Senegal has launched the global mercy, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, in the port of Dakar where it will stay for four weeks to train health professionals.
The giant ship – measuring 174 meters long and 28.6 meters wide and comprising 12 decks – arrived Friday in the port of Dakar and will be there until the end of June, before returning in 2023 to offer surgical care to poor populations.
The global mercy hospital covers about 7,000 square meters, and includes “six operating theatres, 102 acute care beds, seven intensive care beds and 90 convalescent beds,” according to a statement from the international NGO mercy ships, which works to improve access to health care in developing countries in Africa.
Based on the organization’s 43 years of experience and more than five years of studying specifically the results of the Africa mercy, a hospital ship that has been in service since 2007 to help the poorest in west and central Africa, mercy ship wanted to add another ship of “greater capacity” and “with the same objectives.
During its stay in Senegal, the crew intends to participate in the training of 260 Senegalese health professionals, alongside the crew of the Africa Mercy, which has been in the port of Dakar since February (until November) and is performing surgery on board.
At the end of June, the global mercy will return to the Canary Islands for the “complete and final dressing of the ship”.
Mercy ships plans to return in early 2023 to conduct training and surgery: maxillofacial and reconstructive surgery, tumour removal, cleft lip and palate repair, obstetric fistula repair, etc.
The health ministers of Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Cameroon and Congo-Brazzaville were also present.
Some Non-Governmental Organisations have called on the Federal Government to reinvigorate the enforcement of the smoke-free public places policy and the ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships.
The call was made at a news conference organised in commemoration of the 2022 World No Tobacco Day, with the theme, Protect the Environment.
The organisations are, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa.
The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA), Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, urged the Federal Government to look inwards and revisit the status of tobacco control in the country.
According to him, Section 9 of the Act, provides Designated Smoking Areas to be created where there is a sufficient number of rooms where smoking is prohibited.
The CAPPA chief to state these are places where hazard exists due to tobacco smoke exposure. He said, due to the lacuna in the Act, Nigerians, including children who were non smokers were exposed to second hand smoke, daily in many indoor public spaces.
“Non smokers working in bars and restaurants where cigarettes, shisha and other tobacco products are brazenly displayed and consumed are also victims.
“In the light of the above, CAPPA recommends that the Nigerian government should reinvigorate the enforcement of the smoke free public places policy.
“Government should enforce the ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships, as it pertains to the entertainment and movies sector.’’
According to him, it should promote inter agency collaboration and synergy in the enforcement of the ban on TAPS and the smoke free public places policy.
“Government should also initiate or strengthen schemes to make tobacco manufacturers responsible for the environmental and economic costs of tobacco product waste,’’ he said.
The Project Officer, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Mr. Nwokorie Chibuike, called the government to provide support to tobacco farmers to switch to an alternative.
According to him, from cultivation, which involves the use of pesticides that are harmful to tobacco growers, to the cutting and burning of trees for tobacco curing, which leads to deforestation.
He said, a more viable and sustainable livelihood, to reduce the environmental impact of tobacco growing, curing and manufacturing should be provided.
Mrs. Hilda Ochefu, Sub-Regional Coordinator for West Africa, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called for citizens’ advocacy and enforcement of the smoke-free public places policy.
Ochefu said, every Nigerian had a role to play in the advocacy and enforcement of the smoke-free public places policy
She said that citizens’ participation would go a long way in preventing tobacco smoking from endangering the future and health of Nigerians, especially children.
Mr. Austine Iraoya, a Research Associate with the Centre for the Study of the Economics of Africa, urged the Federal Government to increase 25 per cent tax on tobacco to 75 per cent to meet WHO standards.
“Globally, tobacco smoking keeps reducing in other continents but in Africa, it keeps increasing due to lack of control and enforcement of the smoke-free public places policy.
“The Economic Community of West African States tax on tobacco is 50 per cent while WHO standard is 75 per cent.
“Nigerian government needs to increase its 25 per cent to 75 per cent, as part of measures to control tobacco smoking in Nigeria.
“It is imperative because tobacco is not only harmful to the environment but also endangers the health of consumers and non consumers.’’
Kaduna State Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Programme, has recorded 4,506 TB cases in the state.
The State Programme Manager, Dr Sadiq Idris, made this known. He said that the programme has expanded its services in the state to 976 treatment centres and all patients have been placed on free treatment.
“These centres, cover all the 31 general hospitals, 672 primary health centres, 222 private health facilities, 48 faith based facilities and three tertiary centres (68 per cent facility coverage) in the state.
“The state government has also procured five mobile diagnostic trucks equipped with digital X-ray machines and 10 colour gene expert machines for the integrated diagnosis of tuberculosis, and various other diseases in remote communities across the state. This will no doubt increase tuberculosis case findings in the state.
“The programme planned to intensify its tuberculosis case finding activities, through community active search, increased access to services through dots expansion, intensified out patients door screening and tuberculosis patient contact investigation
“It would also intensify its private sector engagement and increase pediatric diagnosis, through engagement of nutrition clinics, chest X-ray and stool testing for tuberculosis.
“The support of the general public is necessary in order for us to identify all the tuberculosis cases in communities and move towards its elimination.
“Any cough that lasts for two weeks or more could be tuberculosis, diagnosis and treatment are free and are widely available across the state. Tuberculosis is treatable and curable,” he said.
Teachers say more children should be given free school meals to help tackle the rising cost of living in England.
11 educational groups said in a letter seen by UK media, that all children from families who receive universal credit should be eligible as part of an “urgent” expansion of the scheme.
Around one in five pupils about 1.7 million children, receive free school meals.
In its response, government said it recognised households were struggling adding that it had expanded access to the meals more than any other government in recent decades.
The prices of food, fuel and other goods have surged in recent months in the UK, pushing inflation to a 40-year high.
Measures the government have announced to try to tackle the rising cost of living include a £400 energy bill discount for every household.
But the joint letter, sent to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi by education unions and other organisations claiming to represent one million school staff in England, said vulnerable children not receiving free school meals were facing a real barrier to learning.
In England, all infant state school pupils up to Year Two can get free school meals during term time.
For English pupils in Year Three and above, those living in households on income-related benefits (such as universal credit) are eligible, as long as their annual household income does not exceed £7,400 after tax. That figure does not include welfare payments.
In Northern Ireland the cap is set at £14,000 a year.
Scotland and Wales have recently committed to rolling out free school meal provision to all primary pupils.
The latest call for change follows footballer Marcus Rashford’s successful campaign to extend free school meal vouchers into school holidays during the pandemic.
According to data from the Food Foundation charity, an estimated 2.6 million children in the UK live in households that missed meals or struggled to access healthy food during April.
The High Court in Wales has given a group opposed to plans to make relationship and sexuality education (RSE) compulsory the right to challenge it in the courts.
The Welsh government is making the changes in its new curriculum which will be launched in primary schools in September this year, and in secondary schools in 2023..
Public Child Protection Wales say parents will be disenfranchised from their right to remove children from sex education classes.
Though the Welsh government says pupils will learn topics that are age appropriate, part of the plans makes it impossible for parents to remove their children from RSE classes.
The Welsh relationship and sexuality education code says that “over time, learners can explore how relationships, sex, gender, romantic and sexual attraction and personal experiences may shape and inform a person’s identity and individuality”.
Public Child Protection Wales, which has won the right to seek a judicial review into the plan, believe mandatory teaching will mean “very young children will be introduced to sensitive and inappropriate topics, such as gender ideology, and that they will be disenfranchised by being denied their time-honoured right to remove their child from sex education”.
A claimant in the case, Kim Isherwood, said Children should not be used for political ideological experiments in relation to identity and sexuality.
However, High Court judge, Justice Turner, in granting the group’s request, said the issues raised on behalf of the claimants “involve the consideration of complex constitutional matters with potentially very significant consequences for both parents and children”.
The group said the case will be heard in the High Court in Cardiff with a date yet to be set.
A $81 million (about Rwf82 billion) project that would be financed by the loan from the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has not yet started five years after the loan agreement was signed between Rwanda and the financier.
The project is part of the ongoing government efforts to improve the quality of technical education through scaling up technical skills which are considered to be crucial to reducing unemployment, poverty and enhancing social development.
The $81 million credit line which was signed between the two parties in 2017 was meant to finance the establishment of 10 vocational training centres and four business incubation centres, respectively in ten and four districts.
It was expected that the project would be completed by the end of next year (2023).
Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) Director General, Paul Umukunzi, told lawmakers that the nature of the project itself makes it very difficult to implement.
He said it is a major issue that the project has not yet been executed five years after the agreement to implement it was reached.
During the budget hearings with the National Budget and Patrimony committee, officials from the Ministry of Education and RTB told the lawmakers that the project has stalled because of the very demanding loan.
The delay of the project was flagged in the report by the Auditor General, which was recently tabled before parliament.
The officials have now said that the project was being revised as an attempt to put to use these funds.
Paul Umukunzi, the Director-General of Rwanda TVET Board
However, by the time of audit in March 2022, the planned activities had not yet been executed. The loan disbursed as at 30 June 2021 was $172,700 (representing 0.21 per cent) while over $80.8 million (representing 99 per cent) remained unwithdrawn.
Implications of delay
Consequently, the Auditor General’s report said, the delay in implementation of project planned activities deprives the country of necessary infrastructure for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Umukunzi said that the rise in prices of goods and services on the market, is also aggravating the situation. This, he indicated, is leading to the revision of the project scope, which implies the money could do less than what it could initially do.
Going forward, Umukunzi said that once the lender has approved the new scope, Indian companies will compete for the tender, pointing out that they expect to get those firms by the end of August this year.
Also, he said that they expect that by the end of November this year, one or two Indian firms will have been contracted to implement the project.
The President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Prof. Taiwo Obindo, has urged loved ones and associates of persons battling depression to always stay close to them to ensure they are not lonely.
The mental health expert also urged loved ones of persons with depression to always keep sharp and dangerous objects such as knives and guns away from them to discourage them from self-harm.
According to him, families need to be more sensitive to the attitude of their loved ones battling with depression, especially when they notice a sudden or gradual change in the way they are behaving, stressing that such persons should not be allowed to be lonely.
The psychiatrist noted that there is also a link between loneliness and depression, adding that somebody who is lonely could become depressed.
Depression, he warned, could lead to suicidal thoughts if the person fails to seek help.
Obindo advice came as a reaction to the death of a Lagos accountant, Folake Abiola, who was said to have committed suicide at her residence at Osapa London, in the Lekki area of Lagos State at the weekend.
He warned against the use of stigmatising words against people battling mental health problems, noting that anybody could come down with a mental illness.
The Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Jos urged family members to always ensure that their loved ones suffering from depression seek help from mental health personnel and not from spiritualists and traditional healers.
45-year-old Folake was at her house on Friday when she allegedly drank what was suspected to be insecticide.
She was said to have died shortly after, as her family members, friends and men of the Nigeria Police Force met her lying motionless.
A colleague of the deceased, who spoke to Newsmen on condition of anonymity, said Abiola had been suffering from depression for years, adding that the news of her death was shocking.
Depression
Contrary to claims on online platforms that Abiola committed suicide due to loneliness, and lack of a husband, among others, the colleague said her associates knew that she had been in romantic relationships, adding that she ended them due to depression.
Speaking further with our correspondent, Prof. Obindo, said anybody with a brain can develop mental illness irrespective of his or her social status, adding that mental illness has different variations from mild to moderate to severe.
The psychiatrist explained, “Mental illness is not attached to social status but it could be more rampant in those who have lower socioeconomic status based on the pressures they go through. The prevalence of depression generally is said to be between five to 10 percent of the population.
“Some of the causes of depression are chemical-based changes in the chemical structures of the brain.
“It has been found that those who have low serotonin whether due to genetics or medication can have depression.
“Changes in those chemicals in the brain can predispose an individual to develop a mental illness.
“Having psycho-social issues could also be a factor.
“Even the kind of messages the individual posts on social media can be an indicator of depression.”
Giving further insight into depression and loneliness, he said, “Loneliness and depression could be like the case of an egg and the chicken, which one comes first.
“Somebody who is depressed can feel or become lonely and somebody who is lonely who desires to have a relationship, who desires to have help and is not getting it can become depressed.
“Family members need to be more sensitive and alert to behaviour changes and attitude of their loved ones and friends.
“If they noticed any changes or unusual behaviour, they should take them to the hospital to see a mental health expert.
“They should keep dangerous objects such as guns and knives away from such individuals who are depressed. They should not allow them to stay too long alone.”
According to him, seeing mental health personnel is not bad, it’s just the stigma that people attach to it.
“Seeing mental health personnel is just like seeing other healthcare providers, they can discuss and then ask questions.
“The same way the heart or breast can be ill, it is also the same way the brain can be ill,” he added.
On symptoms of depression that family members and friends should look out for, Prof. Obindo, said minor infractions become a big burden on the mind of people who are depressed.
He identified loss of appetite, low mood, sleep issues, fatigue, and loss of interest as other symptoms of depression.
“The individuals feel unhappy, sad, and subsequently lose interest in things they usually derive pleasure from. They will not be interested in a relationship, or sexual interaction; they feel hopeless and worthless.
“The way they see the future is often from the negative side. Concentration and memory will be poor. They would not want to interact with others. They would prefer to be alone by themselves.
“They tend to see something minor as a big thing.
“They feel guilty even about the things that have happened in the past. Past experiences become weighty in their mind. And this could lead them to thoughts of killing themselves,” he noted
Prof. Obindo urged the Federal Government to pass the Mental Health Bill into law, stressing that passing the bill would help address mental health problems in Nigeria.
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says it would further screen 27,105 results of candidates who sat for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME for which a total of about 1,707,626 candidates sat.
Even as results of 1,671,203 candidates have so far been released, leaving only 69 others withheld, JAMB said over 27,000 of the results were undergoing scrutiny.
The examination board stated this in its weekly news bulletin released in Abuja.
JAMB said 69 results have so far been withheld and 27,105 were undergoing further screening, while 1,783 candidates, who experienced biometric challenges were being investigated to ascertain their claims.
In a related development, the board said it conducted the 2022 UTME for foreign candidates on Saturday adding that the exercise took place in five of its nine foreign centres and was a complete success.
JAMB said the centres where the examination were held include Accra, Ghana; Johannesburg, South Africa; Buea, Cameroun, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire and Cotonou, Benin Republic even as it said the 2022 Foreign UTME will take place in Berlin, Germany; London, UK, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and New York, United States of America in due course.
It further explained that the exercise was part of the board’s largesse towards providing succour to foreign candidates who signaled interest to attend Nigerian tertiary institutions in its academic year.
The board said its International policy on test administration, aims at attracting more foreign candidates to the nation’s tertiary institutions and the policy has been yielding positive results.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, winners of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, have raised $900,000 for their country’s military by auctioning their winners’ trophy.
The auction for the crystal microphone trophy was conducted via social media on Sunday by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
The group posted a thank you message on social media after the sale, That read in part, “You guys are amazing! We appreciate each and every one of you who donated to this auction and a special thanks to Team WhiteBIT who purchased the trophy for $900,000 and are now the rightful owners of our trophy. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,”
The funds raised will be used to buy the PD-2 unmanned aerial drone system, which includes three aircraft and a ground control station, for the Ukrainian military. Kalush Orchestra performed at a charity concert at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in order to raise money for medicines and other supplies
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has hinted that the Education Ministry will from July this year begin the training of 100,000 public pre-tertiary teachers from the northern sector of this country in digital literacy.
The training which would be supervised by the National Teaching Council (NTC) would be executed by SteadyX, an international IT Consortium and it will equip the teachers with skills in teaching in a digital age, teaching with multimedia and cybersecurity among others.
Rev. Fordjour, disclosed this in an interview at the side-lines of the 50th anniversary, Speech and Prize Giving Day for Yendi Senior High School in the Northern region.
He stated that the training of 100 master trainers for the programme will begin on 30th May 2022 in Accra.
The Deputy Minister stated that President Nana Akufo-Addo-led government was poised in equipping teachers with the requisite skills to enhance their teaching skills to make them much more productive in their field.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said, apart from the upcoming training for teachers from the northern sector, there has been several training for some teachers in the country as part of the gradual training of all teachers in the country.
He mentioned that the MoE and the NTC in collaboration with Commonwealth Learning (an International Intergovernmental Organisation solely concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning) trained 1050 teachers across the country in digital literacy between May and June last year.
He added that Instil Education, another IT company which has targeted training 10,000 teachers in digital literacy between June and December this year has already trained 5500 teachers and 38 master trainers for the national training programme.
Rev.Ntim Fordjour revealed that under the Ghana Accountability of Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), 43,000 teachers in the project schools have also been trained in digital literacy all geared towards ensuring that teachers in the country irrespective of location or status can make good use of IT in their teaching and learning experiences.
The Deputy Minister indicated that MoE and NTC have established a viable collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning which was ready to support the establishment of an Open University in Ghana.
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