Medical laboratory scientists in Nigeria under the umbrella body of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) have pledged their support for the incumbent administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Reacting to allegations made by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) that some health workers are being incited against President Buhari, Adeyeye Adetunji Tam, National Public Relations Officer, AMLSN, told HealthNewsNGthat members of AMLSN are not part of any plans to sabotage the Nigerian government. Instead, he said AMLSN is busy repositioning its members for the much needed change the President Buhari administration is poised to bring to the health sector and Nigeria as a whole.

Following the reemergence of Ebola virus disease, a second patient has been diagnoses with the disease, forcing other West African countries to raise the alert level. In a statement, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, through the director of media Ayo Adesugba, urged Nigerians not to panic but to maintain vigilance He said: “A new case of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been reported in Liberia. This means that the country which was certified EVD free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 9, 2015 has witnessed resurgence of the diseas. “Members of the public are advised to observe basic hygiene and report any suspected case to the nearest health facility.”

The government of Oyo state has unveiled its health insurance scheme which aims to provide health coverage for citizens  of the state, thus making qualitative healthcare accessible to everyone.A statement made available to HealthNewsNG by the state government revealed that under the scheme, citizens will only pay N100 monthly premium. “Residents will have access to various options of medical care including drug provision,” the statement read.

Over the years, it has been  revealed that more Nigerian doctors are interested in the US residency program. Media events company, Pocket Presents, in a statement said the program has become highly competitive with more international applicants competing for space. It said: “The quest to “become a doctor” in the US has been driven by several things such as the quality of the residency program, access to better funding for research, access to better medical facilities, and the importance the US government and private organizations have placed on ensuring the US is at the forefront of medical research and development in the world.”

The growth in the number of applicants is being fueled not just by larger graduating classes at traditional medical schools but also a rising number of osteopathic medical school graduates as well as U.S. and foreign citizens that graduate from medical schools in the Caribbean and other countries.

One month and twenty days after it was declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization (WHO), Liberia reported another case of Ebola virus disease…

Mr. Tolbert Nyenswah, Deputy Minister – designate for Disease, Surveillance and Epidemic Control confirmed to FrontPageAfrica Monday evening that the case was discovered after the death of the victim. Nyenswah who heads Liberia Incidence Management Team during the Ebola outbreak confirmed that the reported case of the deadly Ebola virus was only detected from specimen taken from the corpse of a dead body. Nyenswah confirmed that specimen from a 17-year old corpse from the village of Nedowian in Margibi County taken before burial tested positive twice and the county surveillance team has increased work in the affected area. 

New milestone for the Kwara State Health Insurance Program

ILORIN, NIGERIA – 27 May 2015 In Kwara State, Nigeria, a state-supported health insurance program is improving access to quality healthcare for low-income people in one of Nigeria’s poorest states. The Kwara State Health Insurance Program recently welcomed its 100,000th enrollee: an important milestone for the program but also an indication that this public-private model of healthcare delivery could be a game changer on the road to universal health coverage. After all, what is working for 100,000 people in Kwara could potentially work for millions.

When the Kwara State Government, Hygeia Community Health Care, the Health Insurance Fund and PharmAccess joined forces in a public-private partnership and set up the Kwara State Health Insurance Program in 2007, the people of Kwara had little to no access to quality healthcare.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday urged Nigerian investors to explore the opportunities that abound in catering for the elderly by establishing homes and clinics for the aged. The WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Rui Vaz, gave the advice in Abuja while answering questions from newsmen on the sideline of a two-day consultative meeting on Capacity Building for Masters Programme in Geriatrics Medicine in Selected Nigerian Universities.

“There can be private establishments which cater for older people; if you go to Europe at the moment, its big business. “People who have their pensions, who have got a bit of money, most of them live in homes because they cannot be catered for at home. “Also clinics – a clinic that specialises in elderly people would serve its purpose by making its services available for the elderly group. “It is not very apparent now but in future, we are seeing that we are growing older, we are staying longer and also the problems of the elderly will become more prominent when we deal with these preventable diseases. “Now we will have diseases – not like malaria or diarrhoea – but things like diabetes or heart failure or things like that that come in as we grow old.“

First of all, colon cancer is among the most common cancer types worldwide.Colon cancer is best characterized as the presence and development of cancer cells in the tissue of the intestines, namely the colon and the rectum; both involved in the lower digestive system. Malignant cancer cells develop in bunches known as polyps, which risks spreading cancer cells to distant parts of the body. In order to prevent malignancy, medical professionals emphasize the importance and benefit of early diagnosis and beginning treatment as soon as possible to sustain the best possible conditions for full recovery and return to normal life.

FOLLOWING reported resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in some neigbouring West African countries, including Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Lagos State government has asked residents to maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene at all times to prevent re-entry of the disease into the state and the country at large. A report by Agence France Presse (AFP) confirmed yesterday that two more cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Liberia. A teenager was reported to have died from the viral infection on Sunday in Liberia.

Liberia had been declared Ebola-free more than seven weeks ago, just like Nigeria was declared free in October 2014. Liberia Ministry of Information said the two new cases were in Nedowein, the same village where the teenager died. Liberia’s authorities quarantined the area after the boy’s death and said his funeral was carried out safely. Health official, Cestus Tarpeh, told AFP that the pair had been in physical contact with the 17 year old before his death. He added that a herbalist who had treated the boy had evaded the authorities and was on the run. It is not clear how the teenager who died was infected.

Based on its recent performance in the Nigerian pharmaceutical Industry, Fidson Healthcare PLC has emerged winner of the 2014 Nigerian Frost & Sullivan Award for Growth Excellence Leadership. This was contained in a press statement made available by the company. According to the statement, the award ceremony held in United Kingdom on May 14, 2015, recognizes Fidson’s definitive vision and strong management, which stoked a growth rate of 26 percent in 2013, cementing its leadership in the Nigerian pharmaceutical market.

According to Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Danielle de la Mare, the Nigerian pharmaceutical market was estimated to be approximately US$1.19 billion in 2013, with year-on-year growth of 12 percent. Fidson’s audited report for the same period shows revenue growth of 29 percent, from N7.2bn in 2012 to N9.2bn in 2013. Fidson grew its gross profit by 26 percent, from N4.1bn in 2012 to N5.1bn to 2013, while its operating profit increased by 60 percent and operating margin by 3 percent.