of children all over the world.
Represented by Sanjana Bhardwaj, chief of Health, UNICEF, Mr. Fall said a combined effort from all partners will lead to zero pneumonia in Nigeria and even in the world.
In what seems like a bright prospect for domestic tourism in Nigeria, the sector is expected to contribute N3.63 billion to the country’s GDP by the end of 2018. The number of international arrivals in the country and employment generated by the sector is expected to grow by 1.5% and 3.4% respectively by end of the year, that is 1.8 million international arrivals and 3.4 million jobs.
Omolara Adagunodo, managing director of Jumia Travel Nigeria stated this while overviewing the content of the 2018 Nigeria hospitality report at a press conference in Lagos.
The report also provided insight on the two main components of domestic travel: leisure and business travel, and both grew at 2.7% and 2.8%, that is 1.98 billion and 1.92 billion contributions respectively to domestic earnings in 2017.
Tourism expert and founder of Akwaaba Travel Market, Ikechi Uko who commended the effort of Jumia Travel in compiling the report said: "the data and figures featured in the report can massively expand the footprint of the Nigeria travel industry and take it to the next level."
While announcing that Nigeria will soon subscribe to the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which is the internationally recognized standard statistical framework for the economic measurement of tourism, Uko urged stakeholders within the sector to support and rely on the data in reports such as Jumia Travel’s.
L-R: Christian Iwarah, Corporate Communications Manager - Air Peace; Muda Yusuf, DG, LCCI; Ikechi Uko, Founder & Publisher - Akwaaba Travel Market; Omolara Adagunodo, MD - Jumia Travel Nigeria; Chris Odor, GM - Westwood Hotel; Olukayode Kolawole, Head of PR - Jumia Nigeria at the launch of the 3rd edition of the Nigeria Hospitality Report in Lagos.
Uko also commented on one of the challenges plaguing the sector, as identified in the report, such as insufficient flights. He said: “the number of flight pairs in Nigeria is very low. Lagos and Abuja are already saturated because almost all airlines want to fly there. As such, we need more flights to cut across the country because the travel industry cannot grow without a functional air transport network."
The Nigeria Hospitality Report from the stables of Jumia Travel is fast becoming a primary source of data for the experts and stakeholders in the travel industry as it offers a profound and holistic insight into the industry that accounted for 1.9% of total GDP as a direct contribution, and 5.1% as a total contribution to GDP. In monetary terms, the sector contributed approximately N2.3 billion to the GDP as a direct contribution and N6.2 billion as a total contribution to the GDP.
Food poisoning is an illness caused by consuming foods or drinks that contain harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites. While many foods contain potentially harmful organisms, they are usually destroyed during cooking. However, if you don’t practice good hygiene and proper food storage methods, even cooked foods can become contaminated and make you sick.
Whatever the case may be, you should look out for these symptoms or signs of food poisoning. Jumia Food, Nigeria's no 1 food ordering platform, shares some of these signs.
Sweating
Food poisoning doesn’t immediately send you running to the bathroom clutching your stomach after consuming a bite of contaminated food. Sweat can be an early warning sign and an indication that things are about to get much worse.
Headaches
Headaches are extremely common. People can experience them for a wide range of reasons, including stress, drinking too much alcohol, dehydration and fatigue. Due to the fact that food poisoning may cause you to become fatigued and dehydrated, it can also lead to a headache.
Vomiting
It’s natural for people who have food poisoning to vomit. This happens when your abdominal muscles and diaphragm contract, forcing you to involuntarily bring up the contents of your stomach and pass them out through your mouth. It’s a protective mechanism that occurs as your body tries to get rid of the dangerous organisms or toxins that it detects as harmful.
Fever
You have a fever if your body’s temperature rises higher than its normal range. Fevers are prevalent in many illnesses and occur as part of your body’s natural defense against infection.
Weakness and fatigue
Weakness and fatigue are other symptoms of food poisoning. Additionally, eating less due to loss of appetite may cause you to feel tired. Both weakness and fatigue are symptoms of sickness behavior, which helps your body rest and prioritize getting better. So if you feel weak or tired, the best thing to do is listen to your body and rest.
The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested three suspects with 7.5 kilograms of Cocaine at the Port Harcourt Port in Rivers State.
The Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, NDLEA, Joseph Nbona Sunday, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt explained that the arrest and seizure followed months of extensive surveillance and monitoring of the suspected import.
Sunday said:
“NDLEA has seized 7.5 kilograms of cocaine at the NPA Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. At the moment, three persons have been arrested in connection with the recovered drugs.
“This seizure followed months of extensive surveillance and monitoring of the suspected container and several days of hard-work by NDLEA personnel to locate, offload and cut through the huge mass iron bars of a tremendous thick density of pure mass of steel with a diameter of over 1ft.
“This cocaine seizure was, therefore, a product of professional management of information, hard-work, perseverance and sheer determination of the Agency and its personnel that was involved in the operation.
Sunday noted that the choice of Port Harcourt port by the suspects to smuggle the hard drugs into the country was based on perceived laxity at the port, but stated that the success of the operation was based on support from the chairman of the agency, Col. Mohammad Mustapha Abdullahi (rtd) and commitment on the side of the operatives in the state.
He said:
“It must be emphasized that this seizure is first of its kind in the existence of the NPA port in Port Harcourt. Its significance is that no entry/exit point of the country is free for illicit traffickers of drugs.
“The choice of the NPA port Port Harcourt to smuggle the seized cocaine must have been deliberate based on their observed or perceived laxity at the port but for the vigilance, dexterity and proactive disposition of the NDLEA and its personnel.”
Recalls that the federal government had on May 1, this year, banned the importation, manufacturing and distribution of codeine cough syrup due to its devastating effects on those addicted to it.
Codeine is reported to be highly addictive and, if overindulged, over time it causes kidney damage, liver damage, seizures and all kinds of mental disorder.
Federal government’s recent ban on codeine due to the destructive nature of its widespread abuse in the country has been undermined by smugglers who have switched to the illegal importation of Tramadol, another equally addictive cough medicine.
However, smugglers and drug users who are bent on beating the federal government’s effort to check the menace of substance abuse have shifted their interest to tramadol which is said to produce similar effects to codeine.
It's revealed that in the last one month, over 50 containers of tramadol worth billions of naira had been impounded by drug enforcement agencies and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Experts have associated the use of tramadol, a synthetic analgesic, with physical withdrawal symptoms and compulsive behavior.
It was learned that drug smugglers now find a way of smuggling the medicine into the country through Nigeria’s porous borders, making it difficult to clamp down on the abuse of tramadol among the youth.
The shift in the usage of the substance recently forced the Ebonyi State government to totally proscribe the sale of tramadol and codeine.
This followed the failure of many natives of the state to pass the medical screening of various security and paramilitary outfits during job recruitment exercises conducted recently in the state.
Nigeria has a high rate of drug addiction and substance abuse which has risen to epidemic proportions, especially among the youth. The government proscribed the importation and sale of highly addictive drugs like codeine as part of efforts to curb abuse.
Last week, NAFDAC destroyed tramadol and other products valued at N3:5billion at a dumpsite in Shagamu, Ogun State. The seizure was said to be the largest in recent times.
Apart from tramadol, other products destroyed are codeine, illegally imported unwholesome sugar and some counterfeit medicines.
According to NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the street value of tramadol seized alone was N1.7billion.
She said the tramadol containers were intercepted mainly at Tin Can Port in Apapa, Lagos.
On June 23, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) also intercepted 102,090.48kg of Tramadol, a psychotropic drug and opiate derivative banned by the federal government.
Confirming this, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) told Colossus Gists reporter that it seized many cartons of Tramadol recently and handed them over to NAFDAC. Customs said it also publicly destroyed tramadol substances recently at Seme border and Idi-iroko area of Ogun State.
The NCS however assured that it would henceforth be stricter on prevention of smuggling of banned Tramadol substances across the nation’s borders and seaports into the country, even as it promised to deal with the smugglers of banned products in the country.
In an exclusive interview, Customs spokesman, Joseph Attah, said the agency had recorded tremendous success in restricting the importation of the banned substance to Nigeria, adding that it will henceforth step up action against smugglers.
“We are arresting the smugglers and the substances. We are stepping up our action and it is yielding result and we will continue to do so,” Attah noted.
Following the ban on production of cough syrup with codeine, Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, had urged the federal government to extend the ban to tramadol and other controlled drugs to break the link between the demand and supply chain.
Speaking at a workshop on the menace of youth restiveness and drug abuse in Daura zone organised by the state government in collaboration with Peace Builders Security, the governor who was represented by Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, said his administration had taken a number of measures to curb drug abuse among youths in the state.
“I commend the bold and courageous decision of the federal government by banning recently the local production and importation of codeine as addictive cough syrup, which is consistently abused. I urge the federal government to also take urgent steps to extend the ban to tramadol and other controlled drugs with a view to cutting off the link between the demand and supply chain”, the governor appealed.
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