AS the nation clocked50 last week, the promise of access to affordable comprehensive healthcare services became more realisable courtesy of a partnership between Union Diagnostics & Clinical Services Plc, Lagos and Global Hospital, India.

After 50 years of Independence, Nigeria has only one physiotherapist attending to 30 patients in most hospitals across the country, a situation experts in the study and practice of Physiotherapy say it is a far cry from the World Health Organisation’s recommendation.

Currently, the problem of misdiagnosis has become a public health concern in Nigeria. This has not only caused a lot of medical errors but had led to the deaths of so many Nigerians. Good Health Weekly however spoke to the new Registrar/Chief Executive of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Prof. Anthony Emeribe, a Professor of Haematology in the College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar and a Medical Laboratory Scientist with specialisation in haematology.

CONCERN has been raised about the low level of expertise and quality of ultrasound scanning in Nigeria, hence the need for government to put in place and enforce regulation that would standardise the practice in the country. The urgent need for development of Nigeria’s biotechnology resources has also been stressed.

Following the death of over 17.1 million people globally from heart related diseases last year, a workplace environment that is smoke free coupled with exercise and stress free moments have been identified as major factors for improved health.

At that time, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, was one of the best hospitals in the world.Today if you list 2,000 hospitals in the world, you will not find one in Nigeria. We have depreciated terribly. Most doctors trained here are now outside the country.

Nigeria has made noticeable progress in the health industry since independence. We are not there yet and there is still a lot to do, but we have certainly progressed and there have been landmark achievements.

As Nigeria celebrates 50 years of nationhood, pharmacists under the auspices of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have urged the ruling class to utilise the occasion of the nation’s 50th independence to lay a foundation for the future.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has been called upon to use his good office to ensure the survival of Nigerian children by operationalising the proposed comprehensive routine child immunisation in the country.

As Nigeria celebrates its 50th independence anniversary, the country’s health sector has been described as inefficient. This indictment is coming on the heels of a recent United Nations report that indicates that the country may not meet the health goals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as it is not making sufficient progress in reducing maternal deaths.

Antagonistic people, at home and in the workplace, and especially those who are manipulative and aggressive, have been discovered to possess a higher risk of stroke and heart attack due to arterial thickening, over and above traditional cardiovascular risk factors, than people who are more agreeable, straightforward and compliant.

IN a decisive move towards providing Nigerians with taste of some of the latest cutting edge medical technology in the world, the management of Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos, officially launched the hospital’s upgraded surgical strategy using endoscopy/minimally invasive surgery and joint replacement surgery.

MANAGEMENT of common mental illnesses recently came into limelight in Lagos and environs as part of ongoing efforts towards ensuring access to affordable and effective mental care services at the grassroots, as healtcare personnel drawn from all LGAs in Lagos State recently benefitted from a skills-building training workshop on the subject matter.

No fewer than 350 leading health experts from over 100 countries last week met during the World Health Organization (WHO) forum in Bangkok, Thailand to review new evidence with a view to coming up with ways to improve developing country access to life-saving medical devices.

Blessed is the bosom, which has known the comforting sensations of a hungry mouth, pressed against it, and clinging onto it for the warm refuge of the sweet flowing satisfaction. Undeniably, breastfeeding is the best gift a mother can give to her child and herself.