business0515

Friday 15 May 2015
30 BUSINESS DAY
HealthBusiness & Living
UI begins annual
screening for students
...as committee to investigate death of student submits interim report
NGO, others sensitise community
on hepatitis/cervical cancer
IFEOMA OKEKE
As the global agenda
tilt from development
goals to attaining
sustainability by
2030, Healthy Living &
Women Empowerment Initiative
(HELWEI), a non-governmental
and not-for-profit organisation,
in collaboration with CHI Pharmaceuticals
Ltd and Dave Star
Hospital (as lead partners) recently
made a giant stride in
its commitment towards health
awareness and economic productivity
through a community health
outreach in Lagos titled: ‘Genital
Infections and Hepatitis: Threat
to Healthy Living.’
Speaking at the three-day community
health outreach, Ebere
Okey-Onyema, executive director,
HELWEI, explained that the whole
objective of the intervention was
to have a total woman, hence, the
knowledge-sharing on Cervical
Cancer and free screening for all
interested women.
Okey-Onyema said that the
outreach, which centered on
Hepatitis and Cervical Cancer, was
not exclusive for women as other
community members including
men and children participated in
the hepatitis screening because
“it is not gender-based, it affects
everyone”. According to her,
“Hepatitis affects vital organs in
the body, including men’s sexual
health, thus it is critical to family
health and stability. Our advocacy
is centered on preventive rather
than curative measures in disease
control.”
On the impact of the intervention
in the community, Okey-
Onyema said it’s been worthwhile.
“In 2014, we engaged communities
through our ‘Save a Woman,
Save a Generation Campaign’
with focus on family planning,
pre-natal and nutrition. Participants
were advised to give birth to
children they can train and cater
for as this would help to reduce
poverty and health-related challenges
in the society. She further
stated that this very intervention
is meant to create awareness on
the ‘Silent Killer’ diseases; ‘Hepatitis
and Cervical Cancer’ with its
roots in genital infections. This is
why the planning of the outreach
integrated all stakeholders in
the health sector such as private
health providers, pharmacists,
faith-based groups, artisans and
trade groups,” she said.
Emphasising on the importance
of the outreach, David O.
Akinola, deputy director, Federal
Ministry of Health, Lagos, said:
“The programme is a communitybased
awareness health outreach
on genital infections, hepatitis and
cervical cancer with free screening
for healthy living and economic
productivity. Both genital infections
and hepatitis are threats to
healthy living and constitute risk
factors to the development of
cervical cancer.”
“These viruses are major killers
among women in developing
countries, and could lead to low
economic output of victims. He
explained that the purpose of the
health outreach is to screen women
against cervical cancer; men
and women and children against
hepatitis in order to achieve a certain
level of control of the diseases
especially as most awareness programmes
focus on HIV, malaria
with few on tuberculosis; hence,
this one is on cancer of the cervix
and hepatitis differing from others,”
Akinola further said.
Oluyemisi Laitan Babatunde,
medical officer, Dave Star Hospital,
Isheri-Oshun, Igando-Ikotun
LCDA, Alimosho, Lagos, said the
event was a community outreach
that targets men, women and
children for a better living through
health education and screening
for hepatitis and cervical cancer.
She added that Hepatitis and Cervical
Cancer were chosen as focal
points because both viruses have
minimal awareness in rural/semi
urban-communities. According to
her, “these diseases are preventable,
yet people die of them daily
because of knowledge gap.” Urging
families to cultivate the habit of
going for regular screening, she
advised participants encouraged
to put into practice the preventive
measures they were exposed to
during the intervention.
The event drew participants
from stakeholders in the Federal
Ministry of Health, private medical
providers, health workers, faithbased
groups, members of Lagos
Patent Medicine Dealers Association,
Nigeria Medicine Patent Association,
trade groups, artisans,
civil society organisations, among
others. It was sponsored by Viju
Milk industries, Leventis Foods,
Lacasera, CWAY Foods, Pardee
Biscuit, Fruittal Juice, Super Engineering
Ltd., Tropical Naturals
(Dudu Osun), Niger Biscuit, Axian
Industry Technology and Johnson
Wax.
REMI FEYISIPO, IBADAN
The management of the
University of Ibadan
has concluded plans to
conduct a yearly medical
screening for students of the
institution to ascertain their
health status.
This followed the death of
Mayowa Alaran, a 200 level
student in the Human Kinetics
Education Department who
slumped while watching Barcelona
and Bayern Munich match
last week.
Alaran was rushed to the
Jaja clinic and was alleged not
to have been attended to by the
staff in the clinic.
Addressing journalists, Vice-
Chancellor of the university,
Isaac Adewole, a Professor,
while stating the position of
the university over the death
of the student said the entire
university was in shock over the
unfortunate incident.
Adewole noted that the annual
screening was in continuation
of a similar one introduced
for staff of the institution four
years ago.
The VC however noted that
in order to prevent future occurrences
in the university, has
intensified efforts in reforming
the health services in the institution.
According to him, “we are
aware as management the feelings
of our students, perception
is very important and we will
continue to decentralize the
health services. I am aware that
some are doing part service, you
cannot be in Jaja Clinic and be
doing part-time service, we are
also going to inject new staff
for effective management and
proper execution of duties. “
He said the university in its
bid to provide good and qualitative
health service for both staff
and students is planning to establish
student’s health service
which will be different from the
normal health service.
Part of the reform of the
institution’s health service, he
pointed out, was to ensure that
all ambulances should be at
alert at all times and every night.
He however disclosed that
training would be provided for
students on how to handle first
aid. Adewole who was accompanied
by principal officers of
the university noted that the
university has also introduced
plans to train the students on
how to handle grief.
The VC had earlier set up a
committee headed by Deputy
Vice Chancellor (Administration)
Ambrose Ayelari to investigate
the matter.
The committee has submitted
an interim report to the VC
and seeks memorandum from
the university community.
The death of Alaran led to
protest by students of the institution
last week Thursday in
which both the academic and
non-academic activities were
paralysed.
Adewole, was said to have
addressed the students at the
Jaja clinic early in the morning
setting up a five-man committee
to harmonize the demands of
the students and assuring that
the university would investigate
the matter.