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The Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association, (ICOMAA)1982 set, has donated N40 million to support an hostel building project embarked upon by the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
Its Coordinator, Prof. Folasade Akinsola, made the symbolic cheque presentation to the college Provost, Prof. Olayinka Omigbodun, on Thursday at the 40th Lecture at the College’s Hall, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Akinsola said that the donation was to “top up” the N1 million earlier donated to the college three years ago.
She said that the ’82 set have been doing a lot of “giving-back” to the college in the last 20 to 25 years.
“About three years ago, we brought a cheque of N1 million to support the college in whatever it intended to do.
“But, the provost smiled and told us that the college just got approval to build PPP Hostel and that the N1 million we brought was a seed money toward the project.
“So, today, we are here to top up the money with N40 million, because we finished from the college 40 years ago and we decided to bring N40 million to support the project,” Akinsola said.
She said that the event was organised for the ’82 class of the medical college to celebrate their 40th anniversary of out of school, with various programmes such as reunion lecture, themed: “Medicine As a Business”.
In his remarks, as Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Dapo Ladipo, urged the ’82 class alumni to continue doing their best for humanity and their alma mater.
Ladipo, an Emeritus Professor, said he felt fulfilled to see the excellent works, both academic and clinical, that was ongoing in the college, in spite of the considerable challenges, in particular, financial constraints and frequent migration of scholars to greener pastures.
According to him, the progress and developments recorded by the college are due to huge investment in research.
“And, if our College of Medicine wish to remain relevant and competitive, I recommend to the alumni to contribute into a funding pool for research.
“Provision of adequate research fund will support faculty staff to acquire new research skills and set up laboratories where younger staff members can be groomed.
“In addition, quality teaching is the key to lifting students and resident staff quotient to attaining the institutional objective.
“Therefore, lecturers need to be motivated to embrace continuous professional development through provision of funds, use of digital technology and funding exchange programmes with internationally reputed institutions abroad,” he said.
Ladipo added that adequate funding would help to provide conducive living and learning environments that are crucial to motivate staff and enhance learning.
The professor emeritus, recalling that the college produced its first set of graduates in 1951, said it had indeed established itself “as one of the finest in the world”.
Ladipo said, “The College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has produced generations of bright scholars, physicians, outstanding technocrats as well as development of specialists.
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In his remarks, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, UCH Chief Medical Director (CMD), appreciated the class of ’82 set of the College of Medicine for their contributions to the alma mater.
Otegbayo, represented by Dr Abiodun Adeoye, acknowledged the role being played by the products of the college in healthcare delivery globally
The CMD urged them not to relent in contributing to the growth and development of the college.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event also witnessed lectures to enlighten members of ’82 set and students on how they could venture into medical business, saying, “medicine is a business on its own” .
The key speaker, Mr Kola Oni, said healthcare was a significant challenge in Nigeria “and, because it is such a challenge, it is not a problem that we can leave for only one constituency”.
According to Oni, it is a problem that doctors, government private individuals, investors and even ordinary people consuming healthcare, need to come together and solve, instead of apportioning the cost to everyone in a way that all will bear the burden.
One of the focus speakers, Dr Leke Oshuniyi, said there was need for the College to be interested in the inclusion of business practices in the training of its students.
Oshuniyi said this would reduce the stress some of its young graduates passed through immediately after graduation due to the fact that they were not earning enough.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Oyo State, Dr Wale Lasisi, has called on government to give doctors incentives to mitigate the issue of brain drain bedeviling the health sector.
Lasisi made the call in Ibadan on Tuesday at the opening of the 2022 Physicians’ Week, with the theme: “Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System and the 2023 Democratic Transition: A Time to Change the Narrative.
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He said that the problem of brain drain had been on since 1960, as many people leave the country on daily basis.
“In those days, the pattern was people training abroad and coming home to practise.
“As things degenerated over time, many people who have been exposed abroad ran back while those who have had the opportunity of training abroad also ran back when they saw the quality service there.
“UK is trying to replace its own workforce and make sure its people get the best of healthcare, thus coming down to Third World nations in Africa, including Nigeria, to recruit medical personnel.
“In the immediate future, the best that government can do is to add incentives to retain those who are on ground,” Lasisi said.
In his lecture, Vice-Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, advised those contesting for one position or the other to put the issue of healthcare in the front burner.
“We have heard several promises from 1960 till when the civilian rule started in 1999.
“So much legislation had also been made and we have heard that they wanted to develop primary healthcare but we have not seen any significant improvement.
“My advice and plea to all of them is to make sure that they put primary healthcare into focus,” Agboola said.
Dr Fola Adeniji, of University College Hospital, Ibadan, said if the brain drain trend should be allowed to continue, the country would be at the risk of having a collapsed health system.
“For every physician trained in Nigeria, government must have spent an average of N3.8 million, which is equivalent to $10,000.
“So if that individual decides to leave the country, that means the country will be losing investments in that individual,” Adeniji said.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of the event, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun, described doctors as endangered species, as many of them were leaving for other places, with the few remaining already overwhelmed with the number of patients.
Omigbodun urged the association to bring together policy makers and stakeholders to implement policies that would benefit the sector.
In his goodwill message, Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, noted that the nation’s healthcare system had suffered a lot, especially in terms of poor allocation of resources to the sector.
He, however, said this year’s budget had given the sector the highest allocation, for the first time in many decades.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Dr Goddy Nnadi, Rotary District Governor 20222023, District 9125, has appealed to stakeholders to take proactive approaches to prevent effects of global warming in Nigeria as against being reactional.
Nnadi made the appeal on Thursday in Ibadan at the inauguration of a dump-site and incinerator at Alexander Brown Hall and Ayodele Falase Postgraduate Hall, University College Hospital (UCH), donated by Rotary Jericho Metro Club, Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the project was built for the use of medical students of the University of Ibadan.
According to him, global warming is real and the impact on all of us worldwide has been seen.
Everyday right from U.
S, you see hurricane Ian and its impact in Florida and also what happened in Pakistan.
“We do not have to wait until it gets to Nigeria and we are not prepared; one, we have a huge population and secondly, we don’t have full preparation for emergency services, we have NEMA all well and good, but we must not wait till it gets to that point.
“The step taken today by Rotary Jericho Metro Club is one of the steps necessary to forestall those things so that it doesn’t occur.
“If we don’t take measures early to prevent them, like we say preparation is better than cure, it is good that we plan ahead of it.
Be proactive to do those things that are necessary,” Nnadi said.
The district governor, while appreciating members of the club, said that the project would enhance a clean environment and sanitation for medical students to help their personal hygiene, overall wellbeing and the community would be cleaner and better.
Also, Mr Oluseye Diyan, the President, Rotary Jericho Metro, Ibadan, said that the project was in line with two out of seven thematic focuses of Rotary, namely environment, treatment and prevention of diseases.
Diyan said the project was to solve the problem of illicit waste disposal and management noticed in the halls inside UCH.
“This is an academic environment, when you see exposed waste scattered all around the premises here, it doesn’t make anybody happy.
“We felt that we should do something about it and that was what birth the project.
“Also, knowing that medical students are occupying the hostel here, hence, the need to enhance a conducive and hygienic learning environment.
Waste could be properly disposed,” the president said.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, represented by Director Physical Planning and Development, Dr Sunday Adesokan, said that he was very happy to have this kind of a need assessment project, adding it had actually met the need.
“The club has done us well for giving us this project.
One thing I want to commend for is their delivery time.
This is to tell us that in Nigeria things could get better.
“At times, we do have some abandoned projects due to bureaucracy or the contractor not being competent or even this issue of due process is undue process.
But this project was delivered in one month,” he said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan and some communities in the state capital have been thrown into in total darkness due power outage.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that for the past one week, the whole communities have been without electricity supply, thereby paralysing activities in many of the government offices.
Mostly affected were offices of the state Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Ministries, Departments and parastatal Agencies within the Secretariat complex.
NAN Correspondent, who went round the affected areas on Wednesday gathered that only those offices that could afford to put on their generators were having electricity supply.
Some workers who spoke to
NAN on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk said the situation had been worrisome for some time now.
They said only those offices that were connected to the generator in the Governor’s Office were enjoying electricity supply to work, including the Ministry of Finance.
Another official said her ministry had been operating on generator, which they put on only whenever they have an important work to do or meetings.
“We learnt that there was a technical glitch, hence, the sustained power outage for days now.
“Only those connected to the Governor’s office have light, because there is a generator that supplies electricity,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), in a statement by Ibadan Region, had earlier issued a notice of power outage, stating that it would affect some communities due to a technical fault on the Agodi 33KVA Feeder.
According to the notice, customers in the following communities are experiencing power outage: New and Old Bodija, Yemetu, Awolowo Area, Mokola Area, Coca-Cola, Bashorun, Igosun Area, Oje, Iwo Road, Humuani Alaga, NTA, BCOS, Yidi Area, Salvation Army, Ekotedo, UCH, Oyo State Secretariat and Oyo State Government House.
“Our technical team is working to ensure power supply is restored.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,” the notice read.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
FEATURE: Mothers’ attitude to breastfeeding and matters arising
Mothers’ attitude to breastfeeding and matters arising
By Ibukun Emiola, News Agency of Nigeria
Conversations on breastfeeding issues have shown that many people are ignorant of the enormous benefits it has.
Adebimpe Ayoola (not the real name), a 51-year-old mother, was addressing a young mother and a spinster on how she literally forced a mother of a four months old baby to give water to the baby who was on exclusive breastfeeding.
Ayoola claimed that she did same for her own children, insisting erroneously that it ought to be the right healthy practice.
Many more Nigerians are disposed to this belief that exclusive breastfeeding should be accompanied with water or local herbal preparations but health experts’ opinions negate this belief.
The arguments of some proponents of this erroneous practice are that the baby cannot be satisfied with breast milk only, so, babies still need water with exclusive breastfeeding.
Also, the argue that babies need complementary nutrients which breast milk cannot offer among others.
Dr Olukemi Tongo, President, Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine, expresses concern about this development, observing that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the country has become so low.
She notes that for babies to get the full benefits of breast milk, mothers need to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life for all the benefits accrued from breastfeeding.
According to her, some of the benefits include the babie’s growth, good development, emotional development, immunity to fight infections.
“So that in the future they will have lower disease chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, allergies and all that; aside that the cognitive development of the baby is superb with breast milk.
“Even when they start complementary food after six months, they should continue with breastfeeding for up to two years,’’ she said.
Tongo, who is also a Consultant Paediatrician Neonatologist University College Hospital (UCH), says cost of exclusive breastfeeding is low compared to formula food.
She enjoins families at this period of economic downturn to take exclusive breastfeeding to save cost for the family.
“It will save cost in terms of what you are buying and prevent illness for the baby and the mother.
So we need everybody at this point in time to be committed to exclusive breastfeeding,’’ she states.
Tongo emphasises the need to support mothers, helping them and educating them on the value of breastfeeding.
“Not only the mothers need education but every member of the family because when they know the value of breastfeeding, they will encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively.
“There should be provision for a place where mothers can breastfeed their babies when they are on break during working hours.
“Employers need to know that they too will benefit from making the environment conducive for their workers to breastfeed,’’ the consultant advises.
Tongo, nonetheless, states that there are dangers when mothers don’t breastfeed.
“They are at the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and so on and the cost of treatment if these conditions are high, so the economic loss is enormous as well as impacts on other family members and the entire community.
“Exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent environmental degradation.
In fact, you reverse environmental degradation by breastfeeding.
“The need for the present substitute will reduce when you breastfeed.
They have to rear the kind of cows that would pollute the environment to make formula food,’’ she explains.
The neonatologist believes that exclusive breastfeeding will also help in attaining Sustainable Development Goals; poverty, hunger, food security, gender equality, health for all and that breastfeeding helps in all the areas.
“Even in terms of renewable energy because to make formulas you will have to boil water, sterilise your equipment and all that will consume electricity.
So taking to breastfeeding will save energy and cost.
“Imagine, in Nigeria we have more than seven million babies born every year, so you can imagine what we are saving in terms of boiling water for seven million babies.
“Breast milk is easy and convenient for babies and mothers and it aids bonding between baby and mother.
“Even when babies are sick breast milk is the only thing that they usually take without vomiting and that would be the only thing that would sustain them for one or two days they are down even the older one.
“When babies break down due to malaria and all that, breast-fed babies have extra immunity.
They will not have diarrhoea that will take them to the hospital with complications, they will be just fine,’’ she observes.
Also, Mrs Motunrayo Oduneye, Chief Dietitian at Dietetics Department UCH, notes that the current situation in terms of data in Oyo State on breastfeeding is a challenge.
“In Oyo State, the breastfeeding rate is not bad however, we are still battling with encouraging and improving the data of exclusive breastfeeding, that is giving to the baby breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life.
“In Nigeria the art of breastfeeding at a time was not so encouraging because many mothers see the formula food as an alternative.
“But overtime, with lots of information and knowledge shared by healthcare professionals indicating the importance of breastfeeding, mothers have adopted breastfeeding in Nigeria, which has been quite encouraging.
“Water is a major contending factor with this art of breastfeeding, that is giving water alongside breast milk.
“The composition of water in breast milk is about 75 per cent.
So there is no need for water alongside breast milk for the first six months of a baby’s life,’’ Oduneye explains.
She notes further that the challenges in the art of breastfeeding include the fact that mothers being working class either with the state or Federal Government or being entrepreneurs or self-employed could hinder exclusive breastfeeding.
“Some mothers still believe that only breast milk will not be enough for a child.
But breast milk in the first six months of life contains all the necessary nutrients in quantity and quality that a child requires at this stage of life.
“Mothers should desist from giving lame excuses but ensure that the child is well positioned for breastfeeding, but this art is taught at the antenatal clinic during pregnancy.
“Antenatal clinic should give nothing less than four lectures on breastfeeding out of the 10 times mothers attend ante-natal.
“Learning the art of breastfeeding would make it easier for mothers to breastfeed their babies,’’ Oduneye notes.
The dietitian advises that mothers must eat well while breastfeeding, warning that breastfeeding period should not be a time for mothers to think of dieting or wanting to lose weight.
“In fact, one of the importance of breastfeeding is that it helps a woman to get back into shape healthily.
The woman should eat well to enhance lactating, though the art of lactation is mostly stimulated by the reflex of suckling from the breast.
“The more the child suckles, the more the stimulation of the hormones to synthesise the production of breast milk,’’ she says.
(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Brain drain: Nigeria may import medical doctors in future —NMA
Brain drain: Nigeria may import medical The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) says the nation’s skyrocketing brain drain wave may culminate in the country resorting to hiring medical doctors to treat local patients in the future.
The NMA also warned that if urgent steps were not taken to fix the deteriorating situation, it may lead to total collapse of the health system in the country.
The Oyo State NMA Chairman, Dr. Ayotunde Fasunla, raised the alarm in Ibadan on Tuesday, at the official opening of the 2022 scientific conference, titled: ‘National Health Authority Act – The Sound Bites’.
The event has as a sub-theme: ‘Industrial Harmony in the Health Sector – A Necessity for Health Sector Growth.
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The body also called for a state of emergency in the health sector with a view to holistically addressing the menace of pull and push factors, responsible for mass migration of health personnel to Europe, America, Middle East and other African countries.
Fasunla stated further that the poor state of the government owned hospitals in the country was largely due to poor funding.
He noted that the budgetary allocation to the health sector in 2022 was approximately 4.2 per cent of the national budget.
According to him, the figure falls significantly below the recommendation of the African Union (AU) at the Abuja Declaration of a minimum of 15 per cent.
The situation, he said, was worse at the state level.
He said: “The infrastructure deficit is such that some of our hospitals spend a significant amount of their internally generated revenues on diesel to ensure power supply.
“There is scarcity of funds to apply for equipment upgrade, manpower development or even recruitment of new staff.
“Many of our hospitals are grossly under-staffed.
Even the process of replacing migrating staff is bogged down by a rigid and insensitive government bureaucracy.
“It is our plea to the government to commit more funds to the health sector so that the system does not collapse.
“Only healthy people can have the will and strength to contribute to the growth and development of a nation’s economy.
“Therefore, I call on well-meaning Nigerians, philanthropists, and non-governmental organisations to join hands with the government to improve the conditions of the health system in the nation, especially Oyo state.
It is obvious that the government cannot handle it alone.
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The Chairman, Medical Advisory Council, University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Dr. Abiodun Adeoye, stated that the brain drain in the health sector should be treated as a national emergency.
Adeleye, who represented UCH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo, stressed the importance of the power of industrial harmony in the health sector towards boosting quality and robust healthcare in Nigeria.
He urged the health sector personnel to shun all forms of rifts that had been considered to be deleterious to the healthcare system.
Also speaking, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr.Taiwo Ladipo, who represented Gov. Seyi Makinde, noted that the brain drain syndrome had become an issue that should not be treated with levity.
He stated that the state recruited about 530 medical and health personnel within the last one year, and 20 among them, including 12 consultants had left the services of the state government.
“We should look inward and ensure that the health system does not collapse,” he said
Chief Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Budo-Egba, Kwara State, Dr. Baba Issa, also supported calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in the healthcare sector.
Issa presented the keynote address of the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, on the theme of the scientific conference,
Oloriegbe stated that since inception of the health insurance scheme, a total of 7,762,034, representing 3.88 per cent of the 200 million population of Nigeria have enrolled into the scheme.
He said a lot should be done to increase the number of enrollees towards addressing the issues plaguing the country’s health sector.
Emeritus Prof. Oluwole Akande, a former Chief Medical Director, UCH, and chairman of the occasion, said that two factors were responsible for brain drain in the country.
He identified them as pull and push factors, explaining that the pull factor encompasses the incentives being used by other countries to poach the medical and health workers.
“The push factor refers to conditions of service, unfriendly environment, inadequate funding and so on that have been forcing the experts to emigrate to other countries in search of greener pastures,” Akande said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
A professor of Radiology, Abiodun Adeyinka, has urged the Federal Government and private sector to invest in ‘Interventional Radiology’ to boost modern medicine practices in Nigeria.
Adeyinka, a consultant radiologist, College of Medicine, UCH, Ibadan, made the at the 2022 faculty day celebration by the Faculty of Radiology, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, on Monday, in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme of the programme is: “Role of Interventional Radiology In Modern Medicine In Nigeria”.
He described interventional radiology as a sub-specialty in radiology that performs various minimally-invasive procedures that diagnose, treat and cure many kind of conditions using medical imaging guidance such as X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or ultrasound.
Adeyinka,the key speaker at event, said that interventional radiology had not replaced surgery but provided a less invasive way of doing some surgical procedures that would had kept patient in the hospital for about three to four weeks.
According to him, with the interventional radiology the surgical procedure is done on a daily basis and achieves the same result as surgery and the patient leaves the hospital within some hours.
He said that interventional radiology remained the best medical offer a patient could get because “it is an advancement in the medical practice.
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“Instead of an open surgical operation, the interventional radiology can be used to give a permanent cure to fibroids, cancer and cardiac conditions.
“It can be used to stop the supply of blood to fibroid tumor in women and once the tumor no longer gets blood, it shrinks and dies.
“But where we are having problems is in the area of equipment; the materials and equipment used in interventional radiology are quite expensive.
“That’s why we need government as well as private sector to come in and provide or subsidise the cost of some of the equipment,” he said.
Adeyinka, therefore, urged government to make it easier for the equipment to be imported into the country by reducing or totally removing the excessive tariffs placed on them at the ports.
“There are some of our partners abroad that want to donate some of the equipment to Nigeria but due to high tariffs, they are stocked there at the port.
“There are just about 19 centres in Nigeria that have interventional radiology.
Even if government can’t provide the equipment, at least it can create the enabling environment for the equipment to easily enter the country,” Adeyinka said.
The Faculty Chairperson, Prof. Rachel Akinola, identified consumables and manpower as major challenges that limit the adoption and practice of interventional radiology in Nigeria.
Akinola, also a consultant radiologist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said there were limited number of trained professionals to handle interventional radiology in Nigeria.
In her speech of welcome, Akinola, also lamented that the few available trained professionals were leaving the country to practice abroad.
She, therefore, called on the government to intensify efforts not only to train professionals on interventional radiology, but to retain the already trained doctors and medical professionals.
Another consultant radiologist, Dr Caleb Yakubu, said the essence of the programme was to sensitise and educate the general populace on the relevance of radiology in medical operations.
Yakubu, also the Coordinator, One-Stop-Breast Clinic, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said the objective was to educate the public on ways to benefit from the modern medical advancements that were evolving.
He emphasised the need for women to go for cancer screening with the aid of mammography machines.
Yakubu added that government ensure provision of the machines in states and federal hospitals across the country.
“The key to effective management of cancer is early detection.
And eight out of every 10 Nigerian women has breast cancer.
And the type of breast cancer they have is very aggressive and they are presented late.
“So, let government provide mammography machines in all government hospitals and make them readily available, accessible and affordable so that Nigeria women can easily be screened for cancer,” he said.
A retired consultant radiologist, Prof. Gbadebo Olusegun, urged the Federal Government to do everything possible to stop the increasing brain drain and medical tourism among the Nigerian citizens.
According to him, setting up functional and equipped interventional radiology centres with trained professionals will help to curb medical tourism and brain drain in the country.
“Unfortunately, hard times are here, where we are confronted with massive brain drain of medical professionals and unimaginable foreign exchange bastardisation.
“If people can get in Nigeria the same quality of healthcare they seek abroad, they will have no reason to travel to another country.
“This will also conserve foreign exchange and save capital flight,” Olusegun said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Experts have called on the Federal Government and other employers of labour to implement six months maternity leave and make the workplace conducive to enable mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.
The experts, who made made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Sunday, decried the low exclusive breastfeeding rate put at 29 per cent in Nigeria.
The President, Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine, Dr Olukemi Tongo, said the theme for 2022 Breastfeeding Week: ‘Step Up For Breastfeeding, Educate and Support’ was apt.
Tongo said the low exclusive rate put at 29 per cent in Nigeria was not acceptable, hence the need to increase support for mothers.
“And, we need mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life for all the benefits accrued from breastfeeding; the babies growth, good development, emotional development, immunity to fight infections.
“Such that in the future they will have lower disease chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, allergies and all that.
Aside that the cognitive development of baby is superb with breast milk.
“Even when they start complementary food after six months, they should continue with breastfeeding for up to two years,” she said.
Tongo, who is also a Consultant Paediatrician Neonatologist University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said whereas the cost of exclusive breastfeeding is low compared to formula food.
“If there is a creche in the place of work or attached to the place of work or a breastfeeding place at a place of work, mothers can keep their child there; the mother will be at rest and can be more productive.
“But when the child is so far away, you don’t know what is happening, the mother’s heart would not be at rest, she would be tense.
“Even the mother’s breast will be full and engrossed and painful, she might not be able to concentrate at work though she is physically present,” she said.
The neonatologist said employers needed to know that they too would benefit from making the environment conducive for their workers to breastfeed.
She said there should be no discrimination against nursing mothers such as denying them employment or making life difficult for them at work.
Also, Mrs Motunrayo Oduneye, Chief Dietitian at Dietetics Department UCH, said including water as part of babies’ food for the first six months of life used to be a major contending factor with this art of breastfeeding, that is giving water alongside breast milk.
“The composition of water in breast milk is about 75 per cent.
So, there is no need for water alongside breast milk for the first six months of a baby’s life.
“Other challenges in the art of breastfeeding include mothers being working class either with state or Federal Government or being entrepreneurs or self employed, this could hinder exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.
“Because they want to support the home they look forward to resuming back to work as soon as possible.
“But getting back to work has been a limiting factor to practicing exclusive breastfeeding, for example, by three and a half months mothers working with the Federal Government have to resume back to work because it is yet to declare the six months maternity leave.
“Oyo State is one of the five or six states that has confirmed six months maternity leave.
“This is one of the things that we rely on that can help to improve the exclusive breastfeeding rate in Nigeria,” Oduneye said.
According to her, in Oyo State, the breastfeeding rate is not bad, however, we are still battling with improving the data of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.
Oduneye said psychosocial perception of breastfeeding has been a limiting factor because some mothers still believe that only breast milk will not be enough for a child.
“But breast milk in the first six months of life contains all the necessary nutrients in quantity and quality that a child requires at this stage of life.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given sufficient information on the importance of breastfeeding, adding that after giving the breast milk exclusively for the first six months, it should continue with other food added for two years,” she said
NAN reports that the 2022 Breastfeeding Week is commemorated from 1st to 7th August.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health has expressed reservation on the University Teaching Hospitals (UTHs) Amendment Bill, aimed at restructuring the composition of the Governing Board of the institutions.
Ehanire said this at the public hearing of a bill for Amendment of the UTHs Act by the House Committee on Health Institutions in Abuja on Wednesday.
The minister said that the passage of the bill into law would lead to a huge disruption in the health sector.
He added that it would worsen the brain drain syndrome being experienced in the country and lower the standard of healthcare services in Nigeria.
“Rather than this bill, expertise should be placed on addressing the brain drain and improving hospital infrastructure,’’ Ehanire said.
The minister, represented by Mr Adebimpe Adebiyi, the Director Hospital Services, said the UTH was a well organised system under the Ministry of Health with a mandate on manpower training.
He said that the UTHs were designed primarily to train medical students, adding that the Chief Medical Director of the hospital was not only an administrator because he has the responsibility to ensure that standards were maintained.
Meanwhile, Dr Uche Ojinmah, President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said that the Association rejected the bill in its entirety.
Ojinmah said that the bill sought to defeat the purpose for the enactment of the principal Act that was seeking to amend.
“It is important for us to know that unlike other government hospitals, UTHs, starting with UCH, Ibadan were established primarily for the purpose of training the medical students.
“Prior to the enactment of the principal act, UCHs were run by directors of administration.
“This caused a lot of crisis as the Directors of Administrations were more focused on the financial bottom line to the detriment of training and research,’’ Ojinmah said.
He said that the principal act made the position of the Chief Medical Director, a full time position to be occupied by a person who possessed professional qualification.
This, he said must be similar to those of the Dean or provost of the associate medical schools and with cognate administrative experience in matters of health.
According to him, the principal act vested the control of teaching hospitals in the person whose primary field of competence as a fully registered medical practitioner and dental surgeon imbued him with knowledge.
This, according to him included legal standing to take charge of management of patients and training of medical student who owned the teaching hospital.
He said that the requirement of the principal act that a CMD must be a person who was fully registered medical practitioner or dental surgeon was not a mistake.
Ojinmah explained that it was not the headship of the teaching hospitals that was the problem, but the state of the nation.
Speaking earlier, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila said that stakeholders views either for or against the subject would be addressed.
He said that it would add to the quality of legislations of the 9th Assembly which it would bequeath to the citizenry at the end of its tenure.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The ancient town of Iseyin in Oyo State was on Sunday thrown into mournful mood following the transition of its traditional ruler, Oba Abdulganiyu Salawudeen, to join his ancestors.
The Aseyin’s death is coming months after the passage of Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, Soun of Ogbomoso; Oba Saliu Adetunji, Olubadan of Ibadan; Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo and the Asigangan of Igangan.
A family source told newsmen that the 28th Aseyin died on Sunday morning at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where he had been for months.
Salawudeen, aged 62, was a University of Ibadan trained Veterinary Doctor and ascended the throne in 2006.
Though, the palace has yet to officially break the news of the traditional ruler’s passage, the UCH Public Relations Officer, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, confirmed the news.
Akinrinlola, when pressed further, told NAN that the oba had been on admission at the hospital before his demise.
While his remains were being packaged for onward journey to his town, a less than one hour journey from the state capital, traditionalists have begun the passage rites around the ancient town.
Salaudeen was born into the family of the late Pa Salau Atanda Oloogunebi of Iseyin and attended Ansarudeen Primary School, Ebedi, Iseyin.
He later proceeded to the Muslim Secondary High School, Ore-Moje in Iseyin, for modern school education.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
