WORLD CANCER DAY: BROOKCHERITH SUPPORT JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER...!!!

 

 

World Cancer Day: Highlighting physical activity in the global fight against cancer

Worldwide cases of cancer predicted to reach 21.7million by 2030

Saturday 4 February 2017 – World Cancer Day: Nigeria-Today, millions are urged to get active to help combat the world’s most deadly disease. Under the banner ‘We can. I can.’ the day will encourage people to be more active - in every sense - in the fight against a disease that, in less than two decades, will directly affect up to 21.7 million[1] people per year.

To help spread this message, World Cancer Day is harnessing the power of sport by encouraging sports fans, organisations and personalities to use their voice and reach through the ‘Support through Sport’ initiative.

Ezekwe Obinna, Founder and President, BrookCherith Support: “On this year’s World Cancer Day, we therefore encourage Nigerians to participate actively in this global fight against cancer through sports. There is need to identify every barrier to regular physical exercise and figure out ways to overcome them”.

Dr Cary Adams, Chief Executive Officer, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC): “This World Cancer Day we want to inspire individuals to play an active role in the fight against cancer, by being physically active. Around a third of all cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and leading a less sedentary lifestyle. A large number of people also find exercise to be of great benefit to their wellbeing either during or after treatment. The ‘We can. I can.’ campaign is in its second year and we hope to build on the success of last year and spread the message further than ever.”

Aside from prevention, a growing body of evidence[2] shows that physical activity significantly helps cancer patients, not only to manage the life-altering side-effects of treatment such as fatigue, depression and heart damage, but also in reducing the risk of the disease worsening or recurring. Research shows, for example, that a breast cancer patient’s risk of recurrence and of dying from the disease can be reduced by around 40 per cent by doing recommended levels of physical activity[3]. 

Professor Sanchia Aranda, UICC President: “Anyone can get involved in sport, so it’s a great fit for World Cancer Day. Regular exercise is one of the most simple and fun ways that people worldwide can reduce their cancer risk. The messages around sport also link back to our cancer messages about the importance of healthy eating, supporting one another to achieve common goals and working together". 

“In Australia, the Australia Cancer Council is the official charity partner for the Sydney 7s tournament, being held over the World Cancer Day weekend. The event is part of the international HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and brings people from around the world. As well as fundraising at the tournament, we will be using it as an opportunity to educate spectators about how they can cut their cancer risk.” 

‘We can. I can.’ make a difference: just as everyone can play a crucial role in maintaining their own health and well-being - by being active, limiting alcohol consumption, avoiding tobacco, and moderating red and processed meat consumption - everyone can also contribute to the success of World Cancer Day: every post, share or tweet adds to the noise and raises the profile of cancer in people’s minds, in the world’s media and on the global health and development agenda. For more information visit: www.worldcancerday.org

About World Cancer Day 2017

World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is the single initiative under which the world can unite to raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way.

Coordinated by UICC, World Cancer Day is this year taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’ and explores how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. Just as cancer affects everyone in different ways, everyone has the power to take action to reduce the impact that cancer has. World Cancer Day is a chance to reflect on what you can do, make a pledge and take action.

About BrookCherith Support

BrookCherith Support is a non-profit organization in Nigeria, with a mission to promote Health, Education and Livelihood in rural communities. The organisation is just a year and some months old. We are seriously building avenues to make impact in areas of health, education and livelihood. You can be part of us. We believe is a privilege to be a source of help and encouragement to humanity. You can use our media contacts below for more information.

About the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)

UICC is the largest international cancer-fighting organisation, with over 1,000 member organisations across 160 countries representing the world's major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes, treatment centres and patient groups. The organisation is dedicated to taking the lead in convening, capacity building and advocacy initiatives that unite the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda. 

UICC and its multisectoral partners are committed to encouraging governments to look towards the implementation and scale-up of quality and sustainable programmes that address the global burden of cancer and other NCDs. UICC is also a founding member of the NCD Alliance, a global civil society network that now represents almost 2,000 organisations in 170 countries.

For more information, please visit: www.uicc.org

About World Cancer Day sport-related activities and grassroots events

From Mexico to Malaysia, local and global associations around the globe such as The French Tennis Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment, are coming together to give a face to cancer prevention and show that “We Can. I Can.” For more information about specific events, please visit: http://www.worldcancerday.org/map

 

Media contacts:

Ezekwe Obinna                                                                                Uwe Uwe Etim                              

E-mail: ezekweobinna@brookcherithsupport.org                 E-mail: info@brookcherithsupport.org

Phone: +2349021514313 / +2348034505008                                    Phone: +2348132262892

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KEEP STAYING HEALTHY, INFORMED AND ENTERTAINED....

AWESOME!!! CONJOINED TWINS SEPARATED AFTER 21-HOUR SURGERY...

Twin 11-month-old girls are recovering after more than 50 medical professionals teamed up for a 21-hour marathon surgery to separate them. Ballenie and Bellanie Camacho were formerly conjoined by a bone at the base of the spine.

The twins, who underwent surgery Jan. 17 at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York, will spend the next several weeks at the hospital, but doctors say their prognosis is good.

“Ballenie and Bellanie are as strong as they are beautiful and this dynamic duo is doing very well after a very long and complex surgery,” Dr. Samir Pandya, the twins’ pediatric surgeon, said in a news release. “Their attachment presented us with many challenges but after a successful separation, Ballenie and Bellanie now have chances for better lifes. We are thrilled to provide them with this life-altering opportunity.”

The girls, originally from the Dominican Republic, were born Feb. 4, 2016, and shared gastrointestinal connections and a branch of the hypogastric artery. Surgeons successfully separated each to establish proper blood flow to the twins’ lower extremities and separated their bladders and reproductive organs, according to the news release.

“Conjoined twins are rare— about one set in every 200,000 births— and every case has unique features due to the varied physical make-up of each patient,” Dr. Whitney McBride, another lead surgeon on the case said.

Feels good to be back... 2017 promises to be bigger and better....

Keep staying Healthy, Informed and Entertained...

NIGERIAN DOCTOR INAUGURATES NEW BREATHING DEVICE...

A Nigeria-trained doctor, Dayo Olakulehin, has inaugurated a portable ventilation device called D-Box.

Olakulehin, who spoke at the product inauguration in Lagos, said it was cost, effective and power-friendly compared to existing ventilators.

The ventilator, which is rechargeable, he said, was built to suit the dynamics in developing countries such as Nigeria, where a significant number of people were dying of respiratory challenges in emergency situations due to lack of such medical equipment.

According to him, patients with respiratory problems in Nigeria use the manual type, a process, he said, was grossly inefficient in terms of manpower required to operate it.

Olakulehin narrated his experience while treating a four-year-old boy to buttress his case.

He said, “In 2012, while I was at the Olikoye Ransome Kuti Children emergency ward in LUTH, I had to manually ventilate a four-year-old boy for four hours and at about 2am, I fell asleep, only to be awakened by the boy’s father that he couldn’t breathe again.

“If the child had continued without ventilation for longer than four minutes, it could have resulted in irreversible brain damage.

“It was after one of such incidents that the idea for an alternative ventilation method came to my mind and I knew that this method will eliminate the dependence on human-operated ventilation.”

According to him, the D-Box is a user-friendly device that can save lives especially in rural settings where access to skilled health professionals is a challenge.

Olakulehin said, “In rural areas where we don’t have enough doctors, the ‘D-Box’ device is what is needed. It can work for 12 hours without electricity unlike the existing sophisticated ventilator that is not mobile and cannot be used without electricity.”

The Founder, Afrigants Resource Limited, Ms. Thelma Ekiyor, noted that with the device in place, health officers and doctors would have the luxury of attending to the critical needs of other patients.

She urged other stakeholders to encourage entrepreneurship in health care as a way of contributing to the good of humanity.

Teenager's stomach pains turns out to be parasitic twin with teeth, hair and bones...

An Indian teenager was rushed to hospital with chronic stomach pains only to discover he had had 2.5kg parasitic “twin” living inside him.

18-year-old Narendra Kumar from the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India is one of only 200 people in the world who have been diagnosed with “foetus in fetu” - a rare condition where one twin is absorbed by the other through the umbilical cord during early pregnancy but continues to live inside.

Mr Kumar had suffered from bouts of vomiting and weight loss for years but it wasn’t until they operated on Monday they found the mass of skin, hair and teeth leaching off his blood supply.

Speaking to the Mail Online, Dr Rajeev Singh said: “The boy's stomach grew, but his plight went undiscovered for years because neither his parents were of his medical condition nor the doctors could diagnose the condition at an early stage.

“Technically the foetus was alive and was growing due to metabolic activity in his body”.

He said they had removed a mass of “hair, teeth, a poorly developed head, a bony structure of chest and spine with lots of yellowish amniotic like fluid in the sac”.

The teenager’s father, Prem Chandra, expressed relief the “evil” was finally gone and his son could go back to living a healthy life. 

Doctors say the malformed foetus is found in the abdomen 80 per cent of the time but it has been known to occur in the brain or the cheek.

SAD: Doctor dies after attending to a Patient

A Lagos-based senior doctor has died shortly after attending to a patient.

Close relations blamed the death of Dr Akingbade of Veritas Clinics Limited, College Road, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos on stress, but nonetheless said he had a history of hypertension.

The deceased worked at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for 15 years before retiring as a Senior Medical Officer in 2004, after which he set up his private clinic.

Vanguard learnt that the senior doctor suddenly died in his office in the clinic, after attending to the patient.

One of the nurses on duty at Veritas Clinics Limited on the fateful day, Mrs Toyin Ifesan, narrated: “Our boss died at about 10.30pm shortly after he had closed for consultation.

He went to see a patient on admission. Thereafter, he retired to his office and sat down. A nurse later went in there to ask him to go upstairs, where we have sleeping facilities, to sleep, having been working since morning.

“On getting to the office, the nurse spoke to him but she got no response. She then pushed him, only to find that Dr Akingbade had passed on. The situation attracted everybody in the clinic”.

Nurse Ifesan went on: “He was not sick before death. The only thing we noticed was that, on that day, he was not jovial as he used to be. Unlike him, he talked to the staff without looking at their faces. He looked at the floor while talking to the staff.”

Akingbade would be buried on January 7 after a funeral service at the City of the Lord Church, Ifako-Ijaiye.

CHINA set to end 'one couple, one child' policy by January 1, 2016.

It's official. From January 1, 2016 China will allow two children for every couple.

Chinese lawmakers rubber-stamped the new legislation Sunday during a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which governs the country's laws, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported .

"The state advocates that one couple shall be allowed to have two children," according to the newly revised Law on Population and Family Planning.

This effectively dismantles the remnants of the country's infamous one-child policy that had been eased in recent years.

When news of the planned change to the law broke in October, the ruling Communist Party issued the following statement: "To promote a balanced growth of population, China will continue to uphold the basic national policy of population control and improve its strategy on population development.

"China will fully implement the policy of 'one couple, two children' in a proactive response to the issue of an aging population."

IMO STATE: At least 4 persons die daily in private hospitals as goverment hospitals remain closed...!

Death rate in Imo State is rising daily as private hospitals in the state are now being overstretched with patients seeking medical attention, National Mirror investigation has revealed. This is as a result of the closure of state hospitals and Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Owerri shut down by the Federal Government over protracted labour crisis in the centre.

The Federal Government shut down FMC, Owerri following protracted industrial dispute between workers and the Medical Director, Dr. (Mrs.) Angela Uwakwem, while the state government had closed down its hospitals to carry out renovations in them ahead of the takeover by the concessioniers.

As a result, the capacity of some of the private hospitals are being overstretched as their personnel now find it more tasking to give adequate attention to patients who were evacuated from the shut down hospitals.

However, the closure is equally taking its tolls on innocent Nigerians who are being denied access to healthcare services resulting to rise in number of people that die daily.

When National Mirror visited some of the private hospitals in Owerri, it was discovered that at least four patients die on daily basis even though some of the medical directors interviewed claimed that some of the patients were already dead before they were brought to their hospitals.

Also hundreds of patients were seen besieging the hospitals. Some said that they have been waiting for several hours to see doctors.

“It has not been easy for us, we stay in waiting rooms for so long before we get attention, we are patronising the private hospitals to seek cure for our sicknesses as the only alternative because government hospitals have not been working.”

The Proprietor/Medical Director of Saint David Hospital, Owerri, Dr. Davidson Anyanwu blamed the influx of patients to private hospitals to the non functioning of government hospitals, querying how many government hospitals are today working.

“Many of the patients brought to these private hospitals are those abandoned in the government hospitals that could not be attended to because the hospitals are not functional,” he said.

On the rate of death in the private hospitals, he explained that most the patients were already dead before they were brought to the hospitals. “Since we are here to save lives, we will not discharge them from the gate; we hear pleadings of their people.

It is a sad story to be told, considering the problems that has befallen the State's Health sector in the year 2015. Every 'imolite' will agree that it has not been easy. However, we hope the new year brings new and better health care services to the people of Imo state...

Source: medicalworldnigeria...

MUST READ: ONDO STATE BECOMES NIGERIA'S MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATION..!

As Nigeria continues to struggle with the realities of the dwindling global oil price, it is unquestionable that the country is desperately in need of an economic diversification plan, which is crucial to her survival.

While several policies, analysis and attempts have been made by leaders and economic analysts in the country on how to diversify the economy in the face of seeming challenges, the health plan designed by Ondo State Government under the leadership of the state’s governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has proven to be among the few concrete examples of steps Nigeria can take in order to ensure her economical emancipation from over reliance on crude oil as a revenue source.

Taking Ondo on the journey to become Nigeria’s medical tourism destination, Mimiko built a comprehensive medical village, which according to him is borne out of the desire to make specialized healthcare services readily available to the people of the state where they live, work and play and also to provide world-class, tertiary specialized surgical and emergency care which adheres to the best international practices within an integrated healthcare system.

The MEDICAL VILLAGE which is well equipped with state-of-the-art health facilities is located in Ondo Town, encompassing about 4 kilometers from the city of Akure and 116 kilometres from Benin in Ondo Town plays host to the Mother and Child Hospital, Kidney Care Centre, the Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre and the University of Medical Sciences (First of its kind in Africa). There is also a state-of-the-art emergency Communication Centre, a Histopathology and Forensic Centre which are yet to fully take off (AWESOME).

ONDO STATE TRAUMA AND SURGICAL CENTRE
The Ondo State Trauma and Surgical Centre is a rapidly evolving surgical specialty based centre aimed at providing world-class tertiary comprehensive surgical services to the people of Ondo State, surrounding environs and Nigeria in General.

Ondo State Trauma and Surgical Centre commenced clinical and surgical services on 28thNovember 2013 with the following specialties; Orthopaedics and Trauma, Plastic Surgery, ENT, Anaesthesia and General surgery. It has since continued to improve and augment services, infrastructure and personnel to include Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Maxillo – facial Sugery and Opthalmology. The centre has carried out over 3000 surgeries as at November 2015.

It serves as a referral area for mainly the General Hospitals in Ondo State and parts of Osun, Ekiti and Edo State. It also receives referrals from across Nigeria and patients from other parts of the country(very good).

The Ondo State Trauma and Surgical Centre runs 24hours emergency services in General Surgery, Burns, Plastic and reconstructive surgery, Orthopaedics and Trauma, Neurologic surgery, Paediatric surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Anaesthesia, pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Radio diagnosis.

The Trauma Centre liaise closely with sister hospitals; Ondo State Kidney Care Centre, Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic services and Mother and Child Hospital with which Mimiko Government constitute a Medical Village for ancillary support services including Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Radiology and Laboratory support.

It also runs out – patient surgical services and offer our patients elective day – case surgeries with efficient in – patient care, including oncology, endocrine, hepatobiliary, breast surgery, a special Burn Centre and intensive care.

NOTE THIS- At the Trauma Centre, care is provided to patients before billing and this emphasizes the true intention of the government, ‘saving lives’

ONDO STATE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCY (ODEMSA)
To further straighten the emergency medical services, the state government established  ODEMSA with the mandate to provide emergency rescue, pre-hospital and hospital services to road crash victims in the state.

5 fully functional Accident Rescue Stations along the highways across Ondo state were built; Ore, Bolorunduro, Ilara, Owo and Oka-Akoko. 100 Extricators and 100 paramedics work 24hrs in all the stations and the response time to accident scenes is 15mins. Each station has an Advanced TRAUMA Life Support Vehicle equipped with oxygen and other essentials needed sustain accident victims while they are being conveyed to the nearest hospital or the Trauma Center.

I believe every state in Nigeria can copy this great idea and implement it to the fullest... what is your take on this?

Source: Vanguard Newspaper..

Jigawa to Employ 100 Foreign Doctors to Enhance Manpower..!

Jigawa state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abba Zakari, has revealed plans of the government to close the existing manpower gap in the health sector with the employment of 100 medical doctors next year.

Speaking in Dutse while taking delivery of medical products donated by a pharmaceutical company, Dr. Abba Zakari explained that the government will not mind recruiting foreign doctors if the required number of the manpower could not be source locally.

He added that if it becomes necessary to recruit such personnel from outside the country, Bangladesh would be the first choice to be contacted, stressing that only consultants would be considered for recruitment from foreign country.

The commissioner said the employment would not only be limited to medical Doctors as the government has compiled statistics of Nurses, Midwifes and community health workers that will be recruited had also been compiled adding that the sum of N750 million had been budgeted for the procurement of medical equipments.

Dr. Zakari said the government will give priority to dialysis machines among the equipments to be purchased, "for the purpose of ensuring ceaseless functioning of such and other related machines, government is also considering the employment of Boi-medical Engineers.

I dont agree with the idea of employing 100 Doctors from outside the country... What do you think?

Source: allafricanews...

Good News: Gov. Wada inaugurates N300m Hospital Complex in Kogi State..!

Governor Idris Wada of Kogi has inaugurated a General Hospital complex built by his administration at a cost of N300 million at Odu-Ogboyaga, Dekina Local Government.

Wada said at the ceremony that the hospital, built in 12 months, was part of efforts to improve the health of the people living in the rural areas.

He said fully equipped hospital with state of the art machines, will help in the delivery of quality health services to the people of the area and its environs.

Wada expressed delight over the completion of the project in record time, saying that it was one of the legacies his administration was bequeathing to posterity.

According to him, the people of the community should take ownership of the hospital so as to protect the facilities.

The Commissioner for health, Dr Idris Omede, said the hospital was a fulfillment of promise to the community during the governor’s first visit in April 2012.

He said the hospital was taking off with full complement of qualified medical personnel, as it would general consultations, maternity, surgery, antenatal and postnatal care, x-rays and medical laboratory.

The traditional ruler of Odu-Ogboyaga, Alhaji Salihu Yahaya described the hospital as a dream come true and a great relief for the people without access to quality health care facility before now.

He assured the state government of the continued support of his people and promised that the facility would be protected and shielded from vandals.

The next step should also be about MAINTENANCE, not just protection and shielding from vandals...

What do you think?