Health Minister Scores Pharmacists Council of Nigeria High

The Minister of Health,Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu has applauded the efforts of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria(PCN) and the State Directors of Pharmaceutical services.He gave the commendation in Abuja today at the interactive session between PharmacIsts Council of Nigeria and State Directors of Pharmaceutical Services of Nigeria.

He noted with satisfaction that the PCN and State Directors of Pharmaceutical Services are collaborating very well towards the attainment of the delivery of quality pharmaceutical services in Nigeria adding that the synergy has reinforced his conviction that the outcome of the meeting would further improve the activities of the state directors of Pharmaceutical services who are statutory members of the Governing Council of PCN.

The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs.Fatima Bamidele stressed that it is self-evident that pharmaceutical services are strategic towards achieving quality healthcare for our people adding that directors of Pharmaceutical Services are strategically positioned to ensure quality pharmaceutical services in the states.

He said: ‘’as you are all aware, we launched the Mega Drug Distribution Guidelines on February 07, 2013. On February 21,2013, I also inaugurated four (4) Committees, one of which was the Prescription Policy Committee for the country all aimed at ensuring provision of quality pharmaceutical services in the country’’.

While urging all the Directors of Pharmaceutical Services all over the Federation to utilize the opportunity provided by the meeting to chart a new course for the provision of quality and sustainable pharmaceutical services in the various states, he assured that the Federal Ministry of Health will continue to provide robust and effective policy direction towards achieving the provision of quality pharmaceutical services and delivery in the country.

In her remarks, the Acting Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. (Mrs.) Gloria O.Abumbere said that the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria has statutory mandate of regulating pharmacy profession in all its ramifications adding that the mandate is partly carried out through the inspection, approval, registration and  licensing of pharmaceutical premises such as Hospital pharmacies, Retail, Wholesale, Distribution and importation outfits as well as  pharmaceutical manufacturing companies.

Pharmacists Caution Against High Consumption Of Noodles, Paracetamol As a source of Hypertension

As the World Health Day celebration begins, with the theme “High Blood Pressure”, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has cautioned against unrestrained consumption of foods such as noodles which are high in salt content, and drugs such as paracetamol that contain sodium, as a way of effectively addressing risk factors for raised blood pressure or hypertension.

Giving the warning in a statement to mark the Day in Lagos, President, PSN, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo said: “The risk of developing high blood pressure can be reduced by reducing salt intake, eating a balanced diet, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, taking regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding tobacco use.”

Akintayo observed that reduction of hypertension in the Nigerian population can only be effected through strong public health policies such as reduction of salt in processed food and widely available diagnosis and treatment that tackle hypertension and other risk factors together.

His words: “The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, admonishes the consuming public on dietary patterns which is critical in hypertension. Some popular diets like some brands of noodles account for 61 percent of daily salt requirement in the smallest packs.

“Newly promoted brands of soluble paracetamol with about 450mg of sodium per tablet which transcends 2.7g daily when six tabs are taken a day will be inimical to the health of hypertensives and so call for caution,” Akintayo said.

MEDICAL LABORATORY SERVICES IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE: Dr. Chris Elemuwa

BACKGROUND INFORMATION/MILESTONE ON PRIMARY HEALTHCARE:

The term Primary Health Care was used initially to describe the first care given to a person poor in health, irrespective of where the care was given. Things, however, began to change in 1952 when the WHO Expert Committee on Public Health Administration defined Public Health as “’ the Science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting mental and physical health and efficiency through the organized community efforts for sanitation of the  environment, the  control communicable infections, the education of the individual in personal hygiene, the organization of medical  and nursing services for early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease and the development of social machinery to ensure to every individual a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health, so organizing these benefits as to enable every citizen to realize his birthright of health and longevity’’

In 1953, the Committee met again and took a closer look at the available strategies for extending public health services to the rural areas and came up with the idea of ‘’Basic Health Service’’. The package included:

• Maternal and child health
• Communicable disease control
• Environmental sanitation
• Maintenance of records for statistical purposes
• Health education of the public
• Public health nursing and medical care

In search of a solution to the growing demand for improved health, the idea of Health for All by the year 2000 was initiated by the former Director – General of WHO. The goal was accepted and endorsed by the 30th world Health Assembly in 1977. In 1978, under the auspices of WHO and Uncief, an international Conference on Primary Health Care was held in Alma Ata. The meeting which was well attended by 134 countries and many international agencies had declaration called Alma Ata Declaration, defined Primary Health Care as:  ‘’Essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self- reliance and self –determination’’

FAKE BABY DRINKS, BEVERAGES WORTH N3M IMPOUNDED BY NAFDAC IN ABA

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has impounded fake baby food and other products worth N3 million in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia.

The agency’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Aba Special Zone, Mr Gabriel Ezeaguba, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba, added that other items include beverages, wines and hot drinks.

He said listed the items to include expired cartons of SMA children formula 6x 900 grams, fake Milo drinks in the new name ``Mama mma anu tea’’ meaning, ``Mother I will drink tea’’ produced with grounded cocoa cake.

The others are some cartons of Ovaltine, Teco, sachets of Peak milk, Peak Choke, Vitalo drinks, Eva wines and `MacDowells’ preserved hot drinks.

Ezeaguba said, ``Mama mma anu tea’’ was being produced by a man inside a plantain plantation at Uratta area along Port Harcourt Road, Aba, with installed machine and generator which had yet to be retrieved from the site.

He said that materials confiscated as exhibit included frying pans, bags and some other items.

He said that the SMA which expired in 2012 but changed to 2015 and other unwholesome products were being faked at Zone 9 of Cemetery Market and adjoining markets.

EFFECTIVENESS OF HIV VACCINE

A new route for developing a long-sought vaccine that could boost the body's ability to neutralize the  HIV virus is been tracked by the earliest days of one person's robust immune response to HIV by researchers.

The research team, led by Barton F. Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, and John Mascola, M.D., acting director of the NIH Vaccine Research Center, have for the first time described the co-evolution of antibodies and virus in a person with HIV whose immune system mounted a broad attack against the pathogen.

Findings are published April 3, 2013, in the journal Nature.
Most vaccines work by inducing this antibody response, but the HIV virus has proved to be a difficult vaccine target. When HIV antibodies are produced, they typically have a limited range, and the virus changes rapidly to escape harm, leading to an arms race that the virus usually wins.

The current research was aided by new technologies that can detect early infection and track the subsequent immune response and virus evolution. It fills gaps in knowledge that have impeded development of an effective vaccine for a virus that has killed more than 30 million people worldwide.

Nigeria National Assembly move in to Save Minister for health's job, Stop Strike.

In order to prevent total shut down of health care services in the country from Wednesday, April 3, the Senate and the the House of Representatives have intervened in the on going crisis between the federal health workers and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).

The federal health care workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) had vowed to shutdown health care services in the country, if their demands which include the removal of the Minister of Health, Prof. Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu were not met. The 15-day ultimatum they issued on March 18 will expire today, April 2.

JOHESU, which comprises Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nigerian Union of Health Professionals (NUHEP), Staff Association of Universities’Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Allied Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions ( (NASU), is aggrieved over the non-implementation of 2012 collective agreement between the federal government and the JOHESU.

Other grievances include acts of victimisation of health workers, discrimination against its members, appointment of Chief Medical Directors, which favour medical practitioners while excluding other health workers and removal of Professor Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu as the minister of health.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday, the President of NUHEP, Comrade Felix Faniran told the Nigerian Compass that following the intervention, JOHESU "Will technically wait for these meetings with the Senate and the House of Representatives before deciding on the way forward".

According to him, while the House Committee on Health would meet representatives of JOHESU on April 11 to discuss the issues at stake, the Senate Committee on Health would meet with the union on April 17.