₦airaland Forum

Am I the only one that gets irritated whenever this advert comes up on the radio?

I don't entirely agree with the op especially when it concerns new beginners who are just trying out the vast ocean that is blogging for the first time . To each their own. Free blogging provides you with the opportunity to learn the ropes at no cost. No harm no foul. Perhaps, once you are solidly grounded, you can then decide to branch off on your own terms, while importing on your new site the entire contents of your old blog.

SnakeXenzia:
Not every parent though

I know dear. Some do come but many more dont

the locality where I practice, it is very rare to see a parent (who isn't a health worker) visit the hospital first for any health care need concerning their child. Usually, by the time they do arrive at the hospital, they had gone to either one or two other places for answers, only ever coming to the hospital because the illness had either persisted or gotten worse.

Out of curiosity,when I enquire where they had visited before hand, the most common answer I get is that they had gone to the "chemist", a name popularly referred to untrained road side drug vendors who have mastered the art of peddling drugs. These chemists are also known by other names like pharmacists or doctors by the locals. The popular belief is that anyone who sells drugs should also have an idea of who and what the drugs are for. Sadly, this is hardly ever the case.


The second popular choice is to solicit for the help of "nurses". These are people who over time have garnered some skills while working in health care centers. These set of people are patronized for more invasive forms of treatment like injections and minor surgeries. Their councel are widely trusted and they deliver relatively affordable home care. We usually get most of our oral based referrals from these nurses, with parents having no clear idea of what the diagnosis was or the exact treatment recieved.

Interestingly, this practice is not restricted to any particular social class, rather it cuts across all norms: the poor, rich, educated and non-educated, prompting the pertinent question, why is this so?

The leading reasons offered by parents on why they hardly ever patronize the hospitals first are as follows in no particular order

Protocols: From registration, payment of bills, getting a card, waiting in an over-crowded room for your turn to see the nurse before seeing a doctor. Being sent to the laboratory for tests before the drugs are prescribed and then finally visiting the pharmacy store to purchase said drugs. The protocols listed can take hours, with a not too friendly personnel contributing to a long and stressful day.


High Cost: Visiting the chemists only requires you to buy the drugs with free 'consultation', and for "nurses" paying an extra little token for their services. In the hospitlas however, the bills are a tad bit higher since additional costs of getting a patient's cards, lab tests, time spent and drugs are factored in if seen on an outpatient basis. This increases exponenetially if an admission is needed for proper care. Not many parents can afford this thus they avoid the hospitals until it is too late.


Distance from home and Poor Transport system: I would say that this is the major reason why many parents dont come for follow ups. The transport facilities are uncomfortable and expensive. Those who live in the villages face an additional burden of long distances and poor road network.


Lack of empathy: Parents believe that most doctors lack empathy for their plight. We are judged to be interested in the disease first and person later. This is in sharp contrast to the chemists who rely mostly on empathy to retain their customers. We can improve a Patient's quality of life by reaching out first to their humanity.


Without a doubt, the hospital system and quality of care provided needs to be evaluated to improve health care services delivered to the populace. In addition, the Government can help lighten this burden by providing access to good roads and adequate transport facilities. Until we do this, the poor health seeking behavior of parents towards their child's health needs will persist leading to increased sickness and deaths.

http://www.kiddiesmatters.com/2016/04/why-nigerian-parents-hardly-ever-visit.html?m=1

Really sad. Learnt about this yesterday. May God grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss

charix:
Frontpage bound. One of the best topics I've read here in years.

[EDIT]
In addition there's now a new buffer before considering chemists, it's known as nairaland contributions. A lot of people would prefer to detail their problem on nairaland in order to cut the costs associated with getting a professional diagnosis.

I noticed this too but you will be amazed at the number of similar sites that are littered across the Internet all serving the sole purpose of trying to come up with solutions to a person's health care needs. It has its uses, at least you get the empathy (sorry for using that word yet again), only that I am not sure it is entirely safe. Well, at least one will be armed with a gamut of colorful differential diagnosis to choose from ranging from spiritual attacks to poisons.

themall:
High cost. Ever heard of National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS

I don't understand your question. I know NHIS. My entire family is covered by the scheme. But I doubt that many have that privilege or is there something you know that I don't.

charix:
Not really. A reasonable patient can't expect a human being to show the same level of empathy to at least 50 unique cases they diagnose daily. Not even parents love twins equally talk less of a non-relative treating your case as more important than everyone else's.

I very much doubt you will feel the same way if you were the patient. I believe that any empathy counts. Most times, that is all a patient needs...

charix:
Frontpage bound. One of the best topics I've read here in years.

Thank you. Sometimes, we the doctors are part of the problem.

In the locality where I practice, it is very rare to see a parent (who isn't a health worker) visit the hospital first for any health care need concerning their child. Usually, by the time they do arrive at the hospital, they had gone to either one or two other places for answers, only ever coming to the hospital because the illness had either persisted or gotten worse.

Out of curiosity,when I enquire where they had visited before hand, the most common answer I get is that they had gone to the "chemist", a name popularly referred to untrained road side drug vendors who have mastered the art of peddling drugs. These chemists are also known by other names like pharmacists or doctors by the locals. The popular belief is that anyone who sells drugs should also have an idea of who and what the drugs are for. Sadly, this is hardly ever the case.


The second popular choice is to solicit for the help of "nurses". These are people who over time have garnered some skills while working in health care centers. These set of people are patronized for more invasive forms of treatment like injections and minor surgeries. Their councel are widely trusted and they deliver relatively affordable home care. We usually get most of our oral based referrals from these nurses, with parents having no clear idea of what the diagnosis was or the exact treatment recieved.

Interestingly, this practice is not restricted to any particular social class, rather it cuts across all norms: the poor, rich, educated and non-educated, prompting the pertinent question, why is this so?

The leading reasons offered by parents on why they hardly ever patronize the hospitals first are as follows in no particular order

Protocols: From registration, payment of bills, getting a card, waiting in an over-crowded room for your turn to see the nurse before seeing a doctor. Being sent to the laboratory for tests before the drugs are prescribed and then finally visiting the pharmacy store to purchase said drugs. The protocols listed can take hours, with a not too friendly personnel contributing to a long and stressful day.


High Cost: Visiting the chemists only requires you to buy the drugs with free 'consultation', and for "nurses" paying an extra little token for their services. In the hospitlas however, the bills are a tad bit higher since additional costs of getting a patient's cards, lab tests, time spent and drugs are factored in if seen on an outpatient basis. This increases exponenetially if an admission is needed for proper care. Not many parents can afford this thus they avoid the hospitals until it is too late.


Distance from home and Poor Transport system: I would say that this is the major reason why many parents dont come for follow ups. The transport facilities are uncomfortable and expensive. Those who live in the villages face an additional burden of long distances and poor road network.


Lack of empathy: Parents believe that most doctors lack empathy for their plight. We are judged to be interested in the disease first and person later. This is in sharp contrast to the chemists who rely mostly on empathy to retain their customers. We can improve a Patient's quality of life by reaching out first to their humanity.


Without a doubt, the hospital system and quality of care provided needs to be evaluated to improve health care services delivered to the populace. In addition, the Government can help lighten this burden by providing access to good roads and adequate transport facilities. Until we do this, the poor health seeking behavior of parents towards their child's health needs will persist leading to increased sickness and deaths.

http://www.kiddiesmatters.com/2016/04/why-nigerian-parents-hardly-ever-visit.html?m=1

Kindly visit www.kiddiesmatters.com for daily updates on basic tips concerning child care tailored for Africans. You will also get acquainted with other parent's experiences as well as hands on approach on how to address your child's health needs.

You won't be disappointed.

I am sure everyone is wondering why i am suddenly "Team Herbs" judging from my earlier posts which suggest that I am firmly against the use of herbs In the management of child health.

I still am but that doesnt negate the fact that herbs has its uses. For instance, do you know that the current drugs used to treat severe malaria were originally gotten from herbs e.g. Quinine was gotten from the cinchona tree and artemisinin products derived from the sweet wormwood tree.

In truth, there are over a hundred chemicals used in drugs today all derived from plants: Drugs for asthma, heart failure, hypertension, tumors etc. So, without a doubt, herbs are good. Going back in time, I once had a lecturer who firmly believed that God in his wisdom supplies man with plants based on his health needs. In other words, if an area is filled with a population that is riddled with cancer, then the plants and shrubs growing there must have at least one that can address cancer. I guess time will prove whether his theory is right or not.


Now, the downside of herbs are quite clear. In addition to the active ingredient seen in herbs that fights infection , there are also other chemicals in it that might cause great harm to the body. This is not so in manufactured drugs because in these drugs, only the active ingredients are extracted discarding the harmful parts. Giving your child raw unprocessed herbal medications can expose them to great danger.

Moreso, in children, the organs in the body that help excrete these harmful chemicals like the kidneys and liver are still so immature that they fail to do this duty efficiently. This leads to these toxins accumulating in the body and causing harm.

Most parents are aware that almost every drug have side effects most especially when it is given in excess. And how can we tell what amount is excess for anyone? Well, this is determined from years of extensive studies of these drugs both on animal and human subjects to know which exact amount are safe for humans.

Make no mistakes about this, HERBS ARE DRUGS. For our parents that are inclined in giving herbal medications to their children, pray how can you tell which herb is toxic and what amount is proper for a child's body size and age when noone has bothered to study this. Please, let us all kick against this dangerous practise and exercise caution when giving herbal remedies to our kids. It is simply not safe.a

www.kiddiesmatters.com

I am sure everyone is wondering why i am suddenly "Team Herbs" judging from my earlier posts which suggest that I am firmly against the use of herbs In the management of child health.

I still am but that doesnt negate the fact that herbs has its uses. For instance, do you know that the current drugs used to treat severe malaria were originally gotten from herbs e.g. Quinine was gotten from the cinchona tree and artemisinin products derived from the sweet wormwood tree.

In truth, there are over a hundred chemicals used in drugs today all derived from plants: Drugs for asthma, heart failure, hypertension, tumors etc. So, without a doubt, herbs are good. Going back in time, I once had a lecturer who firmly believed that God in his wisdom supplies man with plants based on his health needs. In other words, if an area is filled with a population that is riddled with cancer, then the plants and shrubs growing there must have at least one that can address cancer. I guess time will prove whether his theory is right or not.


Now, the downside of herbs are quite clear. In addition to the active ingredient seen in herbs that fights infection , there are also other chemicals in it that might cause great harm to the body. This is not so in manufactured drugs because in these drugs, only the active ingredients are extracted discarding the harmful parts. Giving your child raw unprocessed herbal medications can expose them to great danger.

Moreso, in children, the organs in the body that help excrete these harmful chemicals like the kidneys and liver are still so immature that they fail to do this duty efficiently. This leads to these toxins accumulating in the body and causing harm.

Most parents are aware that almost every drug have side effects most especially when it is given in excess. And how can we tell what amount is excess for anyone? Well, this is determined from years of extensive studies of these drugs both on animal and human subjects to know which exact amount is safe for humans.

Make no mistakes about this, HERBS ARE DRUGS. For our parents that are inclined in giving herbal medications to their children, pray how can you tell which herb is toxic and what amount is proper for a child's body size and age when noone has bothered to study this. Please, let us all kick against this dangerous practise and exercise caution when giving herbal remedies to our kids. It is simply not safe.

www.kiddiesmatters.com

VoteDemiladgold:
Dr Ada please can you school us further in what these genetic diseases are

Yes dear, advanced paternal age of 45 years and above associated with achondroplasia, neurofibromatosis, Marfan syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Waardenburg syndrome, thanatophoric dysplasia, osteogenesis imperfecta, and Apert syndrome.

Flexherbal:
OK. We have heard your voice.

Thank you for hearing my voice

When I hit puberty, I quickly learnt from my mom, grandmom and well virtually everyone at large "na oge Nwanyi na-agwu agwu" meaning that women do not have the luxury of time.

As soon as our biological clock starts ticking, which starts when our menses begins, the countdown is on: Either marry on time and give birth to all your children before the age of 35 years or face menopause and certain genetic health problems.

The men don't have that pressure. They are regarded as free beings, virile, strong and forever on nature's beck and call to multiply and fill the earth with babies all the days of their lives. Well, you might just want to pause on that calling.

The scientific community has realized that certain genetic diseases are now associated with an increased age in men. Although the exact age has not been specified like that of the females which is 35 years and above, it is clear that the more aged a man is, the more likely his offspring will become affected with these diseases.

So Daddies, your biological clock though moving much slower than the Mummies, still ticks. Tick tock, tick tock.

www.kiddiesmatters.com

Thanks for the information

One of my best actors..if not the best. When he loves, HE LOVES.

I had a very unusual day yesterday. A child had sadly passed on but not before we did a scan on her brain which revealed multiple brain abnormalities. There were so many things seen in her brain that was unusual that nobody could say with certainty what it was.

When the child sadly passed on, the hospital management offered to take care of the Autopsy which is essentially series of activities carried out to find out how and why a patient died. We believed that if we found out what caused those abnormal brain lesions, we could prevent further occurrences. It was a noble idea. All we needed was the parent's consent for us to go ahead.

We never got that consent. The father repeatedly asked us "whether his daughter will be resurrected after we had successfully found out the cause of the death of his baby". He was polite and I understand that he was grieving for his child but his two brothers would have none of it. They were aggressive, declared us incompetent, told us that we wanted to conduct an "experiment" on their niece and all sorts of unprintable things. We pleaded, called other senior doctors to appeal to them but we still got an emphatic NO.

And therein lies the question? Why? Why do we kick against autopsy especially when it concerns children? Is there really more than meets the eye on this? I really need to understand. I am appealing to everyone, please, without autopsies, medicine would never have existed. It is how we know and understand better how diseases affect our bodies. What better way can we protect our loved ones and ourselves? Please, let's change our perception towards autopsy. It is for our own good and future.

www.kiddiesmatters.com

Breastfeeding is one of the ways that HIV can be transmitted although this risk greatly decreases when the affected mom adheres to her medications.

If you have chosen to feed your baby artificially, then the risk of your baby getting HIV through feeding is avoided provided you NEVER breastfeed your baby once you begin.

To successfully feed your baby with artificial milk, you have to answer these pertinent questions first.

Is it affordable? A tin of NAN cost about N2000 and should last about 3 days or less if your baby is feeding well. That will mean that in a week, you will need at least 2-3 tins, and in a month 12 tins. This amounts to an average of about N25,000 monthly. Can you afford this? Please note that I didn't add other costs like clean water, feeding utensils, cleaning agents etc

Is it feasible? Believe me when I say that we are culturally more inclined towards breastfeeding our babies. If your mother-in-law is unaware of your HIV status, it will be very hard for her to understand why you are not breastfeeding your child when she comes visiting for "omugwo".

Is it sustainable? Yes, you can afford 1 or 2 month's supply of artificial milk now but can you sustain that for 4 to 6 months? Can you afford roughly N150,000 just for feeding alone?

Is it accessible? I want to believe this won't be a problem unless of course you reside in an area that is far from where you can get these tins of milk. I guess planning well will prevent this.

Is it safe? Always use clean boiled water. Borehole water is not clean. Aim to prepare fresh feeds and avoid storing them. Good hygienic habits, like washing hands thoroughly with soap just before feeding baby and after changing diapers. Using cup and spoon to feed and being mindful of who feeds your baby can go a long way in safe feeding.

Artificial milk is ideal for feeding a baby with an HIV positive mom but only when it is affordable, feasible, accessible, sustainable and safe.

www.kiddiesmatters.com

Iolite:
Hmmm. That is why I always practice exclusive, it really save's cost and by the time they get to six month they are ready for food and milk. Other advantages of exclusive is that, its not time consuming and also not messy . Nice one doctor.

Thank you. Do you mean exclusive breastfeeding in the setting of an HIV mom Feeding her baby?

Breastfeeding is one of the ways that HIV can be transmitted to a child although this risk greatly decreases when the affected mom adheres to her medications.

If you have chosen to feed your baby artificially, then the risk of your baby getting HIV through feeding is avoided provided you NEVER breastfeed your baby once you begin.

To successfully feed your baby with artificial milk, you have to answer these pertinent questions first.

Is it affordable? A tin of NAN cost about N2000 and should last about 3 days or less if your baby is feeding well. That will mean that in a week, you will need at least 2-3 tins, and in a month 12 tins. This amounts to an average of about N25,000 monthly. Can you afford this? Please note that I didn't add other costs like clean water, feeding utensils, cleaning agents etc

Is it feasible? Believe me when I say that we are culturally more inclined towards breastfeeding our babies. If your mother-in-law is unaware of your HIV status, it will be very hard for her to understand why you are not breastfeeding your child when she comes visiting for "omugwo".

Is it sustainable? Yes, you can afford 1 or 2 month's supply of artificial milk now but can you sustain that for 4 to 6 months? Can you afford roughly N150,000 just for feeding alone?

Is it accessible? I want to believe this won't be a problem unless of course you reside in an area that is far from where you can get these tins of milk. I guess planning well will prevent this.

Is it safe? Always use clean boiled water. Borehole water is not clean. Aim to prepare fresh feeds and avoid storing them. Good hygienic habits, like washing hands thoroughly with soap just before feeding baby and after changing diapers. Using cup and spoon to feed and being mindful of who feeds your baby can go a long way in safe feeding.

Artificial milk is ideal for feeding a baby with an HIV positive mom but only when it is affordable, feasible, accessible, sustainable and safe.

www.kiddiesmatters.com

Welber:
So, dear parents, why don't you surprise your doctor today by taking your well child for a check-up?


Aside "surprising" your doctor, how about helping yourself and your child.
Health is wealth

Nice one op

Thank you. Wrote the 'surprising' bit cos I know doctors will be amazed that a parent brought a well child for a visit. We only get such visits when kids are about to enter a new school.

There are other options apart from steroids like tar, uv lights, tacrolimus but I must be honest with you. I don't know if one can find these drugs in Nigeria and most importantly how safe they are

So sad. I weep for this country. So little regard for health.

To the poster above me... I recently edited a fallacy I detected on wikipedia concerning the approval of a drug for a disease that has literally been banned for use. I didn't break a sweat doing it.

Don't mean to be rude but really, you guys, come on....I can't believe you all don't know that anyone can write anything on Wikipedia.

Popsicle:
OP- I stand to be corrected but what i read concerning this story is that the woman in question used the powder on her panties before wearing it for many many years , (as a teenager till when she advanced more in age) which i believe was an old school method of naintaining freshness (i believe most people did it cos i first saw that in boarding school though most girls rubbed powder on their laps which they said was to prevent stickiness from sweat). That alone is enough reason to have ovarian cancer cos there is immediate direct contact with the private region of the female body.

I dont believe that using dusting powder for heat rash or on other less sensitive parts of our bodies can cause cancer. .

I STAND TO BE CORRECTED IF I AM WRONG!!! CHEERS

No you are not wrong but I know that most moms use powders on the genital area to prevent diaper rashes in their babies. Like someone rightly pointed out, it also causes breathing problems. Today, I learnt that Paediatrician in USA advice parents to avoid all powders during infancy. Powders are dangerous and caution should be applied.

FINA4804:
Immediately I saw your post on the other trend I had to Google. Talc is a naturally occuring mineral, sometimes from where they mine it Abestors may be there or close to it. NOTE:Abestors is also a naturally occurring mineral , that is not used in making cosmetics. So people assume that abestors is being used or the Talc used is not pure, people feel it has mixed with abestors but this is not true.
Johnson's powder among other cosmestics company where investigated and certified free from using abestors in their product.

You can Google for yourself, this is my own understanding from reading.....

My dear, while reading around today, I discovered that in USA, parents are advised to avoid using any powders on their babies. It certainly goes beyond ovarian cancer since powders also leads to respiratory problems and worsens allergies.

Strange isn't it? Well, adults are not the only one who should go for check ups. Children do too. Hospitals exists not only to treat the sick but to promote good health and detect any problems early.

Sadly in Nigeria, we do not practice this very much since parents hardly ever visit the hospitals with their children for checkup unless they are ill and health care workers hardly ever inform parents that such a thing exist for children.

The benefits of going for check-ups or well-child visits are enormous. They include guiding the parents on how best to look after their child as well as addressing any concerns the parents might have, examining the child thoroughly to make sure he or she is developing normally, screening for certain silent diseases that occur in young age like delayed development, hypertension, sickle cell, problems with vision and hearing, speech problems, anemia, dental problems, heart diseases and so on.

So, dear parents, why don't you surprise your doctor today by taking your well child for a check-up?

www.kiddiesmatters.com

abdulaz:
It will be very difficult to convince our Nigerian mothers to stop using powders that contain talc as virtually all powders I have seen contain talc as one of the active components. It is like telling them to stop using maggi cubes to prepare their meals even though we all know they contain chemically synthesised components that might no be healthy invivo in the long run.

I really don't see the difficulty in it. But then again, I belong to a field where any discovery that would adversely affect health is regarded with the utmost concern. It is quite simple, talc powders are dangerous confirmed, verified and now punishable. End of story.

jashar:
But talc is the main ingredients in most powders. So, all powders are bad or what?

Not all powders contain talc.