Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, recently in Benin blamed increasing rate of drug abuse in the state on the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) strike.

Reviewing the state’s security situation for the months of February, March and April, Gov. Obaseki said Edo recorded 19 drug abuse cases in February, 34 cases in March and 23 cases in April.

“Drug abuse is now number two issue of concern in our state. Our analysis shows that there is high rate of drugs abuse

“This is not unconnected with the ASUU strike which has kept many students at home and idle,’’ the governor said.

The review came after a joint security meeting between the state government and representatives of various security agencies in the state.

“I use the opportunity of this meeting to appeal to ASUU and the Federal Government to do all they can to end this strike as soon as possible.

“This is in the interest of the children so that we do not keep them at home and destroying their lives.

“If they are not going to school, as you know the idle mind is a devil’s workshop. One way we hope that we can reduce the use of drugs is if we take these children back to school.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the promotion of healthy living among Nigerians.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, NYSC, Mr Eddy Megwa, on Friday in Abuja.

At the ceremony, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, said that youth corps members’ presence in all the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the country would be a good driver of the initiative.

This, she said, was because they would serve as change agents to sensitise Nigerians to the dangers of drug abuse and expired drugs, especially at the grassroots.

She said that the agency’s mandate was to safeguard the health of Nigerians alongside the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

“The MSMEs are the ones that actually drive the economy and having NAFDAC desks in the 774 LGAs will bring NAFDAC closer to the people through the youth corps members,” she said.

The Director-General of NYSC, Maj.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, represented by the Director, Legal Services, Mr Ibrahim Tijani, assured that the scheme would abide by the terms of the MoU.

He commended NAFDAC for the initiative adding that youth corps members would be helpful in the collaboration, given the successes they had recorded in previous national assignments.

Also, Mr Abdulrasaq Salawu, the Director, Community Development Service and Special Projects of NYSC, said the MoU was long overdue.

He added that corps members would always be ready to create awareness on government’s programmes and activities geared toward national development.

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) says it has launched a new Dialysis Unit to improve health outcomes for patients battling kidney diseases.

The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, disclosed this in a statement issued by Oluwaseyi Adewale, the Head of Public Affairs Department of LASUTH recently in Lagos.

Fabamwo said the dialysis unit would enhance health outcomes for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), acute kidney injuries and end stage renal disease.

According to him, the unit has eight dialysis stations which cater for a minimum of 22 sessions daily and 660 dialysis sessions monthly.

He explained that the latest unit was in addition to the existing six dialysis machines in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital.

He added that “LASUTH is the first public tertiary hospital in Lagos State to have a Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) machine.

“This is a 24-hour non-stop dialysis machine used to support unstable patients with renal failure.

“The Unit also has two dedicated machines for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis patients.”

Fabamwo said that the dialysis machine performed the kidney functions of filtering waste products and excess fluid from a patient’s blood when the kidneys malfunction.

According to him, the most common form of dialysis is haemodialysis with a session taking four hours and done three times a week. “The new Dialysis Unit of LASUTH will be providing standard haemodialysis care to patients with all spectrums of renal diseases requiring dialysis.”

Fabamwo said that the goal was to ensure a safe procedure with the best possible therapeutic outcome using the latest technology, convenient scheduling and dedicated staff.

The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN) has called for the inclusion of children with disabilities into regular schools as a means of ending every form of discrimination against them.

The National Director, TLMN, Dr Sunday Udo, made this known on Thursday, in Abuja during the annual advocacy Campaign “We Ring a Bell” aimed at creating awareness on Rights of Children with disabilities.

Udo said that the TLMN, a Strategic Partner Organisation of the Liliane Foundation was urging governments to implements legal, regulatory and policy frameworks to ensure access to quality education for children with disabilities.

Udo who was represented by Mr Pius Ogbu, TLMN’s Head of Programmes and Operations said that like every other facility, children with disabilities should access same school as other children.

He, however, noted that teachers should be given special trainings on how to cater for children with disabilities and special needs in the classrooms.

“What we are saying is that we want an inclusive society, where everybody should be able to access any services that is needed to be access.

“In the same way, when it comes to education, every child should be able to walk into a school within their community and still be able to access education.

“Even though you find yourself in a community where there is one school. That school should be able to cater for you, to provide the necessary education that you need.

“Children with special intellectual disability will require some level of special structures and provisions.

“But, generally, other children with disabilities like visually impaired or physically disabled should be able to fit into every other schools that we find around us,” Udo said.

“For us as the Leprosy Mission, we have made a commitment that children with disabilities will not be left behind.

“The opportunity of using the we ring the bell as a campaign and as a slogan is to one; speak to parents who have children with disabilities to say that there is hope for these children.

“These children have rights, these children have opportunities and we are using this as a means to say bring these children out, you have a helping hand, an organisation that is willing to stand by you.

“Secondly, we are saying to the government that you have a responsibility to ensure that once you have made a commitment, it must be followed through with actions, with the implementation of the necessary frameworks.

“Thirdly, for the children, we are saying to them that this We ring the Bell, your voices are being heard,” Udo said.

Mr Aturu Jonah, Director, FCT Department of Special Needs Education said that the FCT Education Secretariat had taken conscious efforts to implement policies on inclusive education.

Jonah said that they were also working in particular to address the gaps that were noticeable in the inclusive education sector, particularly for learners at all levels.

According to him, the policy is receiving the ministerial attention. We are most inclined to providing education for all with no exceptions.

Jonah commended TLMN for championing the campaign as he called for consorted efforts of developing partners and the government to address the challenges of children with disabilities.

NAN reports that the event ended with stakeholders “Ringing” the bell to resound the message.

The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) recently in Abuja inducted 339 foreign graduates of Medical Laboratory Science to carryout quality medical laboratory services in the country.

The Registrar, MLSCN, Dr Tosan Erhabor, said it was the first time to have such number inducted into the profession.

He said that the foreign graduates were referred as candidates with bachelor’s degree or other recognised qualifications in medical laboratory or biomedical science obtained outside Nigeria.

He said that the council at inception saw lot of gaps in the practice but as of date, it had a one year intensive training before the person can be allowed to practice as a medical laboratory scientist.

Erhabor advised the inductees to be accurate and ensure that they carry out research as lot of innovation were coming up.

He said that the council was known for its integrity commitment, professionalism, excellence, efficiency with team work.

According to him, the inductees play a vital role in the healthcare service of the country and so must be accurate in what they do.

He said that the issue of wrong diagnosis of sample was paramount to the council and has ensured that medical professionals were given license with monitoring.

According to him, the council ensures that the universities that trained them have the requirements needed and accreditation issued to them.

Dr Osaretin Agbonlahor, Assistant Director, Head Public Health Laboratory and Institutional Advisor said during induction lecture the council had zero tolerance on professionalism.

Agbonlahor advised the inductees to practice the rule of conduct and also carry out investigation on any sample the collected.

He urged them to practice secrecy because patients’ issues are not to be discussed.