666 medicine shops shut down in Kaduna – Newstrends
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666 medicine shops shut down in Kaduna

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666 medicine shops shut down in Kaduna

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has shut down 666 illegal medicine shops in Kaduna State for operating illegally and violating National Drug Distribution Guidelines.

The enforcement exercise, which began earlier in the week, targeted open drug markets and other locations across the state, where medicines were being sold without proper registration and supervision.

The move aims to ensure the safe and effective distribution of medicines, protect public health, and prevent the sale of harmful substances in the state.

Addressing a press conference after the end of the exercise in Kaduna on Thursday, PCN Director of Enforcement, Pharm. Stephen Esumobi said the affected premises included 47 pharmacies, 313 patent medicine shops, and 306 illegal medicine shops.

Esumobi noted that the PCN team visited 895 premises during the exercise, issuing 9 compliance directives to owners of shops found to be operating illegally.

According to him, medicine shops were sealed for offences ranging from the sale of medicines in the open drug market, operating without registration with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Poor documentation, Poor storage facilities, and Stocking of Ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist.

“The PCN will not tolerate the sale of medicines in open drug markets and other unregistered locations,” Esumobi said while adding that “we will continue to enforce the National Drug Distribution Guidelines to protect public health and prevent the sale of harmful substances.”

He added the medicine shops in open drug markets and some other locations across Kaduna state were not registered by the Pharmacy Council and are operating illegally.

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The development, he argued, posed a great danger to public health because storage conditions of medicines in such premises were at variance with manufacturers’ recommendations.

“The implication of this is that most of the medicines sold in these locations may no longer be fit for human consumption due to degradation of the active ingredients,” he said.

Esumobi warned that the PCN would not hesitate to take further action against erring medicine dealers, adding that the council would assist owners of sealed shops who were willing to comply with regulations.

He said, ”The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PC) is the Federal Government Parastatal charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the education, training and practice of pharmacy in all its aspects and ramifications in line with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Establishment Act 2022.

“One major obstacle militating against the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines in Nigeria is the sale of medicines in open drug markets.

“The PCN had communicated severally with the relevant stakeholders in the state including the medicine dealers in open drug markets in Zaria and Kaduna city on the need to relocate to registrable locations or a coordinated wholesale centre as their activities are in total violation of the National Drug
Distribution Guidelines.”

He added that “at the end of the enforcement exercise which began early this week, a total of eight hundred and ninety-five (895) premises were visited. This is made up of seventy-five (75) pharmacies, five hundred and fourteen (514) Patent medicine shops and three hundred and six (306) illegal premises.

“A total of six hundred and sixty-six (666) premises were sealed. The premises sealed include forty-seven (47) pharmacies, three hundred and thirteen (313) Patent medicine shops and three hundred and six (306) illegal medicine shops.

“The PC office in Kaduna will render all necessary assistance to owners of sealed shops who are willing to comply with regulations.”

666 medicine shops shut down in Kaduna

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OSSAP-SDGs inaugurates 20-bed health centre in Oyo community

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From left: House of Reps member, Prince Akeem Adeyemi; Nura Ali Rano, Representing OSSAP-SDGs; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu; Senator Yunus Akintunde, and Oyo APC Chairman, Alhaji Moshood Abass, during the cutting of the tape to inaugurate the health centre

OSSAP-SDGs inaugurates 20-bed health centre in Oyo community 

The Office of Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals has inaugurated a 20-bed primary health centre and renovated the existing primary health facility at Isokun in the Oyo West area of Oyo State.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, at a brief handover ceremony, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his leadership and dedication to collaborating with sub-national governments to deliver crucial interventions and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria.

Represented by Nura Ali Rano at the event, Orelope-Adefulire stressed the importance of the SDGs as a global call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030.

She also spoke on the need to prioritize interventions with significant impact on multidimensional poverty, such as basic healthcare, vocational skills development and education, in alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She said strategic projects such as the Mother and Child Centre had become essential given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oyo Central Senator, Dr Yunus Akintunde, who facilitated the project, expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu and OSSAP-SDGs for selecting his constituency for the significant project.

He described the primary health centre as the biggest in Oyo State while emphasising the state’s commitment to fully utilising the facility, as part of a broader plan to of mitigation that will reduce the need for residents to seek medical treatment outside the constituency.

Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu commended OSSAP-SDGs for the good job and bringing such a world-class facility to the Oyo central constituency.

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Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk

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Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk

Using mobiles and laptops may increase the risk of dementia, a physiotherapist has warned.

Dr Solomon Abrahams, a lecturer at the Imperial College of Medicine and University College London, says everyone is guilty of the habit.

His analysis suggests that the posture people adopt while using their devices can reduce blood flow to the brain, which leads to cognitive decline.

Research has previously shown that more time spent on cognitively passive behaviours — like watching TV — leads to an increased risk of dementia, regardless of physical activity levels. However, cognitively active passive activities — like using the computer — were associated with a lower dementia risk.

Abrahams who has reviewed research on the subject says ’emerging evidence and clinical trials have indicated the potential consequences for cognitive and neurological health’.

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“The persistent pressure on the arteries by holding your head in a forward position, as many people do when looking at their phones, can lead to a chronic reduction in the diameter of those arteries, potentially reducing the amount of blood which can reach the brain.

“Any restriction in these blood vessels may cause a decrease in blood flow to the brain, resulting in various brain-related diseases.”

According to Abrahams, Alzheimer’s disease is going to become more prevalent as the population ages, but his research points to daily habits of poor posture from staring down at our phones as a potential cause of an increase in cases.”

In his advice, he said “Hold your phone somewhere where you don’t need to bend forward. Take a positive step in your spine and brain health by using your phone when you can keep your neck in its natural alignment, and when you use a laptop, adjust your working environment to support a healthy posture.”

Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk

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Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough

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Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough

The first two Sickle Cell Disease patients admitted to the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria/Lagos University Teaching Hospital, SCFN/LUTH, Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Lagos, have been discharged and are under observation.

The patients, one paediatric and one adult, successfully underwent the first-of-its-kind Bone Marrow Transplant, BMT,  in Nigeria and West Africa, heralding a groundbreaking achievement for Nigerian healthcare.

The feat was achieved at the state-of-the-art Centre following weeks of meticulous care and preparation, including chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and bone marrow stem cells harvested from family donors, then infused into the patients.

With this achievement, the SCFN in partnership with LUTH is the first non-profit organisation in Africa to lead a comprehensive bone marrow transplant initiative for sickle cell disorder.

The milestone marks a significant step forward in the treatment of sickle cell disease and other blood disorders and positions Nigeria as a hub in West Africa for advanced medical care particularly in hematology-oncology.

The Centre, equipped with advanced technology and staffed by highly skilled medical professionals, provides a comprehensive range of services for patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, even as no less than 127 potentially qualified patients are lined up to undergo the procedure.

The achievement is particularly significant for Nigeria, which has one of the highest burdens of SCD globally. Before the establishment of the center, Nigerian patients seeking bone marrow transplants had no option but to seek treatment abroad, often incurring significant costs and facing challenges related to access and affordability.

One of the mothers of the discharged patients said, “Our Bone Marrow Transplant experience has been remarkable, filled with hope and certainty. I felt confident in the exceptional care we received at the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria/LUTH BMT Centre. From the moment of admission to discharge, the medical staff provided round-the-clock attention,” said the mother of one of the discharged patients.

In the views of the Chairman, Board of Directors. Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria, Chief Tunde Afolabi, SCFN’s journey is far from over.

Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough

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