Immunosupressive effect of glucocorticoids is caused by
a) Reducing concentration of lymphocytes (T and B cells) and inhibiting function of tissue macrophages and other antigen-presenting cells
b) Suppression of cyclooxygenase II expression that results in reducing amount of an enzyme available to produce prostoglandins
c) Activation of phospholipase A2 and reducing prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis
d) All of the above
Says killing of members has become a recurring phenomenon
Pharmacists under the aegis of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), have totally condemned, the brutal murder of its national publicity secretary, Pharm. Sunday C. Ike who was assassinated recently, saying his death was a striking waste of valuable human resource at a time the nation continues to search for its best hands to salvage the remains of the country economically, politically and socio-culturally.
They expressed their grievances in a statement made available to newsmen, on Sunday, in Lagos, which was signed by its National Chairman, Dr Samuel O. Adekola, and the National Secretary, Pharm. (Mrs) Abosede Idowu.
According to the statement, the gruesome murder of one of its shining lights and its incumbent National Publicity Secretary, Late Pharm. Sunday Ike, constituted a huge loss to the Pharmacy profession and to the country in general, especially, at a time when the health sector is bedeviled by manpower shortage.
The statement noted that the Late Ike was already planning to close, after his regular staff have closed for the day when he was gruesomely murdered by some unknown gun men in the late hours of Friday June 19, 2020 at his Pharmacy premises, Suncel Pharmacy, located at 3rd Avenue, Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The association maintained that the assumption of those criminal elements like others in their kith and kin remains the presumption that pharmacy facilities are honeypots, adding that the various misrepresentations that pharmacy premises are equivalent of business premises rather than health facilities catalyses’ the resolve of thieves and assailants to explore the imagined “fortunes” Covid-19 sales bring to Community Pharmacies this season.
While describing the Late Ike as a diligent and passionate community pharmacist who always profess and confess hope of a better tomorrow for pharmacy before the sons and agents of darkness cut short his promising life right in the precincts of his workplace, however called on President Muhammadu Buhari, all the state governors to direct the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioners of Police in all states of the federation to set up special Security and Police Squads to ensure more rigorous surveillance of Pharmacies and other Health facilities in the ultimate public interest.
It added that the federal government should direct the IG, to identify with a view to bringing killers of Pharm. Sunday Chukwujekwu Ike to book, adding that the minimum demand is to reassure pharmacists and other health workers that government does not take their safety for granted.
The association while describing the murder of Ike as gruesome and unfortunate, noted that it is forced to recall a number of incidents in contemporary times where pharmacists have been wasted in cold murder not to talk of the scores which are daily harassed by men of the under-world and even security agents in the process of rendering essential duties to often times a most unappreciative countrymen.
It recalled the cold-blooded murder of late Pharm. Ororo who was killed while on duty in the mid-eighties in the ancient city of Benin, Edo State, saying the spate of killings in the last couple of years in Edo State is appalling, adding that at the last count, at least five pharmacists have been killed in Edo State while on duty in the last two decades.
It continued, “About two years ago, a community pharmacist was killed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, one in Uyo, Akwa – Ibom State and another one in Benue State all were at their duty posts.
Only recently within this year in the same Port Harcourt city, staffers of a community pharmacy and pharmacists were harassed and physically assaulted by men of the Nigeria Police who ended up detaining them for opening in the course of the ravaging Covi-19 phenomenon which still continues to claim many casualties in our Country and other nations of the world”.
“In what was one of the most painful incidences, a Pharmacist who was the best graduating student in his class was murdered in the vicious cycle of deaths in Lagos State. For obvious reasons of its size and strategic location, Lagos State has witnessed dozens of other deaths and harassment which were not properly documented at different times.
It however implored the FG to consider the exploration of securing life insurance for community pharmacists and other healthcare providers, especially those who are professionally mandated to render essential duties at times of national emergencies, while calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, traditional rulers and spiritual leaders to come to the aid of the ACPN in the bid to tackle the escalating menace of attacks on its members.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 436 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 475 to 518.
With the 436 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 20,244 cases, 6,879 recoveries, and 518 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 21st June 2020, there are 20,244 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.It also splitted the 436 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:
Lagos-169
Oyo-52
Plateau-31
Imo-29
Kaduna-28
Ogun-23
FCT-18
Enugu-18
Bauchi-17
Bayelsa-14
Rivers-8
Osun-6
Kano-6
Edo-5
Benue-5
Adamawa-3
Borno-2
Abia-1
Ekiti-1
On this occasion of Father’s Day, we recognise the immense contributions of all our father-figures as advertisers, subscribers, columnists, and readers, to the progress of Pharmanews.
You’ve been the best for as long as we can remember. We hope you feel honoured for all the support you give to us, and know for sure that you occupy a special place in our heart.
Happy Father’s Day to you all.
Since I heard of the gruesome murder of Pharm. Sunday Ike, at his pharmacy in Abuja, last Friday night, I have been tongue-tied, confused and depressed. Sunday was precious to me as one of the young pharmacists from our town, Okija, in Anambra State, looking up to me as their father in the Pharmacy profession. He was one of my professional disciples.
When he wanted to contest for the position of the National Publicity Secretary of the ACPN, I wholeheartedly encouraged him to put in his best there to prepare himself for a higher position in the national body. An adage says, ” Man proposes and God disposes.”
The circumstances surrounding Sunday’s death are still mysterious to everyone including the Police but they are crystal clear to God Almighty, who is omniscient.
One Scripture that should rule our lives is found in 2 Corinthians 5:10 which says, ” For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”.
Physical death is the portion of every person whether as a result of murder, or COVID-19, drowning, or fire, hanging, or electrocution, or old age. It does not matter the cause or circumstances of death, the most important thing is the judgement seat of Christ for every mortal.
I express my sympathy to his immediate family members, Okija town, my professional colleagues, members of the ACPN, in particular, and his friends, neighbours, and clients in Abuja.
May the soul of Sunday rest in peace.
Ifeanyi Atueyi
The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) said it has developed a local drug, NIPRIMUNE, an immunomodulatory phytomedicine, for the management of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria.
NIPRD Director General, Dr Obi Peter Adigwe, in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews, said the formulation is currently undergoing various relevant processes that will qualify it as an adjunct therapy in managing COVID-19.
Adigwe revealed that, as an immunomodulatory herbal formulation, the drug will be of immense assistance to people who have underlying illnesses, or whose immune systems are compromised, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
He also disclosed that a significant amount of studies have been undertaken on the product, adding that efforts are currently being made to secure the funding required to complete the necessary clinical studies in humans. Below is the full text of the interview:
With the outbreak of COVID-19 in the global community, each nation has been seeking local treatment options. As an institution for pharmaceutical research and development, has NIPRD identified any medicinal plant to be developed for the treatment of the infection?
The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has developed an immunomodulatory phytomedicine called NIPRIMUNE,, which is currently undergoing the various relevant processes that will enable it be considered as adjunct therapy in managing COVID-19.
NIPRIMUNE is an immunomodulatory phytomedicine, which can be used to stimulate and improve the immune status of Nigerians, in the face of the prevailing pandemic. In addition, it can be included as an adjunct in the therapy of COVID-19 to aid in the body’s natural defences against the virus while clinical interventions are being administered.
It is now well known that people who have underlying illnesses, or whose immune systems are compromised, are the most vulnerable to COVID-19. What this means is that a product like NIPRIMUNE can be invaluable in the toolkit of any physician faced with management options for COVID-19.
So far, a significant amount of studies have been undertaken on this product and efforts are currently being made to secure the funding required to complete the necessary clinical studies on humans.
There have been several claims on the social media by herbal medicine practitioners on their locally made formulations for the treatment and cure of the infection. As a research and development (R&D) institution, has the agency tried to research into the active ingredients in these local preparations?
You are right that a good number of Nigerians have made claims regarding the management, treatment and cure of COVID 19. These claimants range from professionals and scientists in academia to traditional medicine practitioners and others.
While some of the claims look plausible, based on existing knowledge on the pathophysiology of the disease, as well as some of the promising drug regimens that are being trialled around the world, some look implausible.
Common to all the claims is that they are based on plants and plant preparations. The value that NIPRD brings to the national response, is its ability to harness its considerable expertise and cognate experience to carry out a systematic evaluation of these claims with a view to identifying those that should be subjected to further assessment.
This can be the rate limiting step to developing efficacious interventions in treating this pandemic that has challenged the health infrastructures of all nations of the world. NIPRD has, over the years, been actively involved in the development and assessment of herbal medicines. It provides services to Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) and other phytomedicine developers in the area of safety and efficacy assessments for regulatory registration purposes amongst others.
It was engaged in the past by the federal government to carry out the evaluation and validation of HIV claims. This is incontrovertible evidence of NIPRD’s capacity and ability to validate the claims of products perceived to have activity against COVID-19.
In addition to identifying active ingredients whilst validating claims of TMPs, NIPRD also provides an invaluable service to the nation in ensuring that Nigerians are not exploited by being exposed to unsafe and toxic products, as well as spurious claims.
The search for a viable vaccine is ongoing in different countries to reduce cases and fatalities of the infection of COVID-19 to the barest minimum. Is NIPRD involved in the search for a local or conventional vaccine process for the virus?
The processes involved in the development of vaccines are very complex, expensive and time-consuming. Whilst recent advances in the various branches of the relevant sciences can significantly shorten the time required to get these products, a significant amount of resources are still required to achieve successful output.
Having said that, all over the globe, there is a concerted effort to ensure an expedited approval for an evidence-based intervention for COVID-19. A significant number of potential vaccines and medicines for COVID-19 have been reported to be in development in various countries across the world.
We have also seen an unprecedented level of collaboration between various entities, across the entire spectrum, towards the development of vaccines and other relevant interventions.
As you are aware, NIPRD was established with the primary objective of enhancing the development and commercialisation of pharmaceutical raw materials, drugs, vaccines and biological products. NIPRD is also mandated to engage in activities relating to capacity building, policy making, data collation, drug distribution and the development of contextual partnerships that can expedite access to healthcare.
As Nigeria’s vaccine manufacturing industry is still at its infancy, NIPRD’s role in the present pandemic has focused mainly around increasing advocacy for further developing local capacity, as well as coordinating international partnerships to ensure timely access to relevant interventions for our people.
NIPRD has also been involved in developing collaborative efforts with international partners regarding ensuring that Nigerian perspective is brought to the fore in global vaccines development.
Considering the spread of the infection in the country, from a researcher’s point of view, how close are we to overcoming the burden in Nigeria?
So far, the evidence suggests that Nigeria has done a commendable job in articulating a national response to the pandemic, especially when you compare our figures to similar data from places like the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom and Italy.
We should however look beyond this crisis, and begin to focus on the opportunities. The Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two characters, one represents “danger”, while the other represents “opportunity”. Whilst COVID-19 is currently viewed as a crisis, an opportunity also exists. That opportunity lies in the area of medicines security.
Currently, Africa and indeed most of the developing world, is faced with challenges associated with a lack of medicines security. About 70 per cent of all medicines used in Nigeria are imported into the country, and this goes against the concept of medicines security that argues that unless a people exert sufficient control over how their medicines and healthcare commodities are produced, sustainable access to relevant, affordable, high quality products cannot be guaranteed in that setting.
The dependence on importation for majority of the medicines used in Nigeria is unsustainable and exponentially increases Nigeria’s exposure to substandard pharmaceutical products.
Today, Nigeria’s cohort of pharmaceutical sector manufacturers, professionals and researchers represent a significant proportion of all pharmaceutical stakeholders in Africa. There is also evidence of some maturity in the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector, as evidenced by the WHO GMP certification as well as other quality indicators achieved in both the private and the public sectors.
Despite all these significant advantages, Nigeria’s market share of the continental market is disappointingly low. This means that despite its potential to be a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, Nigeria is not harnessing resources that can position it to capture the continental market.
With the proper policies, the relevant prioritisation, and collaborative engagement, Nigeria can emerge Africa’s manufacturing hub, post COVID-19
What are the promising phytomedicines that could be put on R&D front burner for the cure of the disease?
Data protection guidelines and intellectual property concerns mean that I cannot publicly disclose key ingredients of NIPRD’s or other practitioner’s formulations. What I can tell you, however, is that Nigeria is richly blessed with plants that have proven ethnomedicinal properties, and there is a good possibility that one or more of these can emerge as a product that can be used in the management of the disease.
As you are aware, our institutional confidence in the nation’s great potential in phytomedicnes led us to develop the Contextual Processing Protocol (CPP). In conceptualising the protocol, we designed the CPP to harness phytomedicines and other natural resources that are abundant in Nigeria.
The international phytomedicines’ market is a multi-billion dollar per annum market, which Nigeria, despite its potential, has no significant stake in. We therefore developed the CPP with the aim of harnessing the phytomedicinal potential of naturally occurring plants, using local human capital, to expedite the production of finished products for local consumption, as well as for export.
Indigenes and residents of the targeted areas where the natural resources are located will be deliberately involved in the project in order to maximise the socioeconomic benefits of this concept. Significant effort was also made to select products with high viability, and which have significant potential to improve access to healthcare and wellbeing, when processed.
The development of the project has also been designed to harness products from each of the six geopolitical regions in Nigeria. In essence, in addition to the potential for Nigeria’s rich biodiversity to contribute to the response to COVID-19, prioritising our phytomedicinal potential can also help the nation achieve critical socioeconomic objectives in job creation, capacity building and revenue generation.
Nigeria has recorded 661 more positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) – one of the highest figures reported so far in the country, making the total number of cases now 19,808.
This was confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in a tweet on Saturday night, saying 19 more people died of complications related to the disease.
Giving a further update on the outbreak of the disease, the health agency noted that the new cases were reported in 13 states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory.
It added that Nigeria now has a total of 19,808 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 6,718 have been discharged with 506 others dead.
Of the new cases, Lagos has the highest with 230 infections, followed by Rivers and Delta States which reported 127 and 83 more cases respectively.
Others are FCT – 60, Oyo – 51, Edo – 31, Bayelsa – 27, Kaduna – 25, Plateau – 13, Ondo – six, Nasarawa – three, Ekiti and Kano – two, and Borno – one.
With the latest update on COVID-19 in Nigeria, Lagos now has a total of 8,407 cases, followed by Abuja and Kano which have 1,549 and 1,184 infections respectively.
According to the agency on its Twitter page, it says: “On the 20th of June 2020, 661 new confirmed cases and 19 deaths were recorded in Nigeria
“Till date, 19808 cases have been confirmed, 6718 cases have been discharged and 506 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The 661 new cases are reported from 14 states- Lagos(230), Rivers(127), Delta(83), FCT(60), Oyo(51), Edo(31),Bayelsa(27), Kaduna(25), Plateau(13), Ondo(6), Nasarawa(3), Ekiti(2), Kano(2), Borno(1)”.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, (ACPN) has confirmed the death of Pharm. Sunday C. Ike, it’s national publicity secretary who was murdered yesterday night.
Ike, according to Pharm. Samuel Adekola, national chairman, ACPN, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, was gruesomely murdered by some unknown gun men inside his pharmacy premises located at Gwarimpa, FCT, Abuja yesterday night.
According to Adekola, Sunday Ike was already planning to close, after his regular staff have closed for the day when the gun-wielding evil men entered his premises and killed him.
He added that that it was the security man who saw the way a car was driven out of the building in an usual manner that went to check inside and found his lifeless body in the pool of his blood.
“We condole with his immediate family and members of the ACPN nationwide for this painful loss, while we are working presently to know the next thing to do,” Adekola said.
Can a man really fulfil his duties as a husband, father, son and good citizen without having enough money? Can he make the most of his body, mind and soul, without some level of financial success? Can he be truly happy and life live based on his terms if he is perpetually broke?
To responsibly fulfil his duties, a man must be a regular provider for his family. Love finds its natural expression through giving. A man that cannot provide for his family loses the respect of his wife, children, friends and contemporaries in our world, where you need enough money to buy the good things of life.
For a man to develop a healthy body, he needs enough money to buy nutritious food, wear beautiful clothes, get the best of medical care, stay in a secured and beautiful neighbourhood, and have enough rest and recreation. For him to take good care of his mind, he needs enough money to buy books, go for seminars, travel to distant lands, see the beauty of the world, befriend successful people and fill his mind with truths and possibilities. For him to develop a serene soul, he needs to give and to love.
To give is to love, to love is to give. What brings fulfilment to the soul is giving. While there are a myriad of things man can give, the one thing many people in our world are looking for is money.
Nature of money
By the way, how do we define enough money? What is enough for me might not be enough for Aliko Dangote. What is enough for Aliko Dangote might not be enough for Bill Gates. Each individual must define what is enough for him and go after it with honesty.
As I interact with people on a daily basis, I have found that the nexus between money and the quality of people’s life is quite strong. It seems that, after oxygen, the next thing that is crucial to people’s survival and quality of life is money. Many people can’t take good care of their health because they don’t have enough money. Many intimate relationships are in trouble because of finance. Multitude of people have sound business ideas but they don’t have the capital. In fact, the sadness of most people is directly or indirectly related to lack of enough money.
I had to start studying about finance in order to improve myself financially and be able to share some practical knowledge with others to fulfil my purpose in life fully. While I am still on the journey of financial success I have learnt some truths which I have applied in some ways.
Truths about money
Let me share seven truths I have learnt that can be useful to you, regardless of where you are on your road to riches.
One of the greatest duties we have in our lifetime is to be rich. It will enable us to take good care of our parents, give our children world class education, build a house of God, help the needy and, most importantly, make the most of ourselves for ourselves and for others. Wallace D. Wattles said it brilliantly, “Whatever maybe said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich.”
ACTION PLAN: Study resources on financial intelligence and wealth creation. Give all your heart to your pursuit of financial success. Have faith that you can be successful and take action on your learning.
AFFIRMATION: I am prosperous. I am blessed and highly favoured
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 667 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 475 to 487.
With the 667 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 19,147 cases, 6,581 recoveries, and 487 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 19th June 2020, there are 19,147 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
667 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 587 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:
Lagos-281
Abia-48
Oyo-45
FCT-38
Ogun-37
Enugu-31
Ondo-23
Plateau-21
Edo-19
Delta-18
Rivers-18
Bayelsa-17
Akwa Ibom-17
Kaduna-14
Kano-12
Bauchi-9
Gombe-4
Osun-3
Benue-3
Nasarawa-3
Kwara-3
Ekiti-2
Borno-1
Whenever you walk by a bakery or a restaurant, a cloud of chemicals and scent comes swirling up your nose. Identifying the smell as freshly baked bread is a complicated process. But, compared to the other senses, the sense of smell is often not appreciated. Scientists from New York University (NYU) studying olfaction have shed light on how our sense of smell works and provided compelling evidence that it’s more sophisticated than previously thought.
Olfaction is a chemoreception that, through the sensory olfactory system, forms the perception of smell. Olfaction has many purposes, such as the detection of hazards, pheromones, and food. Olfaction occurs when odorants bind to specific sites on olfactory receptors located in the nasal cavity
In a survey of 7,000 young people around the world, about half of those between the age of 16 and 30 said that they would rather lose their sense of smell than give up access to technology like laptops or cell phones.
“We’re not that sharply aware of our use of olfaction in daily living,” explains Noam Sobel, a scientist who studies smell at the Weizmann Institute of Science. But five percent of our DNA is devoted to olfaction, a fact that emphasizes how important our sense of smell is, he said.
Smell begins at the back of nose, where millions of sensory neurons lie in a strip of tissue called the olfactory epithelium. The tips of these cells contain proteins called receptors that bind odor molecules. The receptors are like locks and the keys to open these locks are the odor molecules that float past, explains Leslie Vosshall, a scientist who studies olfaction at Rockefeller University.
People have about 450 different types of olfactory receptors. (For comparison, dogs have about two times as many.) Each receptor can be activated by many different odor molecules, and each odor molecule can activate several different types of receptors. However, the forces that bind receptors and odor molecules can vary greatly in strength, so that some interactions are better “fits” than others.
“Think of a lock that can be opened by 10 different keys. Two of the keys are a perfect fit and open the door easily. The other eight don’t fit as well, and it takes more jiggling to get the door open,” explains Vosshall.
“The complexity of receptors and their interactions with odor molecules are what allow us to detect a wide variety of smells. And what we think of as a single smell is actually a combination of many odor molecules acting on a variety of receptors, creating an intricate neural code that we can identify as the scent of a rose or freshly-cut grass.
“This neural code begins with the nose’s sensory neurons. Once an odor molecule binds to a receptor, it initiates an electrical signal that travels from the sensory neurons to the olfactory bulb, a structure at the base of the forebrain that relays the signal to other brain areas for additional processing.
“The olfactory system is critical when we’re appreciating the foods and beverages we consume,” says Monell Chemical Senses Center scientist Charles Wysocki. This coupling of smell and taste explains why foods seem lackluster with a head cold.
“You’ve probably experienced that a scent can also conjure up emotions and even specific memories, like when a whiff of cologne at a department store reminds you of your favorite uncle who wears the same scent. This happens because the thalamus sends smell information to the hippocampus and amygdala, key brain regions involved in learning and memory.
“Although scientists used to think that the human nose could identify about 10,000 different smells, Vosshall and her colleagues have recently shown that people can identify far more scents. Starting with 128 different odor molecules, they made random mixtures of 10, 20, and 30 odor molecules, so many that the smell produced was unrecognizable to participants. The researchers then presented people with three vials, two of which contained identical mixtures while the third contained a different concoction, and asked them to pick out the smell that didn’t belong.
“No longer should humans be considered poor smellers. In fact, new research suggests that your nose can outperform your eyes and ears, which can discriminate between several million colours and about half a million tones. “It’s time to give our sense of smell the recognition it deserves,” said Vosshall.
The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom (UK) that show dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with COVID-19.
For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO.
The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19, and was not observed in patients with milder disease.
“This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is great news and I congratulate the Government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough.”
Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers. It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations, and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.
The researchers shared initial insights about the results of the trial with WHO, and we are looking forward to the full data analysis in the coming days. WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention? WHO clinical guidance will be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be used in COVID-19.
Today’s news builds off the WHO Research & Development Blueprint meeting, which took place in Geneva in mid-February to accelerate health technologies for COVID-19, where further research into the use of steroids was highlighted as a priority.
The findings reinforce the importance of large randomized control trials that produce actionable evidence. WHO will continue to work together with all partners to further develop lifesaving therapeutics and vaccines to tackle COVID-19 including under the umbrella of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
The National Chairman of the newly formed Clinical Pharmacists Association of Nigeria (CPAN), Dr Joseph Madu, has stated that the mission of the group is to foster excellence in clinical pharmacy practice, research and education in the country, with the ultimate goal of ensuring provision of outstanding patient care by practitioners.
Madu, who stated that CPAN is the umbrella body of clinical pharmacists in Nigeria, irrespective of place of practice, further disclosed that the association will collaborate with other healthcare specialists, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop clinical pharmacy practice guidelines that will be used in all healthcare settings, as essential sources of pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical care, towards improving the health of the community at large.
According to a statement jointly signed by Dr Madu and Dr Akinbile Adebambo Oladeyin, CPAN’s public relations officer (PRO), the association’s objectives include maintaining a pool of relevant data on pharmaceutical care, adverse drug reactions or toxicities, pharmacotherapy etc. and making this available to other members of the healthcare team and the general public as the need arises; as well as organising scientific conferences and symposia periodically to discuss the latest trends and advances in clinical pharmacy practice, training and other applications.
It was further mentioned that the association is fully incorporated in Nigeria as a corporate entity with the corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria.
According to the leadership of the association, “The logo of the association is represented by the BOWL OF HYGEA, which has a snake and stick (representative symbol of pharmacy profession worldwide). The logo of CPAN also features the characters CRxN in leaf green colour. C stands for the word Clinical, Rx stands for Pharmacists, and N stands for Nigeria.
“The association has been formed in response to the need to drive clinical pharmacy practice forward in Nigeria. It aims to support and encourage excellence, partnership and leadership within clinical pharmacy practice in Nigeria. It also seeks to further the profession of pharmacy, interests of clinical pharmacists in particular and public interest in general.”
The further stated that “the association provides opportunities for networking, collaboration, sharing best practices and inspiring innovation. CPAN will continue to be both supportive and stimulating, offering our members the opportunity to explore, learn, innovate and flourish.”
CPAN’s leadership also revealed that the group has commenced utilising its experienced pharmacy practitioners, who work at the leading edge of their practices and are committed to sharing to the pharmacy profession, in developing and delivering some events on behalf of the association.
They added that some of their activities are weekly clinical case presentations and lectures that have been taking place online in all the six CPAN national WhatsApp platforms, and they have been enriching the knowledge of members enviably.
…Says Oxyurea, a lifesaving medicine
In commemorating the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2020, Bond Chemical Industries Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, has tasked the federal government on the need to improve awareness about the disease among the populace, saying thousands of citizens are still under the burden of the deadly disease, due to lack of proper awareness, funds and ignorance.
The organisation made this remark in a press release sent to Pharmanewsonline, as the global community celebrates 2020 World Sickle Cell Day, an annual event, usually marked on every 19 June to improve public awareness about the genetic disorder.
Managing Director, Bond Chemicals Nigeria Limited, Pharm. Aderemi Omotosho, said concerted efforts must be made towards reducing its prevalence, while the government must, as a matter of urgency, place SCD in its priority list and people must be informed on how to avoid giving birth to sickle cell children by creating adequate awareness on genotype compatibility.
Omotosho, who was represented by Mr Andrew Aina Oladipo, national marketing manager, also called for increased advocacy on the prevention, treatment, and management of SCD, adding that comprehensive and holistic management from birth will go a long way in cutting down on the SCD crisis, as the implication of this is that a mother must know a child’s genotype from birth, in order to ensure proper care from birth.
Speaking further, Omotosho noted that prevention would go a long way in saving the lives of children with the disease, saying parents should ensure that their children get regular check-ups with their doctors, follow treatment prescribed by doctors, prevent crises by taking simple steps and practicing healthy habits, while urging them to monitor every treatment procedures administered on their child, as there could be misdiagnosis.
The Bond Chemicals boss, however, noted that having sickle is not a death sentence if the condition is adequately managed, adding that the management of Bond Chemical Industries Limited, in its quest to reduce the burden of SCD in the country has further increased its commitment to research and development in the manufacturing of new, innovative and high-quality pharmaceuticals in addressing the condition.
He continued, “Hydroxyurea is a medicine that can decrease severe complications of SCD. This treatment is very safe when given by medical specialists experienced in caring for patients with SCD. However, the side effects of taking Hydroxyurea during pregnancy or for a long time are not completely known”.
“Another treatment, which can actually cure SCD, is a stem cell transplant (also called a bone marrow transplant); this procedure infuses healthy cells, called stem cells, into the body to replace damaged or diseased bone marrow. Although transplants of bone marrow or blood from healthy donors are increasingly being used to successfully cure SCD, they require a matched donor (a person with similar, compatible bone marrow), and transplants can sometimes cause severe side effects, including occasional life-threatening illness or death”, he said
Still on the management of SCD, Omotosho noted that Oxyurea, the company’s brand of Hydroxyurea for the management of SCD, is a lifesaving medicine used in the management of SCD. He said aside increasing the life expectancy of SCD patients, it also reduces the risk of anemia and blood transfusion in patients.
He added, “Oxyurea also reduces the frequency and intensity of bone crises, lowers the episode of acute chest syndrome, reduces the frequency of hospitalization, reduces the need for blood transfusion, reduces the risk of cerebral stroke, as well as improving the quality of life in SCD patients”, he said.
Stressing on the need for active steps to combat the disease, Omotosho stressed the need to focus on caring for sickle cell carriers, saying the lack of proper sensitisation on the importance of genotype testing has led to what could have been prevented by the increasing numbers of children born with SCD in Nigeria.
According to the experts, Sickle cell disease causes the normal round and flexible blood cells to become stiff and sickle-shaped, stopping the blood cells, and the oxygen they carry, from being able to move freely around the body and causing pain. This can cause episodes of severe pain. These painful episodes are referred to as sickle cell disease crisis.
People with sickle cell disease are also at risk of complications such as stroke, acute chest syndrome, blindness, bone damage, and priapism (a persistent, painful erection of the penis).
Over time, people with sickle cell disease can experience damage to organs such as the liver, kidney, lungs, heart, and it could also lead to death.
SCD is a disease that worsens over time. Treatments are available that can prevent complications and lengthen the lives of those who have this condition. These treatment options can be different for each person depending on the symptoms and severity.
All of the following statements regarding vasodilators are true EXCEPT:
a) Hydralazine causes tachycardia
b) Nifedipine is a dopamine receptor antagonist
c) Nitroprusside dilates both arterioles and veins
d) Minoxidil can cause hypertrichosis
“A woman is more than her gender.” Those were the words of Colette Ahamefula, president, Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS), Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Delta State. With such positive energy and assertive drive, it becomes easy to understand how she has emerged the first ever female president of PANS in the institution.
In this exclusive interview with Pharmanews, Ahamefula reveals the reason for her uncommon decision to vie for PANS presidency, as well as the challenges and successes of her administration. Excerpts:
Why did you choose Pharmacy?
My interest in organic chemistry was what set me on the path of studying Pharmacy. There’s something fascinating about knowing that you can manipulate a structure to yield something new and exciting; and, luckily for me, there’s a lot of that in pharmacy school. Secondly, I have always being interested in the health sector. I have always wanted to help people, touch as many lives as possible in terms of providing satisfactory healthcare services, as well as making a name for myself in the health sector in terms of my future research.
What was your motivation for contesting for PANS-DELSU presidency, despite being an uncommon decision for a lady?
I actually wanted to do something outside of the norm because I felt Pharmacy was a male-dominated course. So, I decided to get involved so that I could pass a message that women too can excel politically like their male counterparts.
I was in 300 level when I disclosed my interest in being the president. Then, I was serving as a member of the house of congress and one thing that really motivated me was the fact that I wanted to make changes in how PANS was being run in my school. I wanted to make a difference, to make sure the students were involved in the matters of PANS and to also ensure they were happy and feel the impact of governance. I wanted to create a legacy and do something that would always be in the students’ minds and those of the generations to come that there was a female president at one time.
Having set that standard, I hope I have paved the way for other females who are interested in politics, as we are more than our gender.
You must have set some goals for yourself at the inception of this administration, how much have you been able to achieve them?
There are two semesters in a year and, so far, in the first semester, I’d say I have been able to realise about 50 per cent of my goals. As for the remainder of my administration, I definitely need to work extra hard to make sure we execute our projects as well as provide an exciting, educational and fun-filled PANS Week and ensure that students welfare is top notch before the end of my tenure.
Majority of the first 45 pharmacy students admitted to this institution left without concluding their programme when the fate of the Faculty suddenly became uncertain. Compared to other schools of pharmacy, how would you assess pharmacy education in DELSU?
Sincerely, it was quite challenging, as we learnt, at that period. And when I say “challenging”, I mean very challenging for Pharmacy, even till now. But I would proudly say we are trying. We aren’t there yet and there’s so much room for improvement but I know that, with the way things are going, in a couple of years, we will get there. I am also hopeful that, very soon, DELSU pharmacy will be a force to reckon with in the country.
Can you recount some of your challenges and successes so far?
Well one of my major challenges has been funding. My administration started with an empty coffer and building it from that position has been daunting and difficult because we are in a country where the economic situation is not favourable.
Another challenge is navigating the intricacies of being the president, that is, leadership. It has not been easy knowing how to reconcile the person I am and how a president should be and also becoming comfortable in my role as president, knowing the best ways to execute plans with a minimum amount of friction. I have really learnt a lot from this which has made me grow, not only in my presidential capacity but also as a person, so I’d count that as a success.
Another success I’m really proud of is the fact that we came third at the 2019 Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi Essay and Debate Competition at University of Ibadan. That was the first of its kind for DELSU and based on that success, we are trying to get our colleagues to be more involved in PANS and pharmacy-related activities outside of our school, especially the Pharmacomposium and the Convention.
DELSU faculty of pharmacy is relatively one the youngest faculties in this institution. Aside from pharmacy education, what is your general view of the current state of academic standards in DELSU today?
I would say it is high because the management, as well as the lecturers, are working really hard to provide round-the-clock quality education for us. The institution might be relatively young, but every year we produce students who are doing extremely well in their chosen fields in Nigeria and around the world. This is not a reason for us to relax our guard, but an appeal to do even better and I know that, in the no distant future, DELSU will be known for quality par excellence in academics.
UNIBEN, which happens to be your closest neighbour, is the only pharmacy school in Nigeria accredited to award the Pharm.D degree. What, in your own view, gave the school an edge over others in the country?
It is an old institution and in terms of academics they are ahead; but I would also say the dedication of both the lecturers and the students played a major role in their effort to achieve that feat. If there’s one thing I know and have heard about UNIBEN, it is their zeal to always fight for what they believe in, which I think should be standard in all pharmacy schools across the country.
What has been the level of support PANS-DELSU is receiving from technical bodies like PSN, ACPN, and others in Delta state?
Over the years, we have received some level of support from technical bodies such as PSN, ACPN, NAHAP, especially when it comes down to support towards our programmes. So I’d like to say a big thank you to them for all the support they have rendered us and for the support they will still render us.
What is your advice to female pharmacy students seeking to follow your footsteps by vying for PANS presidency amidst several males?
No matter the prejudices, they shouldn’t give up. Challenges will arise but they will surely overcome. Know what you want and fight for what you believe in. Also, your merit will always speak for you. Don’t ever limit yourself just because you’re female; what a man can do, a woman can do better. It’s time we women rally together and show the world what we are really capable of.
Nigeria has recorded new 745 cases of COVID-19, making a total of 18480 cases since the outbreak of the infection in the country.
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC statistics as released at 11:55 PM on 18 June, revealed that the no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
The agency said it recorded six deaths on Thursday, making total fatality from the infection 745 in the country, while a total of 6307 patients have fully recovered and discharged.
The NCDC however noted that no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
According to its daily update on its Twitter handle, the agency said: “On the 18h of June 2020, 745 new confirmed cases and six deaths were recorded in Nigeria.
“Till date, 18480 cases have been confirmed, 6307 cases have been discharged and 475 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The 745 new cases are reported from 21 states- Lagos(280), Oyo(103), Ebonyi(72), FCT(60), Imo(46), Edo(34), Delta(33), Rivers(25), Kaduna(23), Ondo(16), Katsina(12), Kano(10), Bauchi(8), Borno(7), Kwara(5), Gombe(4), Sokoto(2), Enugu(2), Yobe(1), Osun(1), Nasarawa(1)”.
As Nigerians join the rest of the world to commemorate World Sickle Cell Day 2020, usually celebrated on 19 June, the Brain & Body Foundation (BBF) and the Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Washington, D.C. Chapter are collaborating to bring awareness and medical support to sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria.
The theme for this year’s celebration: “Breaking the cycle of pain”, seeks to enlighten parents how children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) can live their lives close to normal.
The partners said: “We believe children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) can live as close to a normal life as possible if parents and caregivers are aware of and follow certain key principles”.
According to Dr David Ajibade, executive director BBF Programme, “We are happy to work with NIDO Washington DC Chapter.
“Moreover, WSCD is a chance to celebrate the amazing achievements of those living with sickle cell disease. In addition, in difficult times such as those in which we find ourselves, it is even more important to come together and support each other, drawing attention to those who are more at risk.
“We have put everything in place to ensure we reach out to as many people as possible with available resources”, he said.
Dr Ajibade explains further that the goals of BBF in celebrating the WSCD 2020 are two-fold.
Firstly, to create awareness by letting people know that sickle cell disease is not a death sentence and that it is possible to live free of the symptoms of the disease, and in many cases, even recover from its complications if they are equipped with the right knowledge and tools.
Secondly, to provide patients (ages 6 months to 18 years) and their families with the actual nutrients that will strengthen their immune and other systems, thereby helping them recover from the damaging effects of SCD.
“June 19 will be a day of unity and purpose for the sickle cell community, and at NIDO Washington Chapter. We are proud to work with BBF to increase awareness about SCD and its impact on individuals and their families in Nigeria.” Says Abayomi Animashaun, President NIDO-DC.
SCD is a global health problem affecting millions of people around the world. It is estimated that approximately 150,000 children are born with sickle cell disease in Nigeria every year, while about 40 million Nigerians are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene.
BBF is a Non-profit organization established to help raise the level of health and human performance of people everywhere. They focus on brain health and creating easy access to important nutrients for parents and caregivers…nutrients which are critical to the healthy development of children.
There seems not to be an end in sight over the brouhaha that greeted the appointment of Prof. A.T Mora as the Chairman of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, PCN Governing Council, on Monday; as the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has threatened to embark on a total strike if the federal government doesn’t cancel the appointment.
The PSN President, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa and eight past presidents of the Society have notified the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of an intended industrial action across the federation if its decision to install A.T Mora as PCN Chairman is not rescinded.
The Society further threatened to order all registered pharmacists to boycott all activities of the PCN forthwith, including the Mandatory Continued Professional Development (MCPD), registration of pharmacists and pharmaceutical premises as well as other routine statutory activities of the PCN.
Impending strike action in pharmaceutical industry
The open letter partly reads: “Finally Your Excellency, the President and past presidents of the PSN from 1991 to date (9 in number) who are mostly very distinguished elders statesmen have decided to draw your attention to this matter because if the minister goes ahead to inaugurate A.T. Mora on June 15, 2020 as Chairman of the PCN, we are afraid that it may look like the government wants to disrupt the integrity and peace in the Pharmacy Profession which could lead to the following:
“A call on all hospital and administrative pharmacists in government hospitals, community and industrial pharmacists in the private sector to proceed on a total strike and withdrawal of their services. For the records, this might affect the logistics of production and supply of essential as well as other pharmaceutical care services and drugs to the entire health system including the isolation centres that cater for COVID-19 cases in Nigeria.
“A directive to all registered pharmacists to boycott all activities of the PCN forthwith. This will include Mandatory Continued Professional Development (MCPD), registration of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical premises as well as other routine statutory activities of the PCN”.
PSN seeks FG’s attention for peaceful resolution of the matter
In an exclusive interview with Pharmanewsonline Thursday, the PSN President, Ohuabunwa disclosed that they are interested in the peaceful resolution of the issue, as they are considering all options to get government’s attention over the matter.
“We are determined to make our views known to the federal government using every means at our disposal to get them listen to us. Since it is not a personal or ethnic based issue, majority of pharmacists are solidly behind us, as they are aware that it is a principled battle in defence of our professional ethics and standard”, he stressed.
Ohuabunwa said this has necessitated the writing of a second letter to the federal government, wherein more explanation was made on the personality and character of A.T Mora, wherein Mora was said to have allegedly prevailed on the then Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole to subvert the name of the PSN recommended candidate, Pharm. (Alhaji) Yaro Budah, for his own name, with the same reference number.
The second letter mailed to pharmanewsonline reads in part: “PSN as is the tradition recommended Pharm. (Alhaji) Yaro Budah, FPSN, mni, past president to the Minister of Health for appointment as the PCN Chairman. In the first letter of recommendation, the Minister of Health in the said letter dated 16th May 2018 with reference no DHS/830/1/28 recommended Alhaji Budah to the SGF for appointment as PCN Chairman.
“Then Alhaji A.T Mora went into his usual trade of subverting the PSN candidate, by lobbying, manipulating and coaxing the same Minister of Health to substitute the name of Alhaji Yaro Budah with his own name, thereby the second letter dated October 25th, 2018 with the same Reference no: DHS/830/1/28 was written to the SGF, now nominating Alhaji AT. Morah. This is the kind of person being foisted upon PSN as the Chairman of PCN. This travesty against the PSN cannot stand”, it stated.
Recall that PSN had on Monday rejected the person of A.T. Mora as the PCN Chairman, as they allegedly stated his role in the unauthorised alteration of portions of the PCN ACT in PCN’S compilation of pharmacy, drug & related laws and rules in Nigeria in 2009; his changing the names of PSN’s statutory nominations to the PCN Council in 2009 and his subsequent efforts to cover up many controversies surrounding his career pathway.
This notwithstanding did not prevent Prof. Osagie Ehanire, from installing A.T Mora as the PCN Governing Council Chairman on Monday, as he was widely celebrated on Facebook for his new appointment by some pharmacists, described as minority by the PSN president.
Mixed reactions trailed Mora’s appointment
Meanwhile, mixed reactions have trailed the appointment of A.T. Mora as the PCN Chairman on Facebook, while some felicitated with him, others queried his installation in spite of the several allegations against him by PSN.
A few of their messages read thus: “FG was fair and just to the PHARMILY. I congratulate Prof. Mora and wish him well. I also hope PSN will bend the knee before the now Oga at the top and continue to make pharmacy profession noble and great”, Suleiman Gidado Elnafaty, said.
Chigozie Agbanusi, a pharmacist also said: “I wonder if he has any moral right to discipline erring pharmacists in the exercise of his powers, having himself refused to be disciplined by constituted authority- Disciplinary Committee of PSN”.
Another well-wisher Pharm. Clement Idialu, remarked: “Congratulations. He should use the opportunity to establish good relationship with PSN by being above board and taking Pharmacy education and practice to lofty heights”.
Mora extends olive branch to PSN
On his part, Prof. Mora pledged to use his new office to resolve issues with PSN and other aggrieved parties as he had demonstrated earlier by withdrawing the suit he initiated against PSN some years back, in spite of the humiliation and persecution he claimed to have experienced.
Mora, in his post inaugural speech said: “As I conclude this post inauguration speech, let me seize this golden opportunity towards the process of initiation of healing of wounds perceived or indeed inflicted on persons or groups that are stakeholders in the Pharmacy profession over the years.
“I was subjected to all manner of humiliation, persecution and bad publicity by past and present leadership of the PSN including being dragged to the ICPC during the past ten years (2009 to date) which coincided with greater part of my second term as the Registrar and beyond. I had to resort to the courts to redeem my name and image, and at a particular instance instituted libel case against the society and which I was prevailed upon by some leaders of the Pharmacy profession to withdraw as way forward for reconciliation. I withdraw the case against the advice of my lawyer just to allow peace to reign in 2015 (five and a half years ago).
I want so say here and now that despite the anguish, psychological trauma and unnecessary anxiety by the past and present leadership of the PSN these part years and myself, family members and many of my admirers among whom are my former and present students in ABU, KASU and IUO, Okada, professional colleagues, especially the thirty seven (37) Directors of Pharmaceutical Services in the States and the FCT that came out to fully support my appointment by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR I bear no animosity no grudge.
“In the same manner, I hope as pharmacists being major stakeholders within the profession we should look towards strengthening the profession and not breaking it. In the end, it is the Pharmacy profession, especially the regulation of the practice and education that we have just been inaugurated as a Governing Council established through LFN No 17vof 2004 to regulate and control that should be paramount in our minds at all times”.
Pharm. Frank Eze is the winner, Young Pharmacist of the Year 2019, an online poll organised by Pharmanews Ltd., for young pharmacists in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with Pharmanews, Eze, founder of Rethink Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, explained the objective of the organisation and his plans for young pharmacists in the country. Excerpts:
How did you feel when you realised you had been nominated for the online poll?
First, I will say I was excited and at the same time I was afraid. I was excited because my work was being recognised and people did not just nominate Frank Eze; they nominated Rethink Initiative, based on the objectives and aims of the NGO. However, I was afraid because a lot of persons were looking up to me and the Rethink Initiative.
When you were eventually shortlisted for the poll, what happened?
Of course, the fear increased when I saw the likes of those I was contesting against – the likes of Funmbi Okoya, Austin Odibor, and others. Although we all are friends but I knew their capabilities. For the first five days, I was confused. But I later summoned courage not to let down those that had nominated me.
The best I knew I did was to put up a good profile of myself and the Rethink Initiative online and sent it to my friends, beginning from my school, Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS) because of my previous affiliation with them. My last position in PANS before my graduation was the PRO; that really helped me reach out to schools with the influence of my friends in the schools and that of the National PANS PRO and President at University of Port Harcourt.
It was a lot of campaign. Even some of the patients I had during my internship at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi (NOHI), my chief pharmacist, and other colleagues all participated in the campaign and voting process. So the campaign was massive; in fact, some of the places I got nominations from, I never knew I could be recognised there.
What do you have to say to all your friends who facilitated your emergence as winner, Young Pharmacist of the Year, 2019?
I would like to thank everybody that supported our campaign and voted us. I also appreciate the management of Pharmanews Limited for this great privilege. The recognition is a big honour not just for me but for the Rethink Initiative. It’s been a long way coming; we’ve dreamt of this day coming, but we didn’t know it was going to come so soon. Pharmanews has made it possible and it also means that we have to buckle up and ensure that we become more responsible in whatever we are doing in achieving the objective of the organisation.
I would also like to thank every young pharmacist out there that has voted us in this initiative. As to what they saw in us that prompted them to vote for us, we promise that we won’t let them down. This award also means that Pharmanews is really concerned and has it at heart that the pharmacy profession in Nigeria is greatly improved. The ultimate aim is to ensure that the quality of lives of people is improved which is one of the things that Rethink Initiative is doing. So, it is an alignment.
Also, being the recipient of this award means that I am now an ambassador of Pharmanews. This means that that wherever I go and in whatever I do, I must always ensure that I am found on the positive side and not in negativity because I wouldn’t want to do anything to the detriment of Pharmanews which means that I am going to live up to expectation.
This award too means that young pharmacists are really interested in ensuring that the health of the populace is improved and that is why they had to vote for Rethink Initiative, especially because it is something that is targeted towards the health of the populace. Our aim is to improve knowledge on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria because we believe that in achieving a sustainable development goal, which is good health and well-being for all ages, the prerequisite is literacy.
When you are aware of your numbers, you are aware that diabetes and hypertension are real and also aware that your health is in your hands, you take the necessary steps to watch what you eat, your lifestyle and ensure that you prevent yourself from coming down with these chronic diseases.
How many years have you practised as a young pharmacist? Where and when did you practise, before your present training?
I graduated from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in 2016. After that, I did my internship at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi in 2017. In 2018, I did my NYSC at the Global Fund, under the supervision of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, and I passed out in June 2019. Thereafter, I went to Mercy Gate Community Pharmacy at Berger. That was the last place I practised before this appointment with GSK.
What is the story behind Rethink Initiative?
Well, the whole idea about Rethink Initiative had been a long time coming. Since when I was in school, I had always thought of it, since my 200 level, when my father had a diabetic foot. Initially, I thought he was poisoned, because I never knew anything about diabetes then, until the doctor managing him at the orthopaedic hospital explained everything to me then. That was what got me thinking, that a lot of people are in danger of diabetes and hypertension because of ignorance.
In the long run, my father’s foot was amputated in 2017 and he died not long after that. It was his death that really catalysed this initiative, and the condition of my mother too, being diabetic. That is why our major targets are those in the rural areas, who do not understand much about diabetes and hypertension.
Where have you been in advocating the objectives of Rethink Initiative?
Since we are in a digital world, I can say we have been to everywhere in the world, because we are very active online. Then, for physical presence, we are currently working with four community pharmacies. For every person that visits the pharmacies, we ask them, “Ma/Sir, when last did you check your blood sugar?” If the person hasn’t checked in a long while, we provide them free test strips to check their blood sugar, while their blood pressure is checked too. This is to encourage those who cannot pay to check their blood sugar free of charge.
We also go to places of worship to enlighten different groups on health education. We are also planning quarterly medical mission, to go out there and enlighten people, though we don’t give out drugs.
Now that you have emerged Young Pharmacist of the Year, 2019, what are the things you have in mind to increase your activities?
People believe in Rethink Initiative, that was why they voted us. This means we have to increase our availability and work pace. This award has also made me realise that young pharmacists are willing to help; so, one of the things we are going to do now, is to involve more young pharmacists, because about 60 to 70 per cent of them work in community practice, we will involve more of them in conducting free blood sugar test, while we await sponsorship for more test strips to enhance the smooth running of this programme.
In September 2019, a milestone surgery using the Da Vinci Robotic Technology, was performed at Womack Army Medical Centre, in collaboration with Fayetteville Veteran Affairs Medical Centre (VAMC) in North Carolina, USA. This remarkable surgical procedure was carried out by Dr Obinna Chukwudi Igwilo, a Nigerian trained surgeon.
Although the feat was the first for Fayetteville VAMC, , it was a familiar procedure for Igwilo, as he had been performing robotic surgeries since 2014. In this case however, it was his first as well as America’s most complex major surgery employing the use of the advance robotic technology – Da Vinci Surgical System. The outstanding achievement by Obinna Igwilo cements Nigeria’s place among countries with medical experts in advance robotic surgery.
The procedure
The Da Vinci surgical technology used by Obinna Igwilo is a state-of-the-art technology designed to enable surgeons perform complex surgeries through minor incisions, using minimally invasive technique with the surgeon at the console operating with system-assisted clear vision and precision.
With Da Vinci technology, the surgeon’s hand motion maintains accurate movements in four robotic arms operating inside the body of the patient. Because the surgical technology is precise and minimally invasive, post-surgical bleeding is minimised, less post-operative pain and faster recovery is achieved, while hospital stay by the patient is drastically shortened, leading to reduction in hospital cost. These benefits are responsible for the rapid adoption of the robotic technology by hospitals in the US.
Da Vinci technology was approved by the FDA in 2000 as the first surgical system technology for general laparoscopic surgery in US hospitals. Ever since, it has remained the leading commercially available cutting-edge robotic surgical system.
Background and Education
Obinna Igwilo was born in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. Although he is a native of Ozubulu in Anambra state, he grew up in Aba where he had his secondary education and graduated from Ngwa High School in 1980 with distinction. Indeed he was among the best students in his class and was nicknamed “Archimedes” – after the Greek Mathematician and Physicist – because of the ease with which he handled mathematics. He got admission to the College of Medicine and Surgery, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and graduated top of his class in 1986 with MB.BCh degree.
After graduating from medical school, Igwilo proceeded for his medical internship at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. He then moved to the United Kingdom in 1987 for his clinical internship at Whipps Cross University Hospital, UK. He completed his residence in general surgery at the University of Illinois Metropolitan Group Hospitals, Chicago (UIC-MGH) in 2001.
Igwilo has had many other exposures in Europe and America, where he gained specialised skills in endocrine surgery, robotic surgery, advanced laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery, as well as colorectal and endoscopic procedures. He is board-certified in general surgery and also a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).
Igwilo is also a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Glasgow and Edinburg, and American College of Surgeons. He has had over 34 years of experience and has worked for a number of medical institutions in Europe and in the US, including Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA and Illinois Masonic Medical Center, USA.
He is currently working as a consultant General Surgeon at Veteran Affairs Medical Center and WAMC, and has been appraised by his employers for his “active engagement with the training of medical students and surgical residents while also serving as clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery with Campbell University School of Osteopathic medicine”.
Igwilo’s robotic surgery remains a historic achievement, being the very first to be performed in the 80 years history of Fayetteville Veteran Affairs Medical Centre, Fayetteville (VAMC). This feat was made possible by the collaboration of Fayetteville VAMC and Womack Army Medical Centre in Fayetteville through an ongoing initiative to provide expanded healthcare services to veteran affairs and US Department of Defence (DOD) beneficiaries through shared staff, resources and facilities.
Igwilo’s exploits in medical practice abroad has brought pride and inspiration to many Nigerians. This groundbreaking surgery at Fayetteville bears clear testimony to the leading roles being played by Nigerian doctors in the US and around the world in promoting and advancing healthcare.
In September 2019, a milestone surgery using the Da Vinci Robotic Technology, was performed at Womack Army Medical Centre, in collaboration with Fayetteville Veteran Affairs Medical Centre (VAMC) in North Carolina, USA. This remarkable surgical procedure was carried out by Dr Obinna Chukwudi Igwilo, a Nigerian trained surgeon.
Although the feat was the first for Fayetteville VAMC, , it was a familiar procedure for Igwilo, as he had been performing robotic surgeries since 2014. In this case however, it was his first as well as America’s most complex major surgery employing the use of the advance robotic technology – Da Vinci Surgical System. The outstanding achievement by Obinna Igwilo cements Nigeria’s place among countries with medical experts in advance robotic surgery.
The procedure
The Da Vinci surgical technology used by Obinna Igwilo is a state-of-the-art technology designed to enable surgeons perform complex surgeries through minor incisions, using minimally invasive technique with the surgeon at the console operating with system-assisted clear vision and precision.
With Da Vinci technology, the surgeon’s hand motion maintains accurate movements in four robotic arms operating inside the body of the patient. Because the surgical technology is precise and minimally invasive, post-surgical bleeding is minimised, less post-operative pain and faster recovery is achieved, while hospital stay by the patient is drastically shortened, leading to reduction in hospital cost. These benefits are responsible for the rapid adoption of the robotic technology by hospitals in the US.
Da Vinci technology was approved by the FDA in 2000 as the first surgical system technology for general laparoscopic surgery in US hospitals. Ever since, it has remained the leading commercially available cutting-edge robotic surgical system.
Background and Education
Obinna Igwilo was born in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. Although he is a native of Ozubulu in Anambra state, he grew up in Aba where he had his secondary education and graduated from Ngwa High School in 1980 with distinction. Indeed he was among the best students in his class and was nicknamed “Archimedes” – after the Greek Mathematician and Physicist – because of the ease with which he handled mathematics. He got admission to the College of Medicine and Surgery, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and graduated top of his class in 1986 with MB.BCh degree.
After graduating from medical school, Igwilo proceeded for his medical internship at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. He then moved to the United Kingdom in 1987 for his clinical internship at Whipps Cross University Hospital, UK. He completed his residence in general surgery at the University of Illinois Metropolitan Group Hospitals, Chicago (UIC-MGH) in 2001.
Igwilo has had many other exposures in Europe and America, where he gained specialised skills in endocrine surgery, robotic surgery, advanced laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery, as well as colorectal and endoscopic procedures. He is board-certified in general surgery and also a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).
Igwilo is also a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Glasgow and Edinburg, and American College of Surgeons. He has had over 34 years of experience and has worked for a number of medical institutions in Europe and in the US, including Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA and Illinois Masonic Medical Center, USA.
He is currently working as a consultant General Surgeon at Veteran Affairs Medical Center and WAMC, and has been appraised by his employers for his “active engagement with the training of medical students and surgical residents while also serving as clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery with Campbell University School of Osteopathic medicine”.
Igwilo’s robotic surgery remains a historic achievement, being the very first to be performed in the 80 years history of Fayetteville Veteran Affairs Medical Centre, Fayetteville (VAMC). This feat was made possible by the collaboration of Fayetteville VAMC and Womack Army Medical Centre in Fayetteville through an ongoing initiative to provide expanded healthcare services to veteran affairs and US Department of Defence (DOD) beneficiaries through shared staff, resources and facilities.
Igwilo’s exploits in medical practice abroad has brought pride and inspiration to many Nigerians. This groundbreaking surgery at Fayetteville bears clear testimony to the leading roles being played by Nigerian doctors in the US and around the world in promoting and advancing healthcare.
“Many opportunities lie here to serve 200 million people across Nigeria. Within the last mile, there are problems that need fixing and each pharmacist at community level has front row seat to study them, define the causative factors, develop a likely solution or solutions and test them.”
-Mrs Abimbola Adebakin, CEO Advantage Health Africa
In a recent CNN interview, some top Nigerian executives and CEOs were interviewed to get a view of the state of their businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic. Mrs Adebakin, the CEO of Advantage Health Africa was among those interviewed and she pointed out that sales has been moving notwithstanding the pandemic, with demand for her company’s services going up by five to six times.
Advantage Health Africa is a conglomerate of a franchise chain pharmacy (myPharmacy) and an online aggregated e-commerce platform (myMedicine). Later in this article, we will discuss the business model used by Advantage Health Africa and lessons other community pharmacies can learn from their successful business strategy.
For the myPharmacy sub-brand, the business model involves a fusion of models from the financial sector and e-commerce. In a time were virtual services are being appreciated more than ever, it is not a surprise that the technology optimised pharmacy chain business is growing its customer base at a rate unimaginable to the average community pharmacist.
There has been a rallying cry all over the world for pharmacists to leverage technology and e-commerce but it has never been taken seriously until now. Pharmacists who have responded to this new demand of their dynamic profession and incorporated technology into their business models are having a field day even in the heat of the pandemic.
Change has happened. Unfortunately, many community pharmacists are still hemming and hawing, playing the role of victims, making excuses and complaining about everything. The COVID-19 pandemic is another wake-up call to community pharmacy owners to embrace technology or be left behind.
Current Situation
There have been mass reports of reduced sales by community pharmacists although they are quick to blame everything on the pandemic absolving themselves of any responsibility.
In a crisis situation where funds are limited, customers are now price selective and would only buy if they are sure they are getting a product at the best price. Even worse, customers are less willing to spend on drugs not COVID-19 related or considered essential. F
customers are open to new channels, this is where technology comes in again.
The changing world of work is heavily influenced by technology and with the pandemic, pharmacists who have been resistant to the idea of going digital are beginning to soften their stance. It is no longer a matter of choice, the future is digital and the pharmacist must embrace it.
The community pharmacies should have multiple channels: telephone services, email services and digital messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to communicate and be closer to customers.
Lessons community pharmacies can learn from myPharmacy
Leverage social capital: Communities lean on us as pharmacists to translate and communicate drug related information. It is important that community pharmacists learn to present the complex in street level terms. If you have noticed, there has been a rising trend of health influencers on social media. These influencers have mastered the art of simplifying the complex and they are using it to build trust and grow the visibility of their brands and organisations they are affiliated to.
As healthcare professionals, we must be able to explain how drugs like furosemide work without using a term as verbose as “diuretic”. Such industry jargons may make you feel good about yourself but it does not help your patients.
The humanistic outcome of increased knowledge is as important as a positive clinical outcome.
Leverage data collection: Community pharmacists have direct access to patients which means they also have access to large amount of patients’ data. But it’s not enough to simply record data, the pharmacist should translate the data into actionable patient outcomes to optimise patient care.
Aggregation: A flexible and cost-effective practice where every participant in the supply chain takes over the information from the predecessor and supplements it with more data. Pharmacy owners who are part of an aggregate have a competitive advantage compared to fragmented pharmacies.
There is power in size and this enforces the need for pharmacists to work in collaboration and not in competition with other healthcare providers.
Adopt technology: Like it or not, technology and e-commerce have come to stay. Technology makes us faster and efficient.
“The more we resist technology, the more we are yielding our position for others to replace us”.
In the United States, when it was announced that Amazon had plans to venture into the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists became jittery. After all, Amazon is known for their great use of technology to overcome logistics issues. With greater than 70 per cent of pharmacists in the United States still tied to dispensing medications, automation of the dispensing process would definitely put half of pharmacists out of jobs.
While customers are adjusting to non-human service rendering, telemedicine is thriving and online drug ordering is increasing too, it only makes sense that community pharmacies that wish to remain relevant latch onto recent trends. .
Backward integration for essentials: Long ago, pharmacists were known as apothecaries/compounders. It’s true that we have moved on from that, but the question is:
“Who have we yielded the work of compounding to?
“Who is producing special flavoured syrups for children?”
“Who is providing suppositories for people who can’t stand tablets and you can’t administer injections.”
Pharmacists have abandoned compounding to the detriment of their unique position in the healthcare system.
Conclusion
As one of the most flexible sectors in the health industry, pharmacists have retained their relevance by adapting to new trends in the profession. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the need once again for technology to be incorporated into community practice and this time, community pharmacists must respond.
If community pharmacy owners want to remain among the top players, they should quit playing the role of victims and step into the arena. They must strive while they survive.
The cheese has been moved, change has happened and community pharmacy owners must step out of their comfort zone and scurry with the cheese.
N.B. All quotes are from Mrs Abimbola Adebakin during the webinar “What if COVID-19 pandemic lasts till 2021”.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 587 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 455 to 469.
With the 587 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 17,735 cases, 5966 recoveries, and 469 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 17th June 2020, there are 17735 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
587 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 587 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:
Lagos-155
Edo-75
FCT-67
Rivers-65
Oyo-56
Delta-50
Bayelsa-25
Plateau-18
Kaduna-18
Enugu-17
Borno-12
Ogun-12
Ondo-7
Kwara-4
Kano-2
Gombe-2
Sokoto-1
Kebbi-1
Characteristics of barbiturate intoxication (2-3 dose) include all of the following EXCEPT:
a) Pleasant feelings of the “blow” in the head, vertigo, myasthenia, stupor
b) Perceptual distortion of surroundings, disorders of thinking, behavior
c) Locomotive, speech excitation, sharp swings from a cheerful mood to an aggressive state
d) Sleep with the subsequent weakness and headaches
Researchers at the Weizman Institute of Science have found that love hormone – oxytocin, which acts as a social lubricant and spikes during orgasms, may have a less welcome effect, such as aggression and might have caused aggressive behaviour during the pandemic lockdown among many couples.
Oxytocin is secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain. It’s sometimes known as the “cuddle hormone” or the “love hormone,” because it is released when people snuggle up or bond socially.
The study published in the journal Neuron shows that oxytocin sprays could enhance romantic relationships and help with marriage counselling.
According to the study, many manufacturers produce oxytocin sprays for big businesses online, with sellers claiming they improve sex life and boost both relationships and social interactions (though such assertions should be examined with a healthy dose of scepticism).
Meanwhile, there is also interest among some medical professionals in using the hormone for a variety of conditions, including social anxiety, autism and schizophrenia.
“We have seen that it is capable of stimulating behaviours we may not want to stimulate, such as aggression,” said Sergey Anpilov, who spent a week supervising 44 mice in a Big Brother-type social experiment in which they competed for food and all their social interactions were filmed and analysed.
Five times a day, Anpilov and his team would use special fibre optic devices mounted on the mice’s heads to alter the function of some of the subjects’ brains.
By turning on specific neurons, they would boost oxytocin levels. Those who weren’t given the oxytocin boost maintained relatively constant behaviour while those given the oxytocin boost underwent changes.
At first, the hormone indeed acted as the social lubricant it is widely thought to be. “The resident mice attacked less after having their oxytocin stimulated,” Anpilov said, adding that they also interacted with each other more. However, the effect was far from constant.
“On the first day, we saw social interaction was increased and they spent more time with each other, but on the second day they became more aggressive,” said Anpilov.
The mice were in small house-like structures in groups of four, with space to play and interact. Anpilov said that the social element was important as most oxytocin research hasn’t put mice in intense social settings.
Anpilov is now suggesting that oxytocin isn’t a hormone necessarily associated with love, but rather one that causes people and animals to react more intensely to situations — whether for better or worse.
“Oxytocin doesn’t take you in a specific direction, the direction it takes you in depends on the social situation,” he said, adding that when it has been boosted, social cues appear “amplified.”
Anpilov said that while more research is needed on the topic, the study may have important practical ramifications, specifically in the form of questioning the wisdom of giving oxytocin therapeutically to humans.
“If we assume that oxytocin does the same things in human as [it does in] mice, and we use it for social disorders, we may, in an unintentional manner, increase behaviours we don’t want”
Or in simpler terms: “It may backfire.
Pharmacist Gbenga Olubowale, an administrator, resource person and certified master trainer, was born on 13 May, 1968, in Ibadan, Oyo State. He had his secondary education at St. Anthony Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara State, between 1980 and 1985, and ultimately earned a certificate of merit for “Academic Excellence” from the Kwara State Government in 1986.
After obtaining his B.Pharm degree in Nigeria, Olubowale obtained a M.Sc. Pharmacy degree from Pyatigorsk State Pharmaceutical Academy, Pyatigorsk, Russia in 1995 and a PGD in Global Health Procurement and Supply Chain Management from the Empower School of Health, India, in 2017. He has undergone series of professional, management and leadership trainings locally and internationally.
Olubowale worked as a pharma logistic officer with MedecinsSans Frontiers (MSF– Belgium) based in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia, between 1995 and 1996. On his return to Nigeria, he was an intern pharmacist at both Mopson and Doyin pharmaceuticals Lagos, between 1997 and 1998. He did his National Youth Service programme (NYSC) at National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, between 1998 and 1999. He was a member, Lagos State Health Reform Committee (2004), as well as the governing board of Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Lagos State (2012 to 2015).
Olubowale has been the promoter of Golby Healthcare Limited since 1999. He is a director at Pharmforte Network Limited and Healthy Alliance Stores Limited (HEALS). He was a consultant master trainer (2012 to 2014) and business growth advisor/unit head (2014 to 2016) with USAID/SHOPS Nigeria Project.
He holds membership of many associations in the pharmaceutical industry, including: Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP); Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA), African Pharmaceutical Forum (APF) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP).
Oluwole is a pharmaceutical inspector of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN). A committed professional, he has served various health associations in different capacities. These included: secretary and chairman, ACPN, Lagos (2003 – 2009); general secretary, Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) (2006 -2008); national secretary, PSN (2008-2011); and chairman, PSN, Lagos (2014-2017). He is a Merit Award Winner (MAW) of PSN Lagos State and a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN)
Olubowale enjoys reading, listening to music, cooking and travelling. He is married, with children
Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes. – Oscar Wilde
It’s often said that mistakes provide great learning opportunities. However, it’s much better not to make mistakes in the first place! We are going to look at ten of the most common leadership and management errors, and highlighting what you can do to avoid them. If you can learn about these here, rather than through experience, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble!
Zenab is a talented sales representative, but she has a habit of answering the phone in an unprofessional manner. Her boss is aware of this, but he’s waiting for her performance review to tell her where she’s going wrong. Unfortunately, until she’s been alerted to the problem, she’ll continue putting off potential customers.
According to a survey of 1,400 executives, failing to provide feedback is the most common mistake that leaders make. When you don’t provide prompt feedback to your people, you’re depriving them of the opportunity to improve their performance. To avoid this mistake, learn how to provide regular feedback to your team.
2. Not making time for your team
When you’re a manager or leader, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in your own workload that you don’t make yourself available to your team. Yes, you have projects that you need to deliver. But your people must come first. Without you being available when they need you, your people won’t know what to do, and they won’t have the support and guidance that they need to meet their objectives.
Avoid this mistake by blocking out time in your schedule specifically for your people, and by learning how to listen actively to your team. Develop emotional intelligence so that you can be more aware of your team and their needs, and have a regular time when “your door is always open”, so that your people know when they can get your help. You can also use “management by walking around”, which is an effective way to stay in touch with your team. Once you’re in a leadership or management role, your team should always come first – this is, at heart, what good leadership is all about!
One of your team members has just completed an important project. The problem is that he misunderstood the project’s specification, and you didn’t stay in touch with him as he was working on it. Now, he’s completed the project in the wrong way, and you’re faced with explaining this to an angry client. Many leaders want to avoid micromanagement. But going to the opposite extreme (with a hand-offs management style) isn’t a good idea either – you need to get the balance right.
Most of us want to be seen as friendly and approachable to people in our team. After all, people are happier working for a manager that they get on with. However, you’ll sometimes have to make tough decisions regarding people in your team, and some people will be tempted to take advantage of your relationship if you’re too friendly with them. This doesn’t mean that you can’t socialise with your people. But, you do need to get the balance right between being a friend and being the boss. Learn how to avoid this mistake. Also, make sure that you set clear boundaries, so that team members aren’t tempted to take advantage of you.
When your people don’t have clear goals, they muddle through their day. They can’t be productive if they have no idea what they’re working for, or what their work means. They also can’t prioritise their workload effectively, meaning that projects and tasks get completed in the wrong order. Avoid this mistake by learning how to set SMART goals for your team. Use a Team Charter to specify where your team is going, and detail the resources it can draw upon. Also, use principles from Management by Objectives to align your team’s goals to the mission of the organization.
Do you know what truly motivates your team? Here’s a hint: chances are, it’s not just money! Many leaders make the mistake of assuming that their team is only working for monetary reward. However, it’s unlikely that this will be the only thing that motivates them.
For example, people seeking a greater work/life balance might be motivated by telecommuting days or flexible working. Others will be motivated by factors such as achievement, extra responsibility, praise, or a sense of camaraderie. To find out what truly drives your people, read our articles regularly in this column and to learn how to be a great motivator of people.
When your team has a large workload, it’s important to have a full team. But filling a vacant role too quickly can be a disastrous mistake. Hurrying recruitment can lead to recruiting the wrong people for your team: people who are uncooperative, ineffective or unproductive. They might also require additional training, and slow down others on your team. With the wrong person, you’ll have wasted valuable time and resources if things don’t work out and they leave.
What’s worse, other team members will be stressed and frustrated by having to “carry” the underperformer. You can avoid this mistake by learning how to recruit effectively, and by being particularly picky about the people you bring into your team.
If you make personal telephone calls during work time, or speak negatively about your CEO, can you expect people on your team not to do this too? Probably not! As a leader, you need to be a role model for your team. This means that if they need to stay late, you should also stay late to help them. Or, if your organisation has a rule that no one eats at their desk, then set the example and head to the break room every day for lunch. The same goes for your attitude – if you’re negative some of the time, you can’t expect your people not to be negative.
So remember, your team is watching you all the time. If you want to shape their behaviour, start with your own. They’ll follow suit.
Some managers don’t delegate, because they feel that no one, apart from themselves, can do key jobs properly. This can cause huge problems as work bottlenecks around them, and as they become stressed and burnt out. Delegation does take a lot of effort upfront, and it can be hard to trust your team to do the work correctly. But unless you delegate tasks, you’re never going to have time to focus on the “broader-view” that most leaders and managers are responsible for. What’s more, you’ll fail to develop your people so that they can take the pressure off you.
Once you become a leader or manager, your responsibilities are very different from those you had before. However, it’s easy to forget that your job has changed, and that you now have to use a different set of skills to be effective. This leads to you not doing what you’ve been hired to do – leading and managing.
Key points
We all make mistakes, and there are some mistakes that leaders and managers make in particular. These include not giving good feedback, being too “hands-off,” not delegating effectively, and misunderstanding your role. It’s true that making a mistake can be a learning opportunity. But, taking the time to learn how to recognise and avoid common mistakes can help you become productive and successful, and highly respected by your team.
Lere Baale is a Director of Business School Netherlands www.bsn.eu and a Certified Strategy Consultant at Howes Consulting Group www.howesgroup.com
One of the world’s biggest trial working on existing treatments to get the best for Coronavirus has found Dexamethasone cuts the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators.
The trial, conducted by UK experts also found that the breakthrough drug cuts risk of death by a fifth for patients on oxygen.
This comes as Nigeria records more deaths of highly placed people due to the infection in the last few days.
The Lagos State government in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had commenced clinical trial on hydroxychloroquine a couple of weeks ago, to test its effectiveness in treating the virus, but findings are yet to be out.
Dexamethasone, is a cheap and globally available drug, that can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus, the researchers quipped.
In a report by the BBC News, the British scientists said the low-dose steroid treatment, dexamethasone, could be of huge benefit in poorer countries with high numbers of Covid-19 patients.
About 2,000 hospital patients were given dexamethasone, in a trial led by a team from Oxford University.
When compared with more than 4,000 who were not given the drug, it was found that dexamethasone cuts the risk of death from 40 per cent to 28 per cent for patients on ventilators.
According to the Chief investigator Prof. Peter Horby: “This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality – and it reduces it significantly. It’s a major breakthrough”.
Prof Martin Landray, lead researcher also noted that the findings suggested one life could be saved for: “every eight patients on a ventilator; every 20-25 treated with oxygen.
“There is a clear, clear benefit,” he said.
“The treatment is up to 10 days of dexamethasone and it costs about £5 per patient.
“So essentially it costs £35 to save a life”, he said.
In spite of the fact that snails are usually found in places like ditches, bush, and the abyssal depth of the sea, encountering dirt with dangerous bacteria, yet they manage to stay healthy. This understanding was what led some scientists from the United Kingdom to discover new proteins in garden snails that can fight harmful bacteria.
These scientists have experimented with the new proteins in garden snails to fight antibiotic resistance, cancers, scars and skin blemishes, and to produce faster-acting insulin.
The researchers behind the discovery were Sarah Pitt, Ph.D., principal lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science at the University of Brighton, and Alan Gunn, Ph.D., subject lead for Biosciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University.
According to Pitt, the idea just occurred to her husband, who expressed curiosity about the resilience of garden snails: “He was nonchalantly wondering about snails moving over the soil, etc., in a garden which is full of bacteria and how/why they appear to stay healthy. Was there something in the mucus which fought against infections?”
“This snail mucus soon became the subject of an undergraduate student project that Gunn coordinated to investigate whether any components of the mucus might have antimicrobial properties”, said Pitt.
However, as Gunn started discussing his laboratory methods with Pitt, she noted that his procedures were not likely to be successful.
“He thought something interesting might be happening, but when I discussed his lab methods, it was clear he was doing it all wrong. So, I did what wives tend to do and said ‘you are doing that all wrong give it to me, and I’ll sort it out’ which I did.” Sarah Pitt explained.
At the end of the investigation, the researchers’ study yielded some surprising results, as they discovered four previously unknown proteins in the snail mucus.
Moreover, two of these proteins proved to have strong antimicrobial properties, particularly against aggressive strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that causes dangerous lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis.
The study, reported on Medical News Today and published in the British Journal of Biomedical Science, showed that the researchers collected mucus from common garden snails (Cornu aspersum) and found that it was able to inhibit various strains of P. aeruginosa that had come from individuals with cystic fibrosis-related infections.
“In previous work, we found that the mucus consistently and convincingly inhibited the growth of one species of bacterium P. aeruginosa, a tough bacterium that can cause disease, but it did not seem to work against other bacteria,” said Pitt.
“So, in this study,” she continued, “we tried all the control strains of P. aeruginosa we had available in the lab here at the university as well as five strains taken from patients with [cystic fibrosis] who had lung infections with this bacterium.”
Pitt collaborated with researchers from King’s College London, U.K., to separate proteins from the snail mucus and then test each of them, controlling for antibacterial properties.
As a result, the scientists identified no fewer than four previously unknown proteins, of which three appeared to be effective against different bacterial strains. One of them, “the 37.4 kDa protein, to be named Aspernin,” the study paper explains, has strong antimicrobial properties and a lot of therapeutic potential.
Another two of the new proteins, which the team labeled “17.5 kDa” and “18.6 kDa,” are apparently able to attack infection-causing P. aeruginosa, in particular.
“P. aeruginosa is a very important cause of lung infections in patients with [cystic fibrosis], and strains which are resistant to the most commonly used antibiotic treatments are becoming increasingly common,” Pitt emphasized, noting that for this reason, “a new antibiotic would be useful.”
“If we can make the proteins artificially in the lab, we can try and work out what they are doing to the bacterium. We think that it might be possible to incorporate the purified protein into a cream to treat deep burn wounds and possibly an aerosol to treat lung infections,” Pitt stated.
The researchers are hopeful that the humble garden snail could provide a solution to antibiotic resistance, the phenomenon of harmful bacteria becoming unresponsive to drugs that could previously defeat them.
Vanguard Pharmacy, one of the largest and fastest growing pharmacy retail chains in Nigeria, has opened a new branch in the interior part of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Located along Ologuneru-Eruwa Road, Ibadan, the new branch, which officially opened on 10 April 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, has been described as affirming the mission of the company in “creating smart health benefits for people to succeed and thrive”.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Pharmacy, Pharm. Taofik Oladipupo Odukoya, said the company is committed living up to the expectation of creating a one-stop environment that portrays value and culture of excellence.
He explained that the brand is in a transformation and scaling stage, as it intends to roll out more branches before the year ends and many more within the next five years.
“It was indeed challenging to meet the tight construction deadline during the COVID-19 period as our store is designed to seat on about 750 square-meter shop floor space, but the resolve of the entire team made it happen,” he admitted.
The Vanguard Pharmacy boss also revealed that the new outlet has immediately begun to record success in and around the immediate environment.
Also speaking at the occasion, Kawthar Bolajoko Odukoya, co-founder and executive director, Vanguard Pharmacy, said the expansion is in line with the vision of the brand to “transform pharmacy practice through efficient and innovative delivery of quality products and services that benefit the general public.”
He added: “The global pandemic was not a limiting factor in the success story. The public should expect more branches openings on our journey to transformation”, she remarked.
Also speaking at the opening, Pharm. Femi Banjo, the branch manager, Vanguard Pharmacy, averred: “Our commitment to the community is to provide smart health benefits for people to succeed and thrive. We are your one stop shop.”
Mr Blessing Ojo-Thomas, head, human resources, added: “Transforming pharmacy practice to ensure people succeed and thrive remains our resolve and we are ever willing to journey all the way, as we continually build our culture of excellence in the heart of our customers.”
In addition, Pharm. Adedoyin A. Osho, head, pharmacy business, noted that the Ologuneru branch is a dream come true, describing it as “a remarkable example of ‘against all odds’. Despite the emergence of COVID-19, the branch came to be in record time. It is our pleasure to always provide quality products, top- notch services and smart health benefits for our community.”
Nigeria has recorded new 490 cases of COVID-19, making a total of 17148 cases since the outbreak of the infection in the country.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC statistics as released at 11:53 PM on 16 June, revealed that the no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
The agency said it recorded 31 deaths on Tuesday, making total fatality from the infection 455 in the country, while a total 5623 patients have fully recovered and discharged.
The NCDC however noted that no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
Of the 490 new cases reported, Lagos took the lead with 143 cases, followed by FCT with 60 cases, then Bayelsa 54, Rivers 39, and others.
According to its daily update on its Twitter handle, the agency said: “On the 16th of June 2020, 490 new confirmed cases and 31 deaths were recorded in Nigeria.
“The 490 new cases are reported from 16 states- Lagos(142), FCT(60), Bayelsa(54), Rivers(39), Delta(37), Oyo(30), Kaduna(26), Imo(23), Enugu(19), Kwara(17), Gombe(11), Ondo(10), Bauchi(8), Ogun(7), Borno(6), Benue(1).
“Till date, 17148 cases have been confirmed, 5623 cases have been discharged and 455 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory
For Lagos State leading with 44 per cent of the novel Coronavirus cases in Nigeria, with 6100 active cases, it is obvious that the state is fully in the personal responsibility phase of the infection, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.
Sanwo-Olu, the incident commander of the infection in Lagos made the disclosure on Tuesday, while craving the indulgence of all Lagosians to be more responsible in the containment of the disease.
He said : “Let me make this clear, that we are now fully in the phase of personal responsibility, regarding this pandemic. This means that, while the government maintains its responsibility to take protective decisions for the common good, what will ultimately save us all and defeat this virus are the sensible personal decisions that we take on a daily basis.
“As at midnight yesterday, 15 June, 2020, Lagos State had recorded a total of 7,319 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Of this number, 1,137 have fully recovered and been discharged, while 82 have sadly died, leaving 6,100 active cases under management in the state.
“Our dear state therefore continues to be the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, with about 44% of the total number of confirmed cases nationwide”, he revealed.
The governor emphasized wearing of masks for residents whenever they are out of their homes, regular washing of hands with soap and water or use of hand sanitizers, and avoiding of unnecessary journeys.
Although Sanwo-Olu assured the people on government’s efforts to preserve their health, he nonetheless urged them to take responsibility individually to have a best safety from the infection.
According to him: “The decisions to use masks anytime you are out of your house, to avoid non-essential travel, to stay at home when we don’t have any business being outside, to wash or sanitize our hands regularly – these are the simple but necessary steps that will save and protect us all.
“As a government we will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the people, but that can only be effective when the people themselves act responsibly, and do not behave in a manner that undermines public health guidelines and puts the society at risk”.
The Lagos governor, however made an adjustment to the early guidelines released for the re-opening of worship centres in the state, saying this is suspended till further notice due to the increase in number of index cases recorded.
He said:” We have been closely monitoring the situation since then, and have now concluded that we cannot proceed with any form of re-opening for places of worship in Lagos State, until further notice.
“This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, it is simply in line with our ongoing evaluation of evolving scenarios regarding the course of the infection in Lagos State and the corresponding public health advisory guidelines issued by the experts”.
Contrary to what has been described as a ‘solution’ for many young ladies, scientists from Radboud University have discovered that Silicone molecules from breast implants can initiate processes in human cells that lead to cell death.
Researchers from Radboud University demonstrated this in a new study published on 12 June in Scientific Reports. “However, there are still many questions about what this could mean for the health effects of silicone breast implants. More research is therefore urgently needed,” says Ger Pruijn, professor of Biomolecular Chemistry at Radboud University.
The possible side effects of silicone breast implants have been debated for decades. There are known cases where the implants have led to severe fatigue, fever, muscle and joint aches, and concentration disturbance. However, there is yet no scientific study demonstrating the effect silicone molecules can have on human cells that could explain these side effects.
Silicone in the body
It is a known fact that breast implants ‘bleed’, i.e. silicone molecules from the implant pass through the shell and enter the body. Earlier research, in 2016, by Dr Rita Kappel, plastic surgeon, and Radboud university medical Centre found that silicone molecules can then migrate through the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. The biochemists at Radboud University next asked themselves the follow-up question: what effect might silicone molecules have on cells exposed to it?
Experiments with cultured cells showed that silicones appeared to initiate molecular processes that lead to cell death. “We observed similarities with molecular processes related to programmed cell death, a natural process called apoptosis that has an important function in clearing cells in our body. This effect appeared to depend on the dose of silicone and the size of the silicone molecules. The smaller the molecule, the stronger the effect,” according to Pruijn.
To investigate the effect of silicones on human cells, the researchers have added small silicone molecules—which also occur in silicone breast implants—to three different types of cultured human cells. “One cell was more sensitive to the effect of silicones than the other two cell types. This suggests that the sensitivity of human cells to silicones varies.”
The effects the researchers have found led to many new questions. “We observed that silicones induce molecular changes in cells, but we don’t know yet whether these changes could, for example, lead to an autoimmune response, which could in part explain the negative side effects of implants,” says Pruijn.
“Caution is advised with drawing conclusions based on these findings because we used cultured cells in our research, not specific human cells such as brain cells or muscle cells. Further research is required to get more clarity”, he warned.
The first Professor of Medicine in Nigeria, Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe has died at the age of 87, after a brief illness. He died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
He studied and taught at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including the University of London, Balliol College, University of Oxford England and Harvard Medical School Boston, United States of America.
The late Medical Director of Ibadan Hypertension Clinic was a famous nephrologist and hypertension expert at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Taking special interest in hypertension and kidney diseases, he had made tremendous contributions in these areas.
Professor Akinkugbe served as Pro-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt; was a former Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria; a former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin; and a former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
Before hanging the stethoscope, Akinkugbe practised medicine for 60 years. During the period, he pioneered the establishment of two critical clinics, one in hypertension and the other in renal disorders at the UCH, Ibadan. Both clinics were firsts in Africa.
After retirement, Akinkugbe established his own clinic, the Ibadan Hypertension Clinic, which he managed for 20 years.
He was a recipient of the National Honour of Cote De Voire. Within Nigeria, Professor Akinkugbe was Foundation Chairman Joint Admission and Matriculation Board [JAMB]; Principal and Foundation Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin; Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; Chairman Planning Committee, Ondo State University; Chairman Planning Committee, University of Abuja; Chairman of the Presidential Projects Implementation Committee (PPIC) on the refurbishing of Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Port Harcourt.
To each appointment, he has brought a very high degree of knowledge, skill, thoroughness, dedication and above all integrity and transparency. He is married with two sons.
Pharm. Abiodun Ajibade is the managing director, Alvid Pharmacy Limited, and chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State Branch. A Fellow of the PSN, Ajibade has served the PSN, Oyo State as the assistant secretary, publicity secretary, general secretary as well as being chairman since 2017. In this exclusive interview with Pharmanews, the 1994/95 pharmacy graduate of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, speaks on sundry issues relating to pharmacy practice in Oyo State. Excerpts:
Tell us about your Pharmacy. What was the philosophy behind the enterprise?
Alvid Pharmacy Limited is an organisation born out of the need to provide primary healthcare services in the communities we are found. The philosophy of meeting the needs of the populace professionally by presenting the benefits of pharmaceutical care services was the driving force.
Our ambience and mode of operations depict a close relationship with our patients and offers the opportunity for many to choose our services when they have health needs. The pharmacy commenced its operation fully in 2014. We have three branches presently and we are still expanding.
Where do you hope to take this business to in five years?
As a pharmacist battling survival in the midst of chaotic drug distribution in Nigeria, it is challenging to optimise on our potentials but with focus we are seeing the benefits on the horizon. In the next five years, I see our brands in many localities within and outside the state, with the singular focus of a well-run primary healthcare centre as pharmacies in the communities.
As a community pharmacist of repute and as the number one pharmacist in Oyo State, how would you assess pharmacy practice in the state?
Honestly, when I first came to Oyo State in 1997, I was not encouraged with what I met on the ground as a community pharmacist. I saw many big houses that were the premises of our elderly colleagues but no longer thriving as pharmacies. The open drug market in the state was flourishing while pharmacists were basically struggling.
The whole environment was not encouraging as price war was also very rife, with non-pharmacists running premises. They were basically trading without useful pharmaceutical care services and dealing heavy blows on our colleagues who had become peasants.
Most pharmaceutical companies were also not helpful as they were giving incentives based on volume purchase to some of the traders who in turn sold mostly below the recommended trade prices of the products. That was how many pharmacists lost out because they could not carry heavy volume. This was the reason I did not venture into community pharmacy practice immediately after leaving my job at May and Baker.
To cut the story short, community pharmacy in Oyo State is now more encouraging, though more challenging, having to put in so much for the needed differentiation. In the last three years, I have been specifically happy for the new buildings and facilities built by colleagues in advancing their practices in different areas. The recognition and visibility of pharmacists in the state has also helped the populace to make useful choices for pharmacists-own community pharmacies.
However, the activities of “register and go” pharmacists is also a challenge that we must tackle because of their illegal activities in opening up premises that are not effectively manned, thereby endangering the lives of the populace.
It can be tough combining community pharmacy practice with active involvement in general pharmacy activities, especially being the number one pharmacist in the state. How have you been coping?
Being an office holder in PSN or any of its technical groups is a big sacrifice and most frustrating when colleagues are not appreciative of this. As the number one pharmacist in the state, I had to make up my mind to see my tenure as my personal and family’s contributions to the development of PSN in Oyo State.
I took certain decisions that affected my business and still put me in a disadvantaged position competing and surviving with other colleagues. I had to step down one of my premises at a time when I saw that it could become a failure if I should venture into opening the premises.
Fortunately, though, I had been a part of the executive committee for couple of years and that had exposed me to the requirement of the office and learning from our past leaders. I want to thank my wife and pharmacists that have worked and are working with me and the staff who remained despite various challenges.
Of course, I work at a much higher energy-level, multitasking and ensuring I meet up the daily demand of all my engagements in private business and running the affairs of the association. In addition, as a pastor, I also have to be responsible for my assignment in the house of God. Diligence and commitment, with prayers, have been the tonic for the activities so far.
You must have set some goals for yourself at the inception of this administration. How many of these goals have you achieved so far and what are the notable challenges facing your administration?
Yes, on the assumption of office as the PSN chairman, I realised the very low recognition for pharmacists in the society and within the government circle. Also, I saw that our colleagues needed a voice to be able to take what belongs to us. I found the need for improvement, especially in areas we were not trained in school, to be more competitive in our daily engagement. In view of these, I aligned the executive to address these challenges through programmes and activities.
We also have various public enlightenment programmes on several media platforms of radio, television and social media. We hosted “Pharmacists and You” on a radio station, to improve awareness for pharmacists and campaign against drug abuse. We engaged in various outreach programmes, especially educating the members of the National Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on the menace of misuse and abuse of drugs. We organised pharmacy weeks, specifically to discuss areas of improvement for the practice and contribution to the development of the state.
Over the years we have had active collaboration with various government agencies, ministries and departments and these efforts have been paying off, as we are no longer strangers to many of them. We get things done easily among the government officials.
On assumption of duty as chairman, I inherited a parcel of land from my immediate predecessor in whose administration I was the general secretary. The land was to be used as the permanent site for the PSN Oyo State. Although I was privy to all the purchase procedures, it was challenging getting the property fully registered because of the bureaucracy. We spent almost three years getting this sorted.
To the glory of God, in January this year, all documentation were completed and now construction work has fully commenced. As at today, the building is being taken to the first floor, once the decking slab is put in place; and very soon the property will be commissioned for the use of the society.
One major challenge I have seen in all our activities is that our members are always not available even at our own programmes. This is one thing that pharmacists would need to improve upon as we must give out time to salvage whatever we want the profession to become for us. You get discouraged that after toiling and killing yourself to improve on the affairs of the society without being on salary, and you don’t see your colleagues around. In fact, sometimes, when many visitors and guests are already seated, we will be waiting for the pharmacists themselves who are the host.
The health sector for years has had to contend with many problems, with medical workers going on strike incessantly to protest at various times, are there measures that can be taken to solve health sector problems without strike actions by health practitioners?
To be candid, our leadership in Nigeria has not been fair to the health sector. When you compare the level of healthcare delivery in Nigeria with other climes, you will appreciate that as a nation, we are lying to ourselves. Every year, healthcare practitioners seek greener pastures outside the country and become celebrities in foreign lands while their colleagues are wasting away here.
The annual budget for healthcare is too meagre, which is why there has been incessant cry for government attention. Although many of the strikes have been based on remuneration, there is need to improve on the facilities, open up areas for advance research and development, and encourage every healthcare practitioner to attain the zenith in the areas of professional calling. Government must obviously show commitment to improving the healthcare sector – the weakness of which is what we are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.
To effectively stop incessant strikes in the healthcare industry, there must be a roadmap for advancement in our health sector that takes cognisance of the public and private practitioners meeting specific goals. The healthcare being a social service, must cater for all the players so that everyone is able to contribute his or her quota sufficiently in the sector.
The private sector should be strengthened and regulated so that the pressure on the government facilities will be reduced, thereby making healthcare services more accessible at the grassroots.
There must be a new approach to remuneration of the practitioners and this must be agreed to by all the players in the industry. There must be regular updates and amendments from time to time to reflect realities on the ground. This way, there would be confidence on the part of the practitioners regarding government’s sincerity over their plight.
Lady Joan Atueyi, wife of the founder and Managing Director of Pharmanews Limited, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, has revealed that she actively supported and contributed to the starting of the Pharmanews journal because she was fully convinced that the publication would succeed and achieve its purpose.
Lady Atueyi, who spoke recently in an exclusive interview as part of activities to mark the 41st anniversary of the uninterrupted publishing of the journal, said her confidence in the prospects of Pharmanews was based on the fact that the vision had divine backing, as well as the understanding that her husband had always been hardworking, determined and purpose-driven.
Regarding the decision of Sir Atueyi to quit paid employment to start Pharmanews, Lady Atueyi, a retired nurse who had obtained her training and qualification at the prestigious School of Nursing, Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital, Ogidi, in present-day Anambra State, stated: “I took it in good faith knowing that he was no longer enjoying his job in a pharmaceutical company. The attitude of his boss made him uncomfortable and he lost interest in working with him. And when he shared with me at the end of 1978 the idea of starting Pharmanews, I saw his passion and encouraged him.”
Asked how she and the Pharmanews publisher met and got married, Lady Atueyi beamed with smiles of beautiful nostalgia, as she recalled: “In 1967 we met at the International Red Cross Hospital, Achi (in the present Enugu State), where I was posted to work as a nurse and he was there as a pharmacist. I was so occupied with my work that I was not thinking of a relationship. But something happened one day. I sent the attendant to get the drugs I placed order from the pharmacy and the pharmacist (Mr Atueyi) asked him to tell me to come personally. I was upset and sent the attendant back to get the drugs. He came back and reported that he said that I must come myself to collect the drugs.
“I became infuriated the more because I needed to serve the patients their medications. But I had no choice but to go myself and I was prepared for a quarrel. When I got there, I saw the bearded pharmacist laughing. I ignored him and went straight to the Chief Pharmacist, Mike Odumodu, to complain of the treatment. Even Pharm. Odumodu appeared to be enjoying the whole incident. Anyway, he handed over the drugs to me. From that day, I tagged the bearded pharmacist a mischievous person.”
Unknown to Lady Joan, who was 24 years old then, having been born to the family of Mr Amos and Mrs Justina Jewe from Mbaise on 27 September, 1943, that seemingly unpleasant first encounter with Sir Atueyi was a strategy he had adopted to get her to notice him, after having admired her qualities for a while. According to her, it wasn’t long after that the two of them started to get close.
“Shortly after that, I was recalled to Iyi-Enu Hospital which had been relocated to Okija Grammar School in Okija. I did not know that Okija was the home town of Pharm. Atueyi. One day, I was very surprised to see him looking for me in the hospital. That was the beginning of a serious relationship between us. He paid me continuous visits and introduced me to his family.
“After a while, I was sent to Gabon to take care of Biafran kwashiorkor children there. I spent one year in pain for missing the love being developed. However, we had solace with regular mails which we were not sure were getting to their destinations.
I was very delighted when I was told that I had completed my tenure in Gabon and would be returning to Nigeria.”
The septuagenarian nurse added that, following her return to Nigeria, the relationship got much more serious as they began to make preparations for their wedding, which eventually happened on 30 May 1970, after the traditional aspect had been done earlier.
“Incidentally, on 30 May, this year, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary,” she cooed.
Speaking on the success of Pharmanews over the years, Lady Atueyi, expressed gratitude to God, stating that it has taken the consistent commitment of the publisher, as well as the support of all around him, including herself, to achieve the feat. “He always asks for my ideas in any decision he wants to take. I am his confidant and encourager. We have always worked together,” she said.
When asked about her best moment as a co-manager of Pharmanews, she revealed that it was in 2019, when the company celebrated 40 years of uninterrupted publication, adding that the recognitions and goodwill from various well-wishers made the ceremony an unforgettable experience for her.
“It was a very grand occasion and I was embarrassed by the goodwill and love of people from all walks of life – pharmaceutical, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, our St. Jude’s Church, DMGS Old Boys Association, OAU Alumni, Okija people and so on. It was an unforgettable event,” she said.
Lady Atueyi also recalled her worst moment: “My worst period was when pharmaceutical industry was seriously affected by fake and counterfeit medicines in the nineties. Some foreign companies mainly American and British ones relocated from the country. Some local ones closed down while the surviving ones were just managing. The effect on Pharmanews was disastrous. Adverts in Pharmanews vanished and our income was drastically affected. It was difficult for us to meet our obligations.”
She, however, expressed joy that the company was able to surmount the difficult time, as well as other challenges over the years, and has become better, stronger and making greater impacts in Nigeria and beyond.
Indicate the side effect of Theophylline:
a) Bradycardia
b) Increased myocardial demands for oxygen
c) Depression of respiratory centre
d) Elevation of the arterial blood pressure
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 573 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 420 to 424.
With the 573 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 16658 cases, 5349 recoveries, and 424 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 15th June 2020, there are 16658 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
573 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 573 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:
Lagos-216
Rivers-103
Oyo-68
Edo-40
Kano-21
Gombe-20
FCT-17
Delta-13
Plateau-12
Bauchi-12
Niger-10
Kebbi-9
Ogun-8
Ondo-8
Abia-7
Nasarawa-5
Borno-1
Kwara-1
Benue-1
Anambra-1
In the last edition, I discussed a novel concept in crisis manangement, which I called the C.A.M.P Strategy. This comprises:
C: Calm down
A: Ask questions from relevant authorities
M: Motivate yourself to do the needful
P: Phone a friend, family, reach out to others.
I came up with this tool first as a contribution of my own quota in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic which the entire globe is faced with, knowing full well that one ripple effect of the pandemic is susceptibility to mental health issues. Actually, no one is entirely immune to this except there is a deliberate attempt to become conscious and cautious of what emotions you allow and how best to manage yourself at a time like this. This, perhaps is top on the list of your priorities. If you must save the economy, then you must pay keen attention to saving lives.
Again, as much as we all need to support the government at this time, to say the least, it is important for all tiers of government to project the right voice in tandem with their body language, otherwise so much will be done but little achieved because the government is not coming across as trustworthy. In any relationship, trust is germane to its longevity.
My focus in this edition is targeted at all who have been home for weeks now and facings depletion of funds in their account, so much that there is some kind of panic about the future. Or maybe your own case is that your account balance is seriously on “red” and there is so much panic within you, not just because of how you will fend for yourself but also because you have the responsibility of taking care of other dependants; For example, family both nuclear and extended, friends, etc.
At this juncture, I would like to introduce to you, for the first time in any publication whatsoever, the F-12 theory in crisis management. The theory states that “What you know and what you need to know will save you from the heat of a serious crisis”. In order words, after a major crisis, especially a global kind, there are things that will no longer be relevant as they used to. There will be a major shift in the way we were doing things before now. Everyone needs to be well positioned.
Let me say however that one thing which cannot help anyone at this time, even if it has in anyway helped before, is laziness. You need to be more strategic in the way you do things going forward and part of that is by ensuring that you do all to gain access to quality information that is relevant to the current trends. Therefore, an appreciation of the cardinal pillars of the F-12 Theory in crisis management is key, based on my recommendation, and they are as follows:
Facts: If it has to do with crisis, there will always be statements that are fact-based and those that are not. To get facts, there is need for one to stay glued to authentic media sources, especially the ones that are government-owned. That kind of authoritative back up is important to clarify doubts. This is not only safe but also ideal.
Fiction: If you have noticed, there are some people who have made it a point of duty to peddle rumours or fabricate conspiracy theories. My advice is that you dissociate yourself from such emotionally draining venture. The truth shall eventually be exhumed someday, its just a matter of time.
Fright: Naturally, some people are bound to panic over every kind of change initiated by the government ,once it affects their lifestyle in any little way. No matter how much you worry about crisis, you wont solve it that way. You still have to calm down; no need for getting anxious.
Fury:There is a tendency for anyone to get furious, except he or she is self-aware enough to manage his or her emotions adequately within rational boundaries. The challenge here is, are you going to be found on the side of fury or not? The choice obviously is yours.
Fatality: There are bound to be casualties or eventualities during any crisis. The moment there is anger, there is danger. Many have died during this COVID-19 season and more people will still die. However, you have a choice to stay alive by choosing to abide by all stipulated guidelines of the relevant authorities, such as the NCDC, and the respective federal and state governments. It is better to err on the side of caution than to err on the side of action. Also, it is always wise not to be on the negative side of the law.
In the next edition, we shall be concluding discussions on the other factors in the F-12 theory. Till then, stay safe, strong and sane.
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A recent study conducted by a team of scientists from Texas A&M University, has found that not wearing a face mask increases a person’s chances of being infected by the COVID-19 virus.
The work published in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) showed that the team examined the chances of COVID-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person. From trends and mitigation procedures in China, Italy and New York City, the researchers found that using a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 times in Italy from 6 April to 9 May and by over 66,000 times in New York City from 17 April- 9 May.
The study also found that if people wear masks whenever they are in public, it is twice as effective at reducing the Coronavirus spread than if masks are only worn after symptoms appear.
“Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19,” Renyi Zhang, professor of Atmospheric Sciences in the University said.
“By analyzing the pandemic trends without face-covering using the statistical method and by projecting the trend, we calculated that over 66,000 infections were prevented by using a face mask in little over a month in New York City. We conclude that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission.
“This inexpensive practice, in conjunction with social distancing and other procedures, is the most likely opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work also highlights that sound science is essential in decision-making for the current and future public health pandemics.”
One of the paper’s co-authors, Mario Molina, is a professor at the University of California-San Diego and a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in understanding the threat to the Earth’s ozone layer of man-made halocarbon gases.
“Our study establishes very clearly that using a face mask is not only useful to prevent infected coughing droplets from reaching uninfected persons, but is also crucial for these uninfected persons to avoid breathing the minute atmospheric particles (aerosols) that infected people emit when talking and that can remain in the atmosphere tens of minutes and can travel tens of feet,” Molina said.
Zhang said that many people in China have worn face masks for years, mainly because of the bad air quality of the country.
“So people there are sort of used to this,” he said. “Mandated face-covering helped China in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Zhang said the results should send a clear message to people worldwide—wearing a face mask is essential in fighting the virus.
“Our work suggests that the failure in containing the propagation of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide is largely attributed to the unrecognized importance of airborne virus transmission,” he said.
“Social-distancing and washing our hands must continue, but that’s not sufficient enough protection. Wearing a face mask as well as practicing good hand hygiene and social distancing will greatly reduce the chances of anyone contracting the COVID-19 virus”, he maintained.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has expressed total rejection of the newly installed Chairman of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, in the person of Prof. A. T Mora, following several allegations levied against him by the leadership of the Society.
The Society took the decision after receiving notice of the inauguration ceremony of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria with its chairman as Mora, from the Federal Ministry of Health, FMoH, on Saturday 13 June 2020, prior to the inauguration on Monday 15 June 2020.
Officially establishing the Council and swearing in the Chairman, Prof. Mora on Monday, through a ZOOM conferencing, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire charged the chairman of the Council to bring all stakeholders on board in the newly formed Council, while he ensures that no arm of the Society is left out.
PCN Governing Council Inauguration Ceremony
Ehanire noted that the Council inauguration should have be done since 2019, but due to various issues well known to all stakeholders in the Society, the occasion was kept until the inauguration today.
He said: “The FMoH recognised that the PCN Governing Council should have been inaugurated long ago in 2019, but due to reasons known to all of us, it was kept on hold until today. Leadership cannot be achieved in a state of disharmony and rancour. I hereby urge the Council under the chairmanship of Prof. Mora to work with all stakeholders for the resolution of all conflicts in the Society.
“You have the responsibility to recreate a new Pharmacy family, as the chairman of the Council, the ball is in your court to bring all members together without any faction in the family”, Ehanire said.
PSN orders pharmacists to boycott PCN inauguration ceremony
Responding to the invitation to participate in the inauguration of the PCN Governor Council as scheduled for Monday, the Society, in a statement signed by the PSN National Secretary, Pharm. Emeka Duru, expressed her grievances with the development, saying Mora has no good records with the PSN, thus said the Society will not participate and also urged all pharmacists to boycott the meeting in line with Council and AGM resolutions.
The statement reads in part:” This is in complete disregard and disrespect to the position of the leadership of PSN on the matter. There was no recent discussion or communication with the leadership of PSN, nor did A.T. Mora take any of the steps recommended to him by the Minister of State for Health before the Minister of Health took the decision.
“This is therefore to inform all pharmacists that the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria at different meetings with the Minister of Health made its principled position known about their choice of A.T. Mora as Chairman of PCN Council – to wit that A.T. Mora is not in good books of PSN, having been de-fellowed and put on PSN roll of dishonour.
“We state that he does not have the right moral standing to chair a council that regulates a Society he is not a member and which he holds in utmost contempt. The PSN will not participate in the inauguration on Monday and all members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria are advised not to attend or participate in line with Council and AGM resolutions”, the Society maintained.
PSN rejects Mora as PCN chairman, writes an open letter to Buhari
In an open letter written to President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) on the development, titled:” Rejection of A. T. Mora as chairman Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN)”, the Society highlighted various allegations against Mora, why he should not be made the PCN Chairman.
The open letter, which has the signatures of the PSN President, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa, and eight former presidents of the Society, stated that the PCN Act was originally crafted as Decree 91 of 1992 which has now metamorphosed into Cap P.17 LFN 2004. Section 1(1) (d) of the enabling Act gives the PCN a specific approbation in law to regulate and control Pharmacy Practice in all its aspects and ramifications in Nigeria. The three major thrusts of the Council revolve around Practice (Section 1(1) (d)), Education and Training (Section 1(1) (a)) and Disciplinary Matters (Section 17 (1-6)).
Some of the allegations levied against him by the Society are: “Unauthorised alteration of portions of the PCN ACT in PCN’S compilation of pharmacy, drug & related laws and rules in Nigeria in 2009; Mora’s role in changing the names of PSN’S statutory nominations to the PCN Council in 2009 and his subsequent efforts to cover up many controversies surrounding his career pathway”, among others.
The Society therefore maintained that the FMoH should suspend or cancel the inauguration while they consider other candidates for the position. :“In the interim, we strongly enjoin the FG to indefinitely suspend or cancel the inauguration of the PCN Governing Council with Pharm. A. T. Mora as Chairman for the reasons earlier stated.
“We believe that whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. The Buhari Administration is believed to promote integrity and courage over comfort and sentiments.
“We therefore, in unequivocal terms, demand that Pharm. A. T. Mora should not be inaugurated as Chairman, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH)”.
A.T Mora’s post-inaugural speech
Meanwhile, the newly installed PCN Chairman, A.T Mora has showed his gratitude to almighty God for making him witness the occasion, while pledging to cooperate with all members of the Council for the success of his tenure.
Acknowledging that the Council consist of 37 Directors of Pharmaceutical Services and Deans of Pharmacy Faculties, Mora said PCN has never witnessed challenges more than the ones experience this time, while he was optimistic of resolving all issues with the cooperation of all members of the governing council.
A lot of medical practitioners usually risk transmitting respiratory viruses to patients and co-workers by attending to patients even after knowing they have the symptoms, a recent study published in the journal infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology has found.
The study stated that 95 per cent of people working in healthcare settings have worked while sick, most often because the symptoms were mild or illness started during their workday.
Common viral respiratory diseases (CVRD) are illnesses caused by a variety of viruses that have similar traits and affect the upper respiratory tract. Example of CVRD include fever and one or more cold symptoms such as chills, headache, body ache, weakness, and loss of appetite.
The viruses are spread directly by droplets coughed or sneezed into the air which are then inhaled, or indirectly by contaminated hands, handkerchiefs, toys, etc. which come in contact with the nose or eyes.
Brenda Coleman, PhD, clinical scientist in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and lead author of the study explained that “We found that physicians and people working in areas that required the most intensive contact with patients were less likely than other workers to stay home or to leave work if symptoms progressed after the start of the day”.
Coleman added that managers and senior staff need to both model and insist on workers staying home when symptomatic as it protects both patients and co-workers from infections.
Findings from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that healthcare workers with fever and respiratory symptoms consider temporary reassignment or exclusion from work for while symptomatic, but working with symptoms of an acute respiratory viral illnesses is common, with as many as 92 per cent of healthcare workers reporting to work while symptomatic.
According to the findings from the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the researchers conducted a four-season prospective cohort study of influenza and other respiratory illnesses in nine Canadian hospitals in Toronto, Hamilton, and Halifax.
Medical practitioners in acute care hospitals who worked more than 20 hours a week were asked to complete daily online illness diaries whenever they developed symptoms.
Illness diaries collected information about symptoms, possible exposure, and attendance at work, reason for work or absence, and medical consultations.
A total of 10,156 illness diaries were completed by 2,728 participants. Diaries of participants that were not scheduled to work were excluded, leaving 5,281 remaining diaries for analysis.
Analysis of the diaries found that 69 per cent of participants said that they worked during an illness because they had mild symptoms and felt well enough to work, 11 percent said they had things to do at work, 8 percent felt obligated to work, and 3 percent stated that they could not afford to stay home.
Half of the participants reported episodes of acute respiratory viral illness during each influenza season, with 95 percent of those who reported an acute respiratory viral illness working one or more days of their illness. Seventy-nine percent said they were entitled to paid sick leave.
These findings suggested the need to educate healthcare workers, managers, workplace health and safety and infection control staff, and administrators about the risk of transmission associated with respiratory viral infection, to clarify what symptoms require exclusion from work, and to develop and implement policies for working while symptomatic, Coleman said.
“Though the study was conducted in Canada, researchers believe the results also apply to most countries in the world, since most hospitals follow similar recommendations to prevent the spread of disease, including standard, droplet and contact precautions as well as vaccination requirements”. Coleman said.
Indicate the side effect of Theophylline:
a) Bradycardia
b) Increased myocardial demands for oxygen
c) Depression of respiratory centre
d) Elevation of the arterial blood pressure
The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, NARD, has said no going back on the planned nationwide strike of the association, which commences Monday, as government failed to meet its 14-day ultimatum.
NARD insisted on the take-off of the industrial action today after its National Executive Council discussed on the issue for six hours without any headway on Sunday.
However, after much consideration, the President of NARD, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, said NEC has exempted doctors managing COVID-19 at the various isolation and treatment centres in Nigeria from the industrial action.
Sokomba attributed the exemption of members at isolation centres to the intervention of well- meaning Nigerians and that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajamila on the issue.
The association had in a circular last week said the association found it necessary to take “the painful decision” following the inability of the government to meet its demands.
Sokomba said: “Consequent upon the 14-day ultimatum duly served the Federal Government for indefinite strike action, in accordance with the resolution of the Ordinary General Meeting of the Association on the 29th of May 2020, we hereby notify you that all resident doctors, medical officers below the rank of Principal Medical Officer (PMO) and House Officers across all the Federal and State hospitals in Nigeria, shall be embarking on a total and indefinite strike action effective 12:01am on 15 Monday June 2020.
“It is important that you make alternative arrangements for the care of the patients as the strike shall be total and indefinite. No service of any kind, be it emergency, care at COVID-19 isolation and treatment centres shall be exempted. We sympathize with the patients and Nigerian populace.
“For purpose of clarity, the demands on which the ultimatum was predicated include the following; Provision of grossly inadequate appropriate Personal Protective Equipment for all healthcare workers, Immediate reversal of the illegal disengagement of all 26 resident doctors in Jos University Teaching Hospital, and the payment of all salaries owed them, in keeping with provisions of the Medical Residency Training Act.
“Universal Implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act in all federal and state hospitals and ensuring pay parity among doctors of equal cadre.
“Immediate implementation of the revised hazard allowance and payment of the COVID-19 inducement allowance as agreed with by the Federal Government and healthcare workers three months ago.
“Provision of funding for Medical Residency Training in the 2021 Appropriation bill. Payment of all arrears owed our members in federal and states tertiary health institutions, arising from the consequential adjustment of the National minimum wage.
“Stoppage and immediate refund of all illegal, unjust and callous cut in salaries of our members by Kaduna State and other state governments.”
Nigeria has recorded new 403 cases of COVID-19, making a total of 16085 cases since the outbreak of the infection in the country.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC statistics as released at 11:53 PM on 14 June 2020, revealed that the no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
The agency said it recorded 13 deaths on Sunday, making total fatality from the infection 420 in the country, while a total 5220 patients have fully recovered and discharged.
While the new record of 403 cases for Sunday was relatively lower than the figures recorded for the two previous days of Friday and Saturday, which were 681 and 627 respectively, the agency said there may be more cases in the coming days.
The NCDC however noted that no new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.
Of the 403 new cases reported, Gombe took the lead with 73 cases, followed by Lagos with 68 cases, then Kano 46, Edo 36, and others.
According to its daily update on its Twitter handle, the agency said: “On the 14th of June 2020, 403 new confirmed cases and 13 deaths were recorded in Nigeria.
“The 403 new cases are reported from 20 states- Gombe(73), Lagos(68), Kano(46), Edo(36), FCT(35), Nasarawa(31), Kaduna(17), Oyo(16), Abia(15), Delta(13), Borno(13), Plateau(8), Niger(7), Rivers(7), Enugu(6), Ogun(6), Kebbi(3), Ondo(1), Anambra(1), Imo(1).
“Till date, 16085 cases have been confirmed, 5220 cases have been discharged and 420 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory”.
– As Drugfield partners Tiptop on Reptogel distribution
The duo of the Group Managing Director, Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Limited, Pharm. Olakunle Ekundayo, and the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Consultant, TipTop Nigeria Limited, Pharm. Gbenga Falabi, have expressed concern over the rising cases of malaria infection in the country, saying despite efforts made so far by stakeholders in combating the disease, Nigeria ranks among countries with the highest burden of the disease, as well as accounting for almost 24 per cent of all global morbidities.
The concern was raised during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Drugfield, a market leader in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry and TipTop, a new management and marketing consulting firm, towards the distribution of Drugfield’s Reptogel mosquito and insect repellent gel in the country.
Speaking at the official partnership signing ceremony, which held recently at Drugfield’s head office in Ota, Ogun State, Ekundayo remarked that, with the right strategies and pharmaceutical intervention, malaria is both preventable and treatable.
The Drugfield boss further explained that the signing of the MOU was one of such strategies, noting that the gesture represented a symbiotic and mutual relationship aimed at putting the patient first.
He disclosed that, through the new partnership, more people in the country would easily have access to Reptogel mosquito and insect repellent gel anywhere in the country.
In his words: “Drugfield is a wholly Nigerian company and same goes for TipTop. So if we team up and make a success, then it’s better for us, rather than looking for an outsider when we have our own around us. We also know that TipTop is a reliable company because its chief executive director, Pharm. Gbenga Falabi, is a seasoned marketer and he has been successful with so many products in the past. So we are hopeful that this won’t be an exception.”
Also speaking at the event, Falabi, revealed that his relationship with Drugfield had been on for years, adding that the birth of TipTop, about two years ago, was a significant milestone, as it happened shortly after he left Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited in 2018.
According to Falabi, who was the former general manager of Greenlife and past national chairman, Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), Drugfield is a reputable pharmaceutical company with a vision to eradicate diseases in the country and beyond, adding that, with the objective of TipTop being to help keep companies alive and well, he was optimistic that the partnership would help save more lives from the scourge of malaria.
According to the former NAIP boss, the burden of malaria in the country is quite worrisome, stressing that, out of the about 480,000 deaths that occur yearly in Africa from the disease, 60 per cent come from Nigeria.
He added that Drugfield had taken a great step with the production of Reptogel, saying that it will help curb the spread of malaria, as the disease continues to pose a major challenge to the country by impeding human and infrastructural development.
Speaking further on Reptogel, Falabi, a renowned pharmacist said the product is formulated to protect Nigerians from mosquitoes by creating a “no mosquito zone” for its users, adding that with each application, a consumer could enjoy up to eight hours protection which he said was not possible with other mosquito gels in the market.
“Reptogel is going to be marketed as a fast-moving consumable product, which insecticides fall into. It is safe on the skin; it doesn’t cause sweat or give a foul smell. We are recommending that, anything that keeps anybody outside late or early evening, they need Reptogel; and that is why the company has come up with a 25-gramm pack that can easily fit into people’s pockets while ladies can keep it in their purse and bags.
“The message is that when people are going for a vigil, they should use Reptogel. Children in hostels, those in schools or anybody that stays late in the evening when mosquitoes are active needs the product,” he said.
Falabi further revealed that the new mosquito repellent gel is quite affordable, adding Drugfield is planning to come up with an 85-gram pack, specially for the family.
Anti-D immunoglobulin:
A ❏ is available as oral tablets
B ❏ is a vaccination for tetanus
C ❏ should be administered preferably within 72 h of a
sensitising episode
D ❏ is intended to protect the mother from haemolytic disease
E ❏ cannot be used for prophylaxis
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 501 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 399 to 407.
With the 509 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 15682 cases, 5101 recoveries, and 407 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 13th June 2020, there are 15682 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
501 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 501 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:
Lagos-195
FCT-50
Kano-42
Kaduna-27
Edo-26
Oyo-22
Imo-21
Gombe-17
Benue-12
Enugu-12
Delta-11
Anambra-11
Ebonyi-10
Nasarawa-9
Ogun-9
Bauchi-8
Kebbi-4
Akwa Ibom-3
Jigawa-3
Katsina-3
Yobe-2
Borno-2
Kwara-1
Ondo-1
It is an understatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken over our lives completely. It is the first incident, in recent histor, that will affect the world evenly without sparing anyone. There is nothing that the United Nation’s Security Council can do about it. There is no veto power, and before the almighty COVID-19, everyone is equal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is no longer the health matter wizard that we used to know. The super organisation has no answer to the COVID-19 question till date; rather, it has its existence threatened by the handling so far.
The numbers keep on increasing. From the lowly figure of one case by 8 January, 2020, it skyrocketed to 9,847 cases by 31 January and by 24 May, the world had a burden of 5,204,508 cases and 337,687 deaths. In the United States where COVID-19 was not an issue as at the same January, over 1,622,114 cases have been reported, with over 97,049 deaths. Virtually, all countries in Europe and Asia have also witnessed a geometric rise in cases and deaths since the beginning of the year.
In Nigeria, the first incident case was reported on 20 February and the nation went on lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory on 30 March, as a precautionary step to contain the spread. Since then, the numbers have ballooned from that first incident case to 10162 cases, with 3007 discharged and 287 dead as at 1 June.
Backlash and relaxation
The lockdown was a strange order to Nigerians, and it was exceedingly difficult to obey. People whose lives depended on their daily activities could not cope. There was a cry of hunger in the locked down states and a state of anarchy was almost becoming the order of the day. Hungry people turning into or mixing with bandits started robbing people of their possessions in broad day light. Some, like the dreaded “One Million Boys”, even got more daring by sending advance notice to their would-be victims, saying: “get ready, we are coming to rob you”.
To protect their properties, whole neighbourhoods trooped out at night wielding cudgels, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons to confront the invaders. These ugly trends must have panicked the government of President Muhammed Buhari (PMB) into ordering a relaxation of the lockdown, despite an obvious surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
It was a smart move. An immediate concern has been addressed but no one knows what the future portends. What will the government do next? Will Nigerians be more cautious now that they have been released to go to work? We suspect that the spread has gone beyond the occasional contact with returnees from Europe, America, or any of the other affected places, as there is a suspicion of community involvement. If this is the case, there is a palpable fear of what will happen next in Nigeria.
Frenzied search
Meanwhile, there is a frenetic search for vaccine all over the world, from the profoundly serious one to the utterly mundane and unserious claims of curative medicines. Gradually, the pandemic is giving way to pandemonium and the centre, according to the late erudite Prof. Chinua Achebe, appears not to be holding any longer.
There were loud cries of dissent when it was announced that Nigeria would be accepting herbal remedy from Madagascar. The president of Madagascar became the number one official salesman for the untested and uncertified “Covid Organic” or COVO, as the herbal remedy was branded. He challenged the WHO’s authority to accept or reject the Malagasy COVID-19 formula. He was able to convince Nigeria and other African countries to adopt the concoction for treatment. Nigerians, particularly the medical community, railed against the government for ignoring similar claims in Nigeria while readily embracing that of a foreign country.
There is nothing that government has offered that could pacify the aggrieved professionals on this subject. President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, reeled out the statistics: Nigeria has 174 Universities, 20 schools of Pharmacy, other research scientific/pharmaceutical institutions compared to 6 universities and 1 or 2 schools of Pharmacy in Madagascar.
While not opposed to Nigeria receiving help from any country, Ohuabunwa insisted that Nigeria should have embraced, encouraged, and motivated the researchers in Nigeria first before rushing to join the orchestra from other climes. There was a report that the Federal government is yet to send the consignment received from Madagascar to NAFDAC for testing.
Palliatives and Brouhaha
In other parts of the world, President Donal Trump of the USA has offered money, $1 billion at the last count, to the pharmaceutical companies, with a marching order to produce vaccines before the end of the year. He called a press conference where the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies were issued the fiat to produce the vaccines and ensure that the USA takes priority above any other nation in distribution when the vaccines are available.
Such orders are unusual in a world of multilateralism, but Donald Trump is an unusual man and he has used the COVID-19 pandemic to push the frontiers of his “America First” agenda. France will not allow the Trump order to go unchallenged and its president, Emmanuel Macron, was unequivocal when he summoned Paul Hudson, the Sanofi CEO and told him that it would be “unacceptable” for any country to have priority access to COVID-19 vaccine.
Other world leaders echoed President Macron’s view by declaring that COVID-19 vaccine “should not be subject to market laws”. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who chairs the African Union, has called for a “people’s vaccine” that would act as a public good as reported by Financial Times. Other world leaders have also voiced their opinions that any vaccine for Covid-19 should be patent fee, produced at scale and produced at no cost to people everywhere. This is another utopian expectation which may not be realistic at this time when nationalism is on ascendancy. Who will pay for the research work, manufacture, and distribution of the vaccine?
Chinese Imbroglio
The COVID-19 has, once again, brought China into intense scrutiny by the world. President Donald Trump has not relented in his tirades against China as the harbinger of the pandemic. He accused China of hiding information about the origin, spread and pathogenicity of the virus. He has used every available opportunity to condemn China and has threatened to halt relationship between the two countries.
Elsewhere in the world, China’s offer of assistance to combat the pandemic is being treated with suspicion. In Nigeria, there was a public outcry against the invitation of Chinese health workers to the country. The medical doctors, under the umbrella of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), vowed not to work with the Chinese and threatened to withdraw their services if the Chinese doctors were brought to the public hospitals. To date, the whereabouts of the Chinese doctors are shrouded in secrecy and government has changed the story: the Chinese doctors are guests of a construction company, CCECC, and some of them may be technicians!
China is not taking the threat from the USA lightly and is doing everything possible to protect itself against any possible assault. There are reports that China is tightening its hold on Hong Kong and parading its military prowess to warn any ambitious nation against attack. The peace of the world is threatened by a virus!
Socio-economic dimensions
The economic impact of the pandemic has been indescribable. The aviation industry worldwide is most affected, and all airlines are gasping for breath with their corporate survival severely threatened. A lot of people are trapped in different locations of the world as they could not return to their base as result of freeze in air travels.
The tourism industry is in serious trouble. Hotel rooms are empty, just as restaurants, eateries, clubs, bars, and others have lost their patrons. The hope of returning to normal business is fading. The threat of massive unemployment is real. In USA, the unemployment rate jumped from 10.3% to 14.7% in April and this was reported to be the largest over-the-month increase since 1948. At 14.7%, the rate was also reported to be the highest seen since the Great Depression. Invariably, the US economy lost a staggering 20.5 million jobs (to a virus) in April 2020.
The cost to the public purse in unemployment claim is enormous. In France, about 10 million people lost their jobs in April 2020 and this figure is about half of the entire private sector workers and the figures are similar in other countries in Europe, Asia, and Middle East with economies heading towards depression.
The social impact is equally unimaginable. The restriction in inter-state travels (and curfews in some states) in Nigeria has turned everybody into a refugee. It has been reported that people slept on the two sides of the Bridge connecting Onitsha in Anambra State and Asaba in Delta State to cover less than one kilometre. Similar incidents occurred in Lagos State when people working on the Island could not connect to the mainland where they live.
Even more worrisome is the movement of the almajiris from one state to the other. Suddenly, the governors of the northern states realised the need to address the social implications of having children roaming the streets for food in the guise of seeking Islamic education. They decided to halt the practice but, first, they agreed that the almajiris should be relocated to their states of origin and be united with their parents.
This noble intention was turned on its head when the almajiris started moving in their hundreds to the southern states. The people of the south are already crying foul and the nation’s attention has been turned to the eternal wound of ethnic cleavages which has refused to heal over the years.
Deeper realities
The lockdown in Nigeria is covering the face of the impending economic troubles for the nation. When normal activities return, many people will find out that they have no work to return to. Most workers, particularly in the private sector, have not received salary in the past three months, while others have been paid only half of their earnings.
Schools are closed for now, but they will soon resume, and school fees must be paid. Tenants will be called upon to pay their due rents and the landlords, whose lives depend on the rent, will not entertain any excuses or pleading.
The COVID-19 woe will soon enter its full cycle. The economy itself is just waiting to show its ugly face. The IMF, World Bank and other financial agencies have already predicted a negative GDP growth for Nigeria in 2020 and this means economic recession again as it was in 2016. The impact will be more that the statistics or agencies can predict. We depend so much on oil for our foreign exchange earning and since oil has, for want of a better word, collapsed, our ability to fund our imports will be severely curtailed.
The devaluation of the local currency has begun. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has moved the official calculation rate from N307 to N360 per dollar and is doing everything to prevent the free fall of naira that will follow. Imports will be restricted. There will be scarcity of essential products, including medicines. Inflation will skyrocket with higher prices of goods and services. The vulnerable population will suffer more.
All because of a virus, named COVID-19.
Lolu Ojo
Consultant Pharmacist
Lagos, Nigeria
If the COVID-19 pandemic continues for another six months, it is most likely that about 47 million women would lack access to modern contraceptives, which could lead to seven million unintended pregnancies, the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, has estimated.
The Reproductive Health Division of the Federal Ministry of Health, FMoH, also affirmed the likelihood of the development in Nigeria, as Reproductive Health and Family Planning, RH/FP services were interrupted at the tertiary, secondary and primary health facilities due to restrictions of movement to contain the spread of COVID-19, which led to commodities stock-out.
Speaking on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on response on provision of RH/FP services in Nigeria, Director/Head RH, Federal Ministry of Health, FMoH, Dr Kayode Afolabi, noted that there was an initial lack of RH and FP guidelines /protocols to be followed in offering services during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted the provision RH and FP services in most states of the federation.
Still corroborating the possibility of the UNFPA projections in the country, Afolabi revealed that there was a sharp decline in the uptake of injectables, implants and IUDs in April 2020, compared to the upward trajectory consumption in January, with significant reduction in the number of Family Planning trainings conducted in 2020 put at 16, as against the huge figure of 86 trainings done in 2019.
He said: “Consumption of key commodities which were on an upward trajectory in January 2020 are seen to have decreased significantly by April 2020, while for the period January to April, there was a 5.5 fold decrease in the number of trainings conducted and uploaded to the National FP dashboard. In 2019, over 4300 providers received in-service FP trainings compares to the 303 in 2020”.
Afolabi, who spoke during a webinar on Saturday, organised by Marie Stopes Nigeria, in collaboration with Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, admitted that there was surge in sexual activities during the COVID-19 lockdown, but the FMoH is strengthening community based family planning programme to ensure that family planning clients receive services and commodities including in humanitarian settings.
According to him:“The Family Planning Department has secured approval of the Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire to communicate to states to sustain information and services on RH and FP as essential services during COVID -19 pandemic”.
In his presentation, Country Director, Marie Stopes Nigera, MSION, Effiom N Effiom, disclosed progress path of the organisation even in the pandemic as they were able to make significant improvement in the provision of their services to clients during the period.
He disclosed how they were able to prevent 793, 601 unintended pregnancies, averted 3,968 estimated maternal deaths, prevented 279,538 estimated unsafe abortions, averted 19,781 estimated child deaths, and granted access to 772,628 persons across Nigeria to one of their FP methods through their service delivery channels.
Effiom said:”Despite the lockdown and movement restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSION continues to provide essential sexual reproductive health services, while reporting rates have remained stable, comparable between the periods”.
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