By Salisu Sani-Idris

Former Chief of Army Staff, Brig.-Gen. (rtd) Tukur Burutai, has expressed concern over the high rate of cervical cancer in Nigeria.

Buratai raised the concern at the Public Presentation and Launch of a book titled: ‘NADAMA’, authored by Mrs Fatima Usara, held in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Usara is the Head of Public Affairs, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)

The former army chief quoted Prof. Oliver Ezechi, the Director of Research at NIMR, as saying that an estimated 36 million Nigerian women aged 15 and above, are at risk of acquiring cervical cancer.

Burutai said that every day, 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22 deaths were recorded in Nigeria due to the disease, making it the second most common cancer amongst women in Nigeria.

According to him, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent malignancy in women globally.

He also stated that cervical cancer was one of the major causes of cancer mortality among women in 36 countries, including Nigeria.

Burutai, who emphasised the importance of preventative measures, commended the author of ‘NADAMA’ for her efforts in sensitising people on cervical cancer and other health issues.

He urged Nigerians, especially parents, women and youths, to read the book, which was written in a dramatic and intriguing style that kept the reader in suspense.

He noted that the right to health indicators focused on five crucial areas, including sexual and reproductive health, child mortality and healthcare.

” Others are the natural and work environment, preventing, treating and controlling diseases, as well as access to health facilities and necessary medicines.”

Buratai, who is Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, praised ‘NADAMA’ for addressing all these areas in a unique and innovative way.

Earlier, the Chief Medical Director, Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, noted that the cost of managing cancer was very expensive, adding that prevention is the best approach.

He praised the book for providing education and enlightenment, hoping that it will help reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer in northern Nigeria.

Ahidjo recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari recently inaugurated a modern cancer centre in Maiduguri to serve the most vulnerable and hard to reach communities in the North East region.

He noted that before the centre was constructed, there was no radiotherapy facility for the treatment of cancer in the region, which has a population of over 30 million people.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the investment, and hoped that it would solve the healthcare problems in the region.

Ahidjo, who advised that the book should be read carefully as an educational material, suggested that it should be kept in schools, universities, libraries and hospitals across the country.

According to him, healthcare providers have much to benefit from it.

On his part, the former Chairman of NAHCON, Malam Abdullahi Mukhtar, also lauded the commitment of the author in contributing to finding solution to one of the medical challenges of women inspite of her official and domestic schedules.

Mukhtar urged the guests, NGOs and and philanthropists to support and encourage writer to enable her provide more services to the society.

Malam Muhammad Tola, the representative of Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a civil society organisation promoting quality Hajj and Umrah services, canvassed for the translation of ‘NADAMA’ into other languages to facilitate understanding of the message.

Tola, therefore, challenged the author, Kaduna State University and willing sponsors to help translate and act the book into English, Igbo and Yoruba languages for global acceptability.

In his remark, the Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan, praised the book, saying it captures how cervical cancer can be eliminated as a public health problem.

Hassan, who described ‘NADAMA’ as a drama that educates and informs, commended the author for her initiative in writing such a book.

On her part, the author (Usara) expressed optimism that the book would help protect women from the painful death of cervical cancer and encouraged other women to join her in the fight against cervical cancer.

She expressed gratitude to those who attended the event and acknowledged the late Dr Mardiya Zayyan for encouraging her to write the book and attributed it to her as a charity for imparting knowledge on her. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chidinma Agu/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

By Aderogba George

Mr Faruk Abubakar, the Secretary General/Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), has reiterated the council’s commitment toward having healthy mothers and babies in the country.
He made the pledge during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday on the occasion of the 2023 International Day of the Midwife.
The day is annually celebrated on May 5 to celebrate midwives’ commitment to saving lives and ensuring the health and wellbeing of women and newborn babies.
The 2023 edition has “Together Again: From Evidence to Reality” as its theme.
The NMCN registrar, therefore, stressed the importance of the day’s celebration, saying
“it is all about having healthy mothers and babies who can compete favourably for the growth of the nation.”
According to him, the more healthy mothers and babies a country can have, the more confidence there will be in the society.

He said that a nation with healthy mothers and infants would enable less or zero incidences of diseases, and that would allow mothers and women generally to be productive and contribute their quota to nation building.

Abubakar, who disclosed that there is no formal collaboration between Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) and trained midwives in the country, however, said NMCN had been training midwives to replace the TBAs.

He said “this is why we introduced community midwives to work in rural areas’ there is no any collaboration, but rather if we train them and they are available, that is better.

”That is why we are encouraging political leaders to support this crusade, identify a community, train him or her, and send such a person back to that community to contribute his or her quota.

“The council trained 6,700 nurses in the last six years and 21,700 nurses and midwives within that period of time

“This idea will surely replace the traditional birth attendants, that is what we are focusing on, and that is our strategy as a council.”

The registrar also said that Nigeria can achieve zero maternal mortality with increased commitment and political will.

He explained that the major constraint to achieving zero maternal mortality is the absence of skilled trained midwives.

He encouraged states and local governments to also work toward training nurses and midwives and not to leave the responsibility to Federal Government alone.

He said “if all the three tiers of government remain committed, achieving zero maternal mortality is possible.”

Abubakar said the council had increased the admission quota of students into midwifery schools, colleges and faculty of nursing in schools.

He stressed that “the major challenges of the council are inadequate budgetary provision and shortage of manpower.

Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in its statement to mark the 2023 International Day of the Midwife, said Nigeria needs 70,000 more midwives to close the shortage gap.

The statement indicated that the Fund’s Executive Director, Dr Natalia Kanem, quoted the 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery Report as putting the shortage of midwives in the country at 30,000, which is six per 10,000 people.

“To close the gap by 2030, about 70,000 more midwives are needed; but with current estimates, only 40,000 more will be created.

“This shortage is particularly acute in Northern Nigeria where essential needs for maternal and reproductive healthcare are unmet.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Folasade Akpan

Dr Nkolika Uwaezuoke, the Head of Department, Medical Microbiology, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi in Abuja, says practicing hand hygiene reduces mortality, morbidity, hospital stay and most importantly, saves lives.
She said this on Friday in Abuja during the hospital’s celebration of the 2023 World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) with the theme “Accelerate Action Together: SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) set aside May 5 every year to promote and raise awareness about
hand hygiene globally.
The day aims to mobilise people around the world to increase adherence to hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, thus protecting workers and patients
from infections.
This year campaign theme — “SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands”, is aligned with the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, and aims to recognise
nurses and midwives as frontline heroes who deserve acknowledgment and appreciation, and highlight their critical roles in infection prevention.
Uwaezuoke, therefore, said hand hygiene had been identified and proven to be the singular most important practice that reduces the transmission and spread of disease.
To this end, she said, it helps in preventing Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI).
She added that “non-practising of hand hygiene can lead to transmission of infections within the hospital; it is not just the patient, as it spreads from one person to the other.
“So, it is important that WHO has to dedicate a day to increase awareness on hand washing and hygiene. The day is set aside to create awareness on hand hygiene and when we say hand hygiene, we are talking essentially of two things.
“Hand washing using running tap water, and where you don’t have tap water, you use what we call Veronika buckets, which are plastic pockets with taps.
“The second is the use of alcohol-based hand drops, commonly known as hand sanitisers.”
She also said that hand hygiene is so important that healthcare workers are encouraged to practice because by so doing, they reduce the rate of transmission of infection within the hospital setting.
On the campaign objectives of the day, she said it is aimed at strengthening communities of actors in healthcare to accelerate action to improve hand hygiene and infection prevention and control at point of care.
She added that the hand hygiene campaign would also foster collaboration toward minimising the risk of infections and the development of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in healthcare.
The Deputy Head of the hospital’s Clinical Services, Dr Christopher Omage, who spoke on the theme of the celebration, said that the aim was to beam searchlight on teamwork as one person could not achieve it.
He said “the essence is to promote team work; involving hospital staff and the public to be aware that by just cleaning your hand, you can actually prevent the transmission of most diseases.
“Hospital staff should also be conscious at all times to ensure that they wash their hands to curtail the spread of infections.’’(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu