The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has reaffirmed its call to the Federal Ministry of Health to halt the commercialisation of pharmacy facilities in Federal Health Institutions once and for all in the interest of national health. Making the call, in a petition to the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, the PSN President, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, said rather than abate, the tendencies and flair for vindictive actions targeted against pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy has continued unchecked at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin and Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

Even as the Nigerian and South African governments are contending with a diplomatic row arising from the series of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other Africans residing in South Africa, the two countries are strongly collaborating on the medical front, specifically in the area of gastrointestinal medicine.

The World Bank has approved 500 million dollars International Development Association (IDA) credit to improve maternal and child and nutrition services for women and children in Nigeria.

Dr Pokop Bupwatda, a Consultant Physician, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), has identified excessive drinking of alcohol as the major cause of increased rate of liver cirrhosis detected among youths in the country.

As a matter of fact, WHO sponsored one of the top mushroom scientists to develop some mushroom products that helped to treat an AIDS patient in South Africa. What that product did was to enhance the appetite of the patient because one of the things we see with AIDS patients is that they lose appetite, lose weight and gradually die. It was found that when their food was fortified with mushroom, the appetite increased and they ate more, put on weight, and started living healthy lives.