The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the current ratio of doctor to patient in Nigeria is at one doctor to 600 patients.
Professor Titus Ibekwe, the Head of the Ear,
Nose and Throat (ENT) department of the
University of Abuja, disclosed this on
Wednesday, January 25.
Prof Ibekwe said that this ratio is bad for
healthcare delivery in the country. The professor
who is also the former Vice President of Nigeria
Medical Association (NMA) said that the medical
personnel in Nigeria were constantly
overwhelmed by the large number of patients.
The professor said a lot of healthcare facilities in
the country are outdated while many are also
dilapidated.
He said: “Today as we speak, the current WHO
performance rating places Nigeria 187th out of
191 nations. That is really deplorable and not
expected of the giant of Africa.
“The WHO recommends a minimum of one
doctor to 600 patients but recent analysis
carried out by the NMA shows that in Nigeria,
one doctor is attending to 6,000 patients.
“Another issue is healthcare financing. In 2001,
right here in Abuja, all the African Heads of State
gathered and came up with a resolution which
was applauded by WHO and the United Nations
that they will dedicate 15 percent of their
country’s annual budgets to health, but since
then till today, the best we have achieved is six
percent.
“In the 2017 national budget, the allocation to
health is 4.1 per cent while in 2016 it was 4.4
per cent and we are talking of minimum of 15
per cent to achieve basic medical care that a
citizen needs.
“The National Health Act took the country 10
years before it was passed and this is three
years after its passage, implementation has not
commenced and every year one million children
die, 56,000 women die from issues around
pregnancy.
“Nigeria still rank number one in issue of HIV/
AIDs, second in woman that died from
pregnancy-related causes, one in childhood
death and tuberculosis.”
Meanwhile, doctors under the aegis of the NMA
have lamented the poor facilities in the country
while also lashing at President Muhammadu
Buhari and other top government officials for
seeking medical treatment abroad.
The Human eye is one of the most amazing
organ in the human body. It is also a complex
one just like the brain and sure needs constant
care to remain at optimal ability.
The truth is 80 percent of vision related
problems can be either cured or prevented. Here
in this post we are going to be talking about how
we can be preventing some eye related
problems.
It us important we keep our two peepers healthy
and here are some unhealthy things you might
have been doing which can be affecting your
eyes negatively.
1. Reading with low light
Our eyes are so sensitive to light and sure need
light to function well. Reading in low light is just
you straining your eyes.
2. Not seeing a professional for help
When we discover any problem with our eyes
most of us ignore it or use self medication. This
is bad
3. Rubbing your eyes
The make up of our eyes doesn’t support this,
though a lot of us engage in it from time to time.
Rubbing your eyes can lead to infection.
4. Smoking
Am sure you are not shocked to see smoking
making this list. We have previously spoken
about reasons you should quit smoking . And if
you love your eyes, you need to quit it now.
5. Swimming without googles
This can lead to a lot of eye related problems,
from irritation to partial blindness the dangers
are there.
6. Wearing cheap eye makeup
This is for the ladies, we know you love to wear
a cool makeup but cheap or expired eye makeup
can affect your eyes and eyelashes negatively.
7. Keeping contact lens for too long
Every eye care professional around knows that
using contacts in the wrong way can damage
your eyes.
8. Exposing your eyes to sunlight
Wearing protective shades and face caps might
be good to protect your eyes.
That would be all for now.
Cheers!
Although the concept of eating dog meat is
completely unheard of in the U.S., in other parts
of the world, it is regarded just the same as
eating chicken or cow. In Vietnam, for example,
approximately five million dogs are killed every
year for meat, other places dog meat is eaten
include Europe, Russia, Africa, Latin America,
China, the Philippines, and South Korea.
While the suffering of these animals is
undeniable, there are also major human health
concerns arising from the consumption of dog.
The issues highlighted are critical concerns that
could have a negative impact on human health if
they are not addressed by ending the
consumption of dog meat.
1. Rabies
One of the largest dangers of dog meat is the
spread of rabies to both animals and people.
According to the Center for Disease Control’s
records, only 10 people have ever survived this
horrific disease. This is clearly a major concern
when such a dangerous and deadly disease can
be so easily spread.
2. Other Diseases
There are many other diseases and infections
associated with dog meat that can endanger
human health. Possible infections include
parasites such as E. Coli 107 and salmonella.
There is also a danger that bacterial infections
like anthrax, brucellosis, hepatitis, and
leptospirosis can be spread through the meat to
people. The bacteria associated with Cholera is
also easily spread and propagated through the
process of mass transporting and slaughtering
dogs for consumption. Trichinellosis is a
zoonotic parasite that can be easily transmitted
from dogs to humans through infected meat
consumption. Once these parasites are in the
human body, they can cause inflammation in
blood vessels which leads to hemorrhaging in
the nail beds and eyes, in addition to severe
muscle weakness. If left untreated, trichinellosis
can be fatal.
3. Antibiotic Resistance
There are many parallels to be found between
dog meat farms and factory farms in America,
unfortunately, antibiotic resistance is one of
them. According to Change for Animals
Foundation, “On dog farms, large numbers of
dogs are living in close confinement, under
stressful conditions, and are usually being fed
insufficient, poor quality food. These factors
result in increased levels of infectious disease
and high mortality rates. In an effort to try to
control the spread of disease and maximize
productivity, there is evidence of farmers
resorting to the indiscriminate overuse of
antibiotics and vaccines.”
A medical expert in Ilorin, Dr Misbau Lawal, has
advised people to imbibe the habit of regular
hand washing to avoid contracting viral and
bacterial infection of the eye currently
spreading.
The infection, known as ‘conjunctivitis’ in
medical parlance and ‘appollo’ in local parlance,
is inflammation of the conjunctiva, a thin, filmy
membrane that covers the white portion of the
eyes.
According to Lawal, the conjunctiva, which
produces mucous to coat and lubricate the
surface of the eye, contains fine blood vessels
that can be seen on close inspection.
Lawal advised people to keep their hands away
from the eyes and thoroughly wash hands
before and after applying eye medications on
infected children.
He explained that conjunctivitis was a common
eye problem that affected people of all age
groups and one of the most common eye
infections in children.
The physician added that the most common
cause of irritation of the eye layer was due to
allergies in the environment, which included air
pollution, smoke, pollen from trees and grass.
He also explained that when the conjunctiva
became irritated or inflamed, the blood vessels,
which supplied it, enlarged and became more
prominent, causing the eye to turn red.
According to him, symptoms include pinkness or
redness in the eye red, inflamed inner eyelids,
blurred vision, sandy or scratchy feeling in the
eye, pus, mucous, or watery discharge from the
eye.
“People who work in health care settings or with
children, have a high risk of exposure to the
viruses that can cause viral conjunctivitis,” he
warned.
He also warned against sharing of towels,
washcloth, cosmetics, or eye-drops with others,
advising those infected to seek treatment
promptly.
The expert also advised that infected small
children, who may forget these precautions, be
kept away from school, camp, and the
swimming pool, until their condition was cured.
The outbreak is prevalent among children who
mostly get infected from schools.
In some of the hospital visited in Ilorin
metropolis, many children with symptoms of
‘apollo’, were brought for medical treatment.
