The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it would ensure that 60 per cent of the drugs being imported into the country were manufactured locally. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency, said this at a news conference, on Monday in Abuja.

She stressed the need for the agency to ensure the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector thrived. She said a significant amount of substandard and falsified drugs were creeping into the country. “We want the local manufacturing sector to thrive; we want a situation whereby 60 per cent of the country’s products are manufactured locally,” Mrs Adeyeye said.

Going by the taste of pure cocoa powder, many fun seekers will dislike it, because of its bitter nature. However, recent studies have shown that pure cocoa powder is a power food item packed with antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and the building blocks of neurotransmitters with far-reaching implications for treating cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.

Theobromacacoa, the scientific name of the plant from which raw cocoa is made and the main ingredient in chocolate, literally means “food of the gods.”  It is a famous plant with a lengthy and rich history; a symbol of love that cuts across cultures; and other “feel good” hormones.

The new pharmacy law will help in no small way to transform pharmacy practice in Nigeria, as it has comprehensively brought all participants and bodies involved in drug distribution under the regulatory ambit of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. N.A.E. Mohammed, registrar, PCN, has said. Speaking on the topic: “Pharmacy Practice Reformation in Nigeria:

The Significance of the New Pharmacy Law,” at the recent 36th Marquis Memorial Lecture, organised by Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and held at the Marquis Lecture Theatre, the PCN registrar stated that, with the new pharmacy law, everyone involved in pharmacy practice, including those in the open drug markets, will now be regulated by the PCN.

Dr Stanley Ogbonna, a Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, has advised that children that frequently bedwet should be made to undergo medical examination for diabetes.

Ogbonna gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia on Thursday, saying that bed-wetting in children might be a sign of diabetes. He urged parents and other family members not to bully such a children but subject him to proper medical investigation.“Bed-wetting can occur in children normally. But why we are drawing attention is that type 1 diabetes occur commonly in children. “This may not show any sign or symptom apart from the fact that the child is bed-wetting.

Nigeria has been listed as the leading country with the highest number of child death to pneumonia globally. According to statistics by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 19% of child deaths were due to pneumonia in 2018, and it was the biggest killer of children under-five in 2017 in Nigeria.

In a statement made available to the Daily Times, the acting UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, revealed that while most global child pneumonia deaths occurred among children under the age of two, and almost 153,000 within the first month of life, more children under the age of five died from the disease in 2018 than from any other.

The Management of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State has dismissed 10 of its staff for stealing and selling blood meant for patients. Dr Hassan Ikrama, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lafia. “Some of them were engaged in stealing of blood from the blood bank and selling the same to private hospitals and diverting money meant for the hospital. “Some are using hospital equipment to conduct private medical investigation, they charge patients and put the money in their pockets” he added.

He noted that all the dismissed staff were investigated and found culpable by a committee that looked into the matter.  Ikrama said that when he was appointed as the CMD, he discovered many leakages in the finances of the facility which needed to be blocked.

An expert in diabetes care Dr Ejiofor Ugwu has asserted that about 30 to 50 per cent of diabetes patients in Nigeria with foot ulcers eventually get their feet amputated due to poor care. He made the assertion Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the 2019 world diabetes day celebration and national diabetes workshop organized by the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) with the theme ” Improving Diabetes Care in Nigeria” held at Peter Akinola foundation, Abeokuta, Ogun state.

TALENTED American pop music sensation, Stevland Hardaway Morris, popularly known as Stevie Wonder once said: “Sometimes, I feel I am really blessed to be blind because I probably would not last a minute if I were able to see things.”While the sighted thought they had everything and would invest some quantum of pity on the sightless, Steve, says his blindness is a blessing and not a curse. 

Stevie Wonder is a hugely gifted singer and songwriter. Though blind, he remained an inspiration to millions even beyond the shores of America and has won a hatful of music awards, including the Grammies. He was not born blind.