Govt Introduces Sickle Cell Drug
From OKUMEPHUNA CHUKWUNWIKE, Abuja
Succour may have finally come the way of sickle cell sufferers as the Federal Government will soon introduce the first ever indigenous traditional medicine for the management of the disease.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo who disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while presenting a keynote address to mark the African Traditional
Medicine Day with the theme, "Moving African Health Agenda Forward with Traditional Medicine," also disclosed that the National Traditional Medicine Policy for the country will debut by the end of this year.
According to Lambo, the Federal Government is interested in the area of research into herbs to find lasting solution to many diseases afflicting
the nation and, as a demonstration of the commitment, established the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) with a mandate to research and develop herbal medicines for the treatment of diseases common in the country.
"To fulfill this mandate, the institute collaborates with herbal medical practitioners to investigate their claims while being mindful of the Intellectual Property Rights of the practitioners," he said. "I am pleased to
mention a success story from the institute by way of the development of herbal preparation for the management of sickle cell disease. The starting formula for the medicine was obtained from Pa Jacob Ogunyale, now late. The product was patented and Pa Ogunyale was included in the patent and publications," he said.
The minister regretted that efforts to get a Nigerian entrepreneur to purchase the licence to develop the drug was not successful thereby leading to Xechem International, an American based company, to buy the licence and have the sole manufacturing right of the drug.
Lambo disclosed that the product will soon be launched into the Nigerian market.
He also revealed that the Akwa Ibom State Government is at the moment collaborating with the institute to develop an anti-diabetic preparation from a locally available plant, even as the institute is at an advanced stage of research into herbally processed drugs for ulcer, fungi, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and immuno-stimulants management.
Opining that traditional medicine is today becoming a companion in households round the world, he said, "Today more than 80 per cent of the people living in Africa use traditional medicine, while for most, it is the only source of hope for the management or treatment of some priority diseases such as HIV/AIDS and sickle cell anemia".
"Clearly for the poorer population, traditional medicine is often the most accessible treatment option and use of traditional medicine is crucial in their struggle for health. For example, WHO estimates that in Uganda, the ratio of traditional medicine practitioners to the population is between 1:200 and 1:400. This is in stark contrast to the availability of trained medical personnel, where the ratio is typically 1:20, 000 or less. Similar ratios are found in other African countries. Furthermore, the distribution of trained medical personnel is not even throughout the country as most are to be found in the cities and other urban areas".
"I boldly promise you all, that, before the end of 2004, we shall have a National Traditional Medicine Policy for Nigeria while the Draft Bill would have been forwarded to the National Assembly. The policy and eventual Traditional Medicine Act would adequately constitute the framework for the regulation of traditional medicine practice in Nigeria", the minister added.
Lambo advised the practitioners on the need to meet up with the highest standard of hygiene aand promised that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control will never divulge the content of their
medicine to save their patent and intellectual property right.
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NAME: OKUMEPHUNA CHUKWUNWIKE, Abuja
ATTN: SUNDAY EDITOR
August 28, 2004
It is true that the infamous Oral Polio Vaccine
controversy has finally been resolved, but the dust it
generated is yet to settle.
Just last week, the Minster of Information and
National Orientation, Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu,
ignited the ember of the controversy once more when he
pointed an accusing finger on the Nigeria media for
being a major contributor to the controversy.
He blamed the fourth estate for being indecisive,
indolent and very late in enlightening Nigerians on
the true situation of the controversy.
He made this known last week in a keynote address he
presented during a two day capacity building workshop
for health correspondents organized by his ministry in
collaboration with the United Nations' Children Fund
and Onyx and Bronze Nigeria Limited which ended on
Friday in Kaduna.
According to the minister, "It is unfortunate that at
the thick of these rumours and misinformation, the
Nigerian press could not come out at the right time to
enlighten the people about the falsity of the claims
made by some powerful groups and individuals in
conjunction with some foreign media.
"In fact it is regrettable to note that a section of
the Nigerian media helped in orchestrating these
rumours and misinformation and in the process
jeopardized the efforts of the Federal Government and
our development partners to eradicate the Wild Polio
Virus from Nigeria by the end of this year".
He said that the press besides its traditional role of
informing and educating people, has also the
additional important social responsibility towards the
people and the communities in which it operates.
He regretted that the rumours did more harm than good
to the nation by plunging it back to square one
thereby bursting the dream of eradicating the virus
out of the nation by the end of this year.
His words, "This is why for instance the nation had
problems with polio immunization in some states as we
witnessed recently. As a result of these rumours and
misconceptions, Nigeria is now, regrettably, leading
the world in Wild Polio Virus cases. About 353 cases
of the Wild Polio Virus have been reported locally
lately and Nigeria is said to be reinfecting other
African countries where polio had hitherto been
eradicated".
"People believe what they hear and see from close and
familiar sources than sources which are out of their
field of experience. This is where our reporters and
correspondents would have come in very strongly and
effectively in the last polio saga in the country so
as to help mould opinions and mobilize the people for
the realization of the overall desired goals and
objectives for our children", he added.
The minister however gleefully remarked that as a
result of the, "reawakening of these reporters and
correspondents to their responsibility, all the states
that were hitherto opposed to the polio immunization
have now fully approved it and are in fact working
with increased Vigour in order to ensure that all
children in the concerned states are immunized within
the shortest time possible".
Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu also reiterated the resolve
of the Federal Government and donour agencies to kick
polio out of the nation latest by the end of the year
even as he eulogized the collaborating stakeholders
for their role in the noble gesture.
Meanwhile the participating health correspondents in a
14-point recommendation presented at the end of the
workshop called for the strengthening of routine
immunization against all vaccine preventable diseases,
timely and adequate supply of the vaccines and
increased community participation and support for the
campaign against the virus.
They recommended the involvement of committed and
honest vaccinators and health correspondents in social
mobilization and monitoring of the implementation of
the National Immunization Exercise and made an urgent
call for the re-introduction of the Sanitary
Inspectors since Polio is principally a disease that
thrives in a dirty environment.
Opining that no country is free from the virus if her
neighbour is infected, they called for cross border
synchronization of immunization days, encouragement of
interaction amongst the health correspondents in the
region and the encouragement of the use of vernacular
in the region for more effective enlightenment at
grassroots levels.
Other points of the recommendation include,
legalization of routine immunization, committed
implementation of the Child Rights Acts, media
empowerment for effective coverage, periodic training
of health correspondents on vaccine preventable
diseases, and greater involvement of religious and
traditional rulers in routine immunization.
END.
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NAME: OKUMEPHUNA CHUKWUNWIKE, Abuja
ATTN: SATURDAY EDITOR
AUGUST 28, 2004.
It seems that the ongoing reform in the Ministry of
the Federal Capital Territory will never come to an
end. Just five days ago after announcing the
compulsory retirement of over 260 staff of the
Ministry especially from the rank of the senior
officers which affected 19 Deputy Directors, 30
Assistant Directors and over 20 other Senior Officers,
the Minister of the Territory, Mallam Nasir Ahmad
el-Rufai, on Friday in Abuja announced a new focus in
the reform exercise as he revealed a major and new
realignment of the structures in the ministry with
regards to personnel placements, rightsizing and
re-professionalisation of the various offices in the
Ministry and its parastatals.
The Minister made this known yesterday while
addressing the press in his office in Abuja.
In line with the new focus a number of Federal Capital
Development Authority (FCDA), and other agencies'
staff were relieved of their duties.
"This is part of the ongoing public service reforms of
which the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory is
selected as one of the five pilot ministries and
agencies. The retirements, as painful as they were,
had to be done in the interest of the service and the
nation", the Minister said.
According to the Minister, the new administrative
structure of the FCDA has abolished the office of
Executive Directors which was created as a layer
between the Directors and Executive Secretary/Chief
Executive Officer and replaced it with that of the
Coordinating Executive Secretary, to whom all the
Directors would henceforth be reporting directly to.
"The creation of the layer was found to be unnecessary
because it adds little value to the management of the
Authority. This will not only eliminate the bottleneck
often created by another bureaucratic layer but will
remove the redundant and legally-questionable cadre.
As a result the two serving Executive Directors will
be retired with full benefits", the Minister said.
The Minister also announced new appointments to fill
some vacant positions created as a result of the
reform
Mrs. Jumai Kwanashie, the present Director of the
Abuja Environmental Protection Board(AEPB) will now
head the Department of Development Control in the FCDA
while J.A. Maimagani, Deputy Director(General
Services) will now be Acting Director heading the
Administration and Supplies even as K.A. Husaini,
Deputy Directors(Quantities) will now be the Acting
Director of the Maintenance Department. Mrs. H.L.
Abdullahi, an Assistant Director and Chairman, task
force on the rehabilitation of destitutes will now
replace Mrs. Kwanashie as an Acting Deputy Director in
charge of AEPB.
Mr. A.C. Ike, the present Assistant Director
(Planning) will now be the Acting Deputy Director to
head the Urban and Regional Planning Department while
Mrs. Sokolayan H. Oloja who until now was Assistant
Director in the Legal Department of Abuja
Environmental Protection Board will now take over as
the Acting Deputy Director of the Legal Department of
the FCDA.
Mr. F.A. Esekhile, Assistant Director in the
Maintenance Department will now be Acting Deputy
Director heading the newly created Resettlement and
Compensation Department while Mr. I. Shuiabu former
Assistant Director and Chairman of the Taskforce on
Accelerated Greening Programme will now be Acting
Deputy Director to head the newly created Department
of Parks and Recreation in the FCDA.
Others include Alhaji S.H. Sahara and Mr. Haruna
Simmons, currently Acting Directors who were confirmed
Directors of the Muslim Pilgrim Board and Christian
Pilgrim Board respectively.
Also to head the FCT Sports Council as an Acting
Deputy Director is Mr. S.L. Lulu, who until the new
appointment was an Assistant Director in the
Department of Public Buildings.
According to the Minister, with the new development
the ad-hoc taskforces on Greening, Destitutes and
Abuja Master Plan Enforcement have been abolished and
the functions institutionalized in the relevant
departments.
His words: "Accordingly, the resources of the
taskforces have been deployed as follows: Abuja Master
Plan and Kubwa Enforcement is to be under the
Department of the Development Control, Accelerated
Greening under Parks and Recreation while Destitutes
Management and Street Hawkers will be under the
supervision of the Abuja Environmental Protection
Board. Other appointments and deployments will be
announced in due course by the Coordinating Executive
Secretary of the FCDA" Mallam Nasir el-Rufai added.
