Rising from a symposium on drug and substance abuse, organized by the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPHARM), the First Lady and the wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari has urged Nigerian pharmacists to make concerted efforts in assisting the federal government in tackling the menace of drug and substance abuse in the country.

Mrs Buhari, who was the special guest of honour at the symposium implored pharmacists to further make effort by teaming  up with other healthcare practitioners and major stakeholders in addressing the scourge of drug abuse, adding that inter-professional cooperation is needed to win the battle against the menace.

Medical experts at a tertiary health institution in Kaduna State are now working round the clock to unveil the circumstances leading to the total blindness of 10 out-patients after they were injected with a drug the same day.

The victims, who are regular patients of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna became totally blind the same day they received injections for eye-related problems.

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a congenital form of anaemia characterised by abnormal blood cells having a crescent shape. Studies have over time shown that this blood disease occurs mostly among the black race.

Many decades ago and perhaps even now, and especially among the not so well enlightened population, children dying from complications of sickle cell disease were mainly (and are still being) attributed to some sort of evil spirits or the activities of local deities who required the child’s life unless some sacrificial rituals were made.

The Egyptian government has announced its intention to provide hepatitis C treatment for one million people in 14 African countries. This promise was reportedly made by the Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, Hala Zaid, on Wednesday at the opening of the African Hepatitis Summit 2019.

The two days summit (18 -20), is currently underway in Kampala, Uganda. It is the first African Hepatitis Summit to be held by the World Health Organisation (WHO), African Region.

The federal government has debunked the report of the discovery of a case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria. The Ministry of Health in a press statement signed by its director of media, Boade Akinola, described as false the message circulating on social media claiming a reported case of Ebola in the country.

According to the statement, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, urged Nigerians to disregard the rumor.

Recently the PSN President, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa was at the University of Port Harcourt to deliver the keynote address at the 8th Induction Ceremony of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. His lecture aptly titled PHARMACY PRACTICE – WHAT THEY MAY NOT TEACH YOU IN THE UNIVERSITY, was just what the 87 newly graduated pharmacists needed to set the ball rolling as they get into the outside world and into the job market.

The visiting PSN President was received by the PSN Rivers State led by the newly elected State Chairman, Pharm. Chima Agnellus Ogbu. While addressing the inductees Ohuabunwa reminded them to bear in mind the fact that, “the mere possession of a B.Pharm degree or even PharmD is not adequate to guarantee that we shall be successful in the practice or even in the world. There are a lot of variables out there in the world which will determine our success or failure.”

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba has suspended its indefinite strike, which commenced on June 7, 2019.

Its President, Dr. Kayode Makinde, told The Guardian that the decision was reached after the intervention of Chairman of the board and Ministry of Health.

Describing the lack of mentorship within the association as one of the causes of blunders among younger doctors, Oseni said, “Over the years, the roles of the elders have become necessary for us to be able to move the profession forward. Recently, we realized that some of our elders are not as active as they used to be in the association.