ODORBN Registrar Charges Optometrists On Rural Medical Interventions

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November 28, 2022

Prof. Ebele Uzodike, Registrar, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), has urged female optometrists to extend more medical outreaches to rural areas for more access to eye care.

Uzodike made this known at the maiden Women Optometrists in Nigeria (WON) Conference held in Lagos on Saturday which had its theme as ‘The Empowered Woman”

She commended the body for organising the conference which had brought women folk in the profession together to forge ahead.

The registrar noted that 70 per cent of optometrists in the country were women, adding that their contribution to optometry has transformed the profession.

Also speaking at the event was Dr Obinna Awiaka, the National President of Nigeria Optometric Association (NOA) who commended members of WON for all their giant strides and impact in optometry.

Awiaka noted that the association which remain an affiliate of NOA has contributed in no small measure in reducing blindness in the country.

Speaking earlier, Dr Ogechi Nwokedi, the President of WON, said the conference was initiated to avail women optometrists the opportunity to network, learn, share ideas and support one another.

Nwokedi said:”This conference has been long conceived and been birthed today for us to come together as one.

”The objective of this conference is geared at vision and sight conversation and also ensuring that people in remote areas are served.

”Also, as a way of supporting each other, several initiatives to educate, train and build capacity are being provided for members.”

She said that since its inception, the association had reached thousands of underprivileged Nigerians providing free eye care.

The President added that the body was looking forward to healthy national and global collaborations to enhance its objective, thereby transcending the shore Nigeria.

The guest speaker of the conference, Dr. Yetunde Adeshina, the Managing Director, Prima Garnet Africa, spoke on the topic: ”The Empowered Woman: The Woman, The Brand”.

The Wife of the Lagos State Governor and the wife of the state’s Deputy Governor were both represented at the the conference.

Lagos Begins 16 Days Activism To Tackle Sexual, Gender-Based Violence

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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November 28, 2022

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The Lagos State Government through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has began ”16 Days of Activism” to rid the state of the menace of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, kicked off the campaign in Ikeja.

She said that there was the need to tackle SGBV that individuals and communities faced, with a resultant impact, which in most cases was devastating to the victims.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs till Dec. 10, the Human Rights Day.

Viviour-Adeniyi said that the campaign would x-ray 16 pivotal ways to ameliorate and address the grappling issues of SGBV that individuals and communities are faced with, a resultant impact which in most cases is devastating to the good.

She said that each of the 16 Days of Activism would be saddled with a new hope, to be given by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

According to her, some of the activities earmarked for the campaign include Advocacy Walk in Epe; and Engagement of 3000 Children on Preventing Child Abuse.

Other activities include Door to Door Community Engagements, Market Fiestas and Engagement of the Youth.

The Executive Secretary said that the agency believed that preventive measures were the most efficient ways of addressing SGBV issues.

She said that DSVA had embarked on several advocacy programmes, which aimed at reducing SGBV to at least a barest minimum.

Viviour-Adeniyi said that the agency would be leveraging the global annual 16 days of activism to heighten awareness on the issues of gender-based violence, through several community engagement programmes.

LIMA AWARDS 2022: Record 100 Songs Make The Best Songs Of The Year Category

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Koko Lawrence

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November 28, 2022

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It was indeed a night of inspiration, glamour and beauty at the 2022 edition of the Loveworld International Music and Arts Awards which held at the prestigious Loveworld Camp Ground, Asese, South West Nigeria.

The night witnessed Loveworld’s finest in music, dance, films and the arts.

The event which was hosted by the president of Loveworld Incorporated, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, recognised the hardwork of singers, songwriters and those who worked behind the scenes.

One of the high points of the event, is the recognition of songs in a special category tagged- the best songs of the year.

Recall in 2021, this category had over sixty-four songs emerging, but this year it had a record- one hundred songs emerge. This was done through a selection process of two hundred songs.

More to come….

Morocco make history with victory over Belgium: Take-Aways

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Emenike Agu

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November 28, 2022

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Qatar’s World Cup is turning into a tournament of surprises, with Morocco the latest African nation to cause an upset, beating Belgium 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Kevin de Bruyne attempted to alleviate pressure on his own team in midweek by suggesting they had no chance at winning the tournament, yet this backfired in spectacular fashion.

Roberto Martinez‘s charges were slack, sloppy and second-best in a battle against a highly-motivated Moroccan outfit.

Having only just overcome Canada in the opening match, the European side needed to raise their performance levels, but simply could not match the motivation of their opponents.

• This is Belgium’s 50th match in FIFA World Cup history and they lost.

Take-Aways From Morocco’s Historic Defeat Of Belgium

• This is Morocco’s first win in the FIFA World Cup since a 3-0 victory over Scotland in 1998 and just their third win in the competition overall.

• All three victories in the FIFA World Cup for Morocco have come against European teams: 2-0 v. Belgium (27 November 2022), 3-0 v. Scotland (23 June 1998), 3-1 v. Portugal (11 June 1986).

• Morocco have not conceded a goal in their last six international matches.

• Zakaria Aboukhlal becomes Morocco’s third-youngest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history at the age of 22 years and 282 days.

• Abdelhamid Sabiri has scored his second international goal just a day before his 26 th birthday.

Best Selling Author, Chukwuka Monye Wins International Award

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Koko Lawrence

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November 28, 2022

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Social Innovator, Chukwuka Monye, on Saturday 20th November in Miami, USA, received what many publishers refer to as the Oscars of publishing – the 2021 Readers’ Favorite Award for his contribution to the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller – Business Success Secrets. He received the Silver Medallion for the non-fiction anthology category.

Reviewed by over a thousand accomplished authors, all the award-winning books are recognized to be revolutionary and impactful across all genres. The award held during the weeklong Miami Book Fair, organized by Miami Dade College, bring together hundreds of locally and internationally acclaimed authors to exhibit their work.

According to Monye in the book, “Great leadership and great businesses are always defined by three critical components – vision, good systems, and people”. In this ‘must read’, He also promoted transparent leadership but said that this leadership style is not appreciated by many in Nigeria, where being mostly dictatorial is believed to be the style that is effective.

Monye who has built what is now a multinational operations management consulting firm shared several success secrets in the book, one of which is that transformational leaders must become custodians of a ‘responsible culture’.

Pathologist Decries Challenges Posed By Kidney Diseases, Cancer

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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November 28, 2022

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Professor Mikhail Buhari, A Pathologist with the Department of Pathology in the University of Ilorin has lamented the magnitude of the challenges posed by kidney diseases and the increasing sophistication in the services offered by Clinical Medicine.

Professor Buhari expressed this view while presenting the 218th Inaugural Lecture of the University entitled:“ The Doctors’ Doctor: Doctor Weighing Clinical and Morphological Evidence to make life-changing decisions”.

He stressed the need for the government to create special centres for the management of cancers and kidney disorders, as he said these centres could be established on geopolitical regional basis.

The Inaugural Lecturer also stressed the need for institutions to generate their own Autopsy policies and for the various state governments to review the old Coroner law, saying it’s overdue since the old Coroner law that was enacted in 1944 was amended in 1958.

“Since then, only few States have proposed and passed amendments to these laws, principally Lagos state in 2007. It is desirable for other States to amend this law to reflect modern realities and scenarios,” he declared.

According to him, hospitals should also have well spelt out autopsy policies in order to derive the maximum benefits from the procedure.

The Pathologist harped on large scale investment in the creation of awareness on the various cancer screening programmes, considering the cancer burden and its attendant effects on the individual, families and the nation at large.

The Don therefore, urged the government to make available the right tools for General Pathological services.

He also called on the government to devise a means of retaining the best hands in the country beyond retirement age without necessarily putting the heavy burden on the institution.

Professor Buhari submitted that the autopsy rate was very low in Nigeria, due to the religious inclination of people. He described Autopsy pathology as the study of the cause and manner of death.

The expert who teaches in the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, of the University, asserts that Autopsy pathology was beneficial to physicians in establishing the diagnosis and determining the cause of death, and also in providing data needed to ensure quality assurance in medical practice.

Similarly, Buhari called on the government at all levels to create special centres for the management of cancers and kidney disorders across the country.

He suggested that such special management centres if required may be established on a geographical regional basis to treat cancers and kidney disorders.

According to him, there is a need for institutions to generate their own autopsy policies and for various state governments to review the old Coronal law.

The Don noted that large-scale investment in creating awareness on the various cancer screening programmes cannot be over-emphasised considering the cancer burden and its attendant effects on the individual, families, and nation.

Morocco’s Defeat Of Belgium Triggers Riots In Brussels

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Emenike Agu

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November 28, 2022

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Clashes in Brussels after the World Cup football match between Belgium and Morocco – Brussels, Belgium – November 27, 2022 A man with his face covered and a fire extinguisher is seen during clashes after the World Cup match between Belgium and Morocco

Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on Sunday after Morocco’s victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar triggered riots in Brussels with a car and some electric scooters set on fire.

The riots took place in several places across the Belgian capital where dozens of soccer fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police with water cannons and tear gas.

“Around 7 p.m. calm returned and preventive patrols remain in place in the sectors concerned,” police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere said.

“The rioters used pyrotechnic material, projectiles, sticks, and set fire on the public highway,” the police said. “Also, a journalist was injured in the face by fireworks. It is for these reasons that it was decided to proceed with a police intervention, with the deployment of water cannon and the use of tear gas,” the police said.

Ondo State Partners With NGOs On Tropical Disease Treatment

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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November 28, 2022

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Non governmental development organisation, the Mission to Save the Helpless and a philanthropic organisation, the ENDfund, have supported the Ondo State Government in tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases in the state.

The organisations also raised alarm over the increasing rate of NTDs in the state but said they would continue to support the state government, particularly by offering free hydrocele for the people and also in the management of lymphoedema also known as elephantiasis.

Speaking at the inauguration of a free hydrocelectomy surgery and management of lymphoedema for Ondo residents at the General Hospital Idanre, the Executive Director of the MITOSATH, Dr. Francisca Olamiju, disclosed that over 6 million people had been treated by the organisation in the state since 2015.

Represented by the senior programme manager of the organisation, Mrs Ijeoma Achu said, “Officially since 2015, we delivered nothing less than 6 million treatments.” The free surgery was organised by the Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with MITHOSATH and EndFund, noting that the high rate of the NTDs in the state was lack of proper awareness to the residents.

Repositioning Of PHCs Is To Meet Service Delivery Expectations- Dr. Ehanire

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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November 28, 2022

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The Nigerian Government says Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities has not met expectations due to inadequate funding.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made this known at the National Health Dialogue, organized by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and its sister organisation Premium Times, with the themed, Primary Health Care Financing: Role of State and Non state actors in Abuja. He said that shortage and mis-distribution of healthcare workers, dilapidated infrastructure and weak referral systems are also issues affection the PHCs.

Dr. Ehanire noted that the inadequacy in funding for the primary healthcare system has negatively impacted the delivery of services such as immunization and maternal and child health services. “The 1978 Alma Ata declaration and the recent 2018 Astana declaration on Primary Healthcare, indicate the need for a multi-sectorial approach to primary healthcare with the involvement of different stakeholders, including the community. Both declarations call for adequate financing for Primary Health Care systems to ensure optimal access to quality healthcare services at the community level. Robust primary healthcare financing in Nigeria would require collaborative efforts of both state and non-state actors.”

He pointed out that Nigeria has continued to make efforts to improve the proportion of resources allocated to the primary healthcare system across the country, with innovations such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which has been a game changer and resulted in increased financing for the primary healthcare system through the different gateways.

The minister also said that the Federal Government’s next level agenda provides mandatory health insurance for Nigerians and guarantees a basic package of health service at no cost to citizens through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund of the National Health Act.

On his part, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Walter Mulombo, disclosed that the National Health Account estimates that 16.6% of the Current Health Expenditure is from Government (Federal, State, and LGA), 11.8% is from development partners while 3.6% is from Insurance. He said that number of persons paying for healthcare out of pocket was with catastrophic potentials was still high.

He urged governments at all levels to complement themselves and collaborate with non state actors including the private sector to boost healthcare. Non State Actors have therefore been integral partners towards ensuring that no one experiences financial hardship and unmet. In her presentation, the Director of PHC System Development of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ngozi Nwosu who highlighted the Federal Government’s efforts to improve PHC said, the introduction of the NHAct 2014 is to provide access to health services for all Nigerians and increased investment through the BHCPF which is at least 1% CRF.

She further said the Primary Healthcare Under One Roof (PHCUOR) scorecard mechanism to improve quality through rigorous assessment of PHC Systems.

Exploring Praia de Atalanta, Cape Verde

By

Angel Gimalo

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November 27, 2022

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Praia de Atalanta, also known as Praia Grande, Praia das Dunas, Praia do Norte or Praia de Espingueira, is a very popular beach which is located to the northwestern part of the island of Boa Vista, within the Republic of Cabo Verde.

Popular for tours that are organized by the locals, the beach is not so crowded since it requires a bit of an effort and time to reach it via long and bumpy journey, however, it is definitely worth going there.

With very tiny dunes spread all around the area, the barren landscape is what one could expect from the island, nonetheless, the most popular feature is the Spanish freighter, Cabo Santa Maria, which wrecked in the shallow waters of Praia de Atalanta in September 1968.

As the ship carried important gifts from Argentina and Brazil for the Spanish dictator General Franco, with the fog, strong currents and winds which are quite often in the area, it “strayed” away from its original path.

Sadly, with the years and rough salty water from the Atlantic Ocean, the wreckage is slowly but surely crumbling which most likely in a couple of years will disappear completely.

The Atalanta Beach is also part of the Boa Esperança Nature Reserve which is slowly gaining greater importance among the locals who try to protect it from the litter which is visible in some points.

A definite striking location from the tiny nation of Cape Verde which deserves to be visited by all those tourists coming to the island, with hope that there will be a greater protection, not just for the beach, but also the wildlife which is spawning here.