Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), has confirmed the claims of the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) that Nigeria has only 10 medical laboratories that produces reliable and trusted test result.

NiNAS Director General, Celestine Okanya, had disclosed the information in a presentation in Abuja, during stakeholders meeting on strengthening partnership on laboratory services in Nigeria, stating that the situation has been responsible for increased cases of wrong diagnostic results.

He stressed the need for a strong relationship between government agencies, pathologists and others in laboratory services to ensure effective and efficient laboratory services in Nigeria.

He said: “We need laboratories that can carry out molecular and other testings so that whether it’s viral base bacteria or whatever, we can have the capacity to test for them. We need to prepare for challenges that we may have in the future.

"It’s frightening that Nigeria has only 10 standard and accredited laboratories across the country. For instance, we have 3,000 laboratories and only 10 are accredited. We equally have over 7,000 testing and calibration laboratories but less than 50 are accredited.”

Okanya said the situation is not only a medical emergency but an economic emergency. We need to strengthen our medical and testing laboratory system so that we can be able to drive our economy and protect the lives of our people.

“If Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people can rely on 10 laboratories for reliable medical examinations, then there is need for urgent action from the government and stakeholders. There may be laboratories that can issue results across the country but they have not been tested and assessed, to confirm their competence.

MLSCN Registrar, Tosan Erhabor, in his presentation said the statement of Celestine Okanya is not an indictment on MLSCN because accreditation is not mandatory but voluntary. “So, advocacy is what is required to enlightened the people and make them submit to accreditation process. We have started doing that and positive result is expected soon.

“It’s not long the issue of mandatory accreditation came into force in Nigeria. Before now, the requirement is just to get a laboratory, equip it and start business. But that has changed.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Bloom Public Health, Prof. Chimezie Anyakaora, in his remarks, stressed the need for collaborative effort to strengthen laboratory system in Nigeria, pointing at what COVID-19 did to Nigeria.

He said: “COVID-19 has showed the world, especially developing countries, the need for quality and well equipped laboratory that would produce reliable test.

“We learnt lot of things, particularly as regards quality testing and well equipped laboratories. COVID-19 has made people know the importance of laboratory and reawaken their consciousness on having laboratory that is of quality, equipped and reliable.

“Wrong diagnosis have resulted in deaths and permanent injuries to health. Any health intervention without solid laboratory foundation is like a wasted resource/investment.”

He suggested that patriotic Nigerians should promote quality laboratory and health care services, commending NCDC for championing the campaign for quality and standard laboratory. “We want the standard maintain across board.”

DOCTORS in Ondo State have begun to resign their appointment over salary cuts and a backlog of unpaid wages, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) disclosed on Friday.

The state chapter of the association said in a statement signed by its president and secretary, Stella Adegbehingbe and Olorunfemi Owa, respectively, that the state health sector was bedevilled by diverse challenges that begged for government urgent attention.

The recent comment by the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, in a video seen by our reporter, asking ‘whether doctors have two heads’ to give them the audacity to demand payment of their full salaries was disparaging to the medical profession, NMA said.

Ondo State government pays a percentage of salaries of its workforce, as agreed with the state by the Joint Negotiating Council, comprising representatives of government and the Nigerian Labour Congress.

The policy has been on since the emergence of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

NMA said it did not agree with the decision and asked for a 100 per cent payment of salaries for its members.

“Regrettably, Mr. Governor elected to irritably disregard basic obligations of government to her citizens. He has chosen to blame victims of government’s indebtedness for the inability of the same government to perform its duties.

“His government demands that her workers should work on credit, while gratefully accepting less than their due wages, along with insults, packaged as an admonition,” the doctors said.

The association alleged that all efforts it had made to meet the governor had been futile.

It said the last salary paid to workers in the state, including its members, was for the month of February. The salary was paid this week, the NMA alleged.

According to the group, general hospitals in the state have two doctors each.

About 50 doctors resigned from the services of the Hospital Management Board in the state in the past few months without replacement.

105 doctors have resigned from the state Teaching Hospital in the last one year, the group said.

It also said only three house officers were left in the service of the state.

Besides, the association said following mass resignation among the University of Medical Science Teaching Hospital staff in the state, the institution was about to lose some of its accredited programmes.

The doctors accused the state government of refusing to pay the third tranche of COVID-19 palliative allowance, which the government promised to pay its health workers at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Meanwhile, the group’s secretary, Olorunfemi Owa told our reporter that his group had not decided to embark on strike, should the government fail to meet its demands.

Ondo state health sector received global commendation during the administration of Olusegun Mimiko, the immediate past governor of the state.

His Safe Motherhood programme tagged the “Abiye Initiative” attracted World Bank’s attention, making the bank to recommend the initiative for Africa health systems.

The state also became a reference point for health systems in Nigeria by the World Health Organization and other development bodies.

The ICIR reports that the Safe Motherhood initiative, which made health services free for pregnant mothers and children up to age five has not been free for people of the state since the Akeredolu government took over power.

Efforts to get the reaction from the state government to NMA’s allegations by our reporter proved abortive.

When contacted on the telephone Saturday morning, Commissioner for Information in the state, Donald Ojogo abused our reporter.

Ojogo said he was not aware of the issues raised by the doctors, and our reporter offered to explain them to him.

“Please, leave their statement the way they have issued it. We have no response yet. I have no response to give you,” the commissioner said.”

“But, are you aware of the issues, sir?, our reported asked him.

He responded: “I’m not aware of what you’re saying.”

“Can I tell you some of them?, The ICIR reporter requested.

He retorted: “I said I’m not aware. You can’t tell me.”

Ojogo then went on to tell the reporter that he “was a fraudster, a fake and financially-beholding journalist” among other names.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health in the state, Aladeola Foluke told our reporter that she had not heard anything from the association.

“I have a very cordial relationship with NMA. I don’t know anything about what they are saying,” she said.

Commissioner for Finance in the state, Adewale Akinterinwa, did not pick the calls put across to him. He did not also respond to text messages sent to his phone number.

Governor Akeredolu works with only four commissioners and a few aides since his inauguration for a second term in office in February.

They are Works, Information, Finance and Justice commissioners.

26 new cases of COVID19Nigeria;

Akwa Ibom-8
Cross River-8
Lagos-8
Bayelsa-1
Kaduna-1

Today’s report includes:

*Seven states with 0 cases reported: FCT, Nasarawa, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Taraba.

*400 community recoveries from Lagos State managed in line with guidelines.

June 4 https://www.nairaland.com/6587434/covid-19-update-june-4-2021

48 new cases of COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-16
Yobe-16
Kano-8
Gombe-3
Akwa Ibom-1
Delta-1
FCT-1
Kaduna-1
Rivers-1

June 3 https://www.nairaland.com/6585748/covid-19-update-june-3-2021

122 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-105
Imo-4
Kaduna-4
Akwa Ibom-3
FCT-2
Delta-1
Rivers-1
Oyo-1
Ekiti-1

Today’s report includes:

*Six states with 0 cases reported: Plateau, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Ogun, Osun and Ondo.

*Backlogs of data due to ongoing data harmonization from Lagos, Delta and Benue States.

June 2 https://www.nairaland.com/6584015/covid-19-update-june-2-2021

Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said it is important for the country to legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

He also said he was in Thailand to study the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use.

Illegal cultivation of cannabis is common in Ondo State.

Akeredolu made the statement during a live interview programme tagged ‘Governor Speaks’, which is part of activities lined up in commemoration of his 100 days of his second term in office.

The governor was sworn in for a second term in office on February 24, 2021, after he had formerly won the October 10, 2020 governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Speaking during a live interview, the governor said cannabis could be a strong foreign exchange earner for Nigeria if its cultivation was legalised.

Akeredolu said, “We must find a way to legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. There is nothing wrong with it. We are only shooting ourselves in the foot. It is a foreign exchange earner for people outside the country. People want this. We ourselves, even our pharmacies want to develop...

“I travelled out of here and I was in Thailand trying to study the cultivation of cannabis for pharmaceutical use. We did all these, we even went there with NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency), the chairman at that time went with us, maybe he came and said what he went for was for a different thing but that was why we went and all I felt that let us look at the way they did it over there.

“Everybody has a drug problem, most countries have a drug problem. We are having it here, it is not as pronounced here as in other places but there are ways they went about these things that those who are involved in drugs, those who are selling, those who are exporting had other ways of doing things that they had to leave it. So, when we talk about cultivation, we are saying in which it is a monitored one, in which NDLEA will have an office (near farms).”

On January 7, 2021, Punch had reported that the House of Representatives was proposing the legalisation of cultivation and trading in cannabis for medical and cosmetic use, research purposes as well as revenue generation for Nigeria.

It was being proposed in the Cannabis Control Bill 2020, sponsored by Miriam Onuoha, which was awaiting a second reading but the bill has been met with stiff criticisms and opposition.

The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Regulate the Cultivation, Possession, Availability and Trade of Cannabis for Medical and Research Use, and Related Purposes.’

Cannabis cultivation and sale are presently outlawed in the country.

If the bill becomes law, hospitals and doctors will be allowed to prescribe doses of cannabis for the treatment of patients, while pharmacies and stores will be allowed to sell the drug.

We will keep the conversation going. Diversification is key. I am looking forward in particular to the stakeholders roundtable dialogue on Cannabis which will be holding next Monday and Tuesday as part of the #Aketi100DaysInOffice activities.

25 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-10
Taraba-9
Kaduna-3
Rivers-2
Kwara-1

June 1 https://www.nairaland.com/6582335/covid-19-update-june-1-2021#102279791

Drinking within the Government guidelines still causes potentially harmful changes to the body’s organs, a study suggests.

There is no ‘safe’ threshold below which alcohol does not have toxic effects, researchers conclude.

Increased alcohol intake was linked to less grey matter in the brain, more fat in the liver and a larger mass in the left ventricle of the heart, said a study led by Imperial College London.

The brain shrinkage has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, while liver fat can lead to liver disease. Researchers analysed MRI scans of more than 10,000 individuals in late middle age who drank varying amounts.

There is no ¿safe¿ threshold below which alcohol does not have toxic effects, researchers conclude

There is no ¿safe¿ threshold below which alcohol does not have toxic effects, researchers conclude

Increased alcohol intake was linked to less grey matter in the brain, more fat in the liver and a larger mass in the left ventricle of the heart, said a study led by Imperial College London.

It suggests those who try to drink responsibly, below 14 units a week – the equivalent of six medium glasses of wine – still damage their bodies.

Professor Paul Elliott, from the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial, said: ‘We recommend current health guidelines are reconsidered.’

Professor Paul Matthews, co-author of the study published in the journal eLife, said: ‘This study graphically highlights harmful effects of alcohol even when consumed in moderation.’

But Professor John Holmes, from an alcohol research group at the University of Sheffield, said the study ‘does not provide any compelling reason to change current guidelines.’

17 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-8
Rivers-5
Kano-2
Kaduna-1
Plateau-1

May 31 https://www.nairaland.com/6580644/covid-19-update-may-31-2021

"Today, I’m happy to announce that the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine has been given WHO Emergency Use Listing after being found to be safe, effective and quality assured following two doses of the inactivated vaccine"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"Furthermore, the easy storage requirements of CoronaVac make it very suitable for low-resource settings. It is now the eighth vaccine to receive Emergency Use Listing by WHO. It’s now crucial to get these lifesaving tools to the people that need them quickly"-@DrTedros #COVID19

"Overnight, I joined leaders from the @IMFNews, the @wto & the @WorldBank in publishing an op-ed in many newspapers around the � that calls for a new commitment with a $50B rapid investment to fund #VaccinEquity & other crucial health tools"-@DrTedros

"We particularly welcome that in the proposal, the majority of the new funding would be made available quickly through grants, including to fill the @ACTAccelerator’s funding gap"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity

"This would help us dramatically scale up the production of diagnostics, treatments, oxygen, medical equipment and vaccines for equitable distribution"-@DrTedros #VaccinEquity #ACTogether

203 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Benue-178
Lagos-10
Ondo-6
FCT-4
Kaduna-4
Plateau-1

Today's report includes:

✅ Backlog of data from Benue and Nasarawa States recorded from February to May 2021

May 30 https://www.nairaland.com/6578753/covid-19-update-may-30-2021

30 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-26
Rivers-3
Kwara-1

May 29 https://www.nairaland.com/6577365/covid-19-update-may-29-2021#102183362

31 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-15
Gombe-5
Akwa Ibom-4
FCT-3
Kaduna-2
Kwara-2

May 28 https://www.nairaland.com/6576037/covid-19-update-may-28-2021

Today, President @MBuhari received the second dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID–19 Vaccine, in his official residence, at the State House, Abuja.

63 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-25
Ondo-22
Rivers-6
Akwa Ibom-3
Kaduna-3
Kwara-2
Ebonyi-1
FCT-1

May 27 https://www.nairaland.com/6574502/covid-19-update-may-27-2021

45 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-27
Rivers-14
Kaduna-2
Jigawa-1
Ekiti-1

May 26 https://www.nairaland.com/6572843/covid-19-update-may-26-2021#102098319

Presidential Steering Committee On Covid-19 Has Suspended Another 132 Air Passengers From Travelling Due To their Violation Of Covid-19 Protocols on return to Nigeria.

A Statement Issued On Thursday By The Committee And Signed By Its Chairman And Secretary To Government Of The Federation, Boss Mustapha, Says The Identified Individuals Failed To Observe The Mandatory Protocols Put In Place Against The Spread Of The Pandemic.

According To The Statement, The Affected Persons, who are all Nigerians Arrived the country Through The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, and have Been Declared Persons Of Interest On Account Of Posing Considerable Danger To Overall Public Health

Members Of The Public Are By This Notice Advised That These Persons Of Interest Constitute An Immediate Health Hazard To The Society.

They Must Therefore Transport Themselves Safely, To The Nearest State Public Health Departments Within 48 hours Of This Notice For Immediate Evaluation And Call The Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry Of Health On 08036134672 Or 08032461990 For Further Directions.

The Committee Shall In Addition, Take Further Steps To Sanction These Violators, which include Disabling Their Travel Passports For A Period Not Less Than One Year.

48 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-22
Rivers-11
Enugu-11
Kaduna-2
FCT-1
Gombe-1

May 25 https://www.nairaland.com/6571153/covid-19-update-may-25-2021

37 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-29
Akwa Ibom-3
FCT-2
Gombe-1
Kaduna-1
Kano-1

May 24 https://www.nairaland.com/6569468/covid-19-update-may-24-2021

Cholera outbreak in Bauchi State has killed no fewer than 20 people in the state, the state government has disclosed.

The Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, disclosed this at a press conference held at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Bauchi on Tuesday.

42 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-14
Gombe-11
Ebonyi-5
Kano-5
FCT-4
Edo-1
Kaduna-1
Rivers-1

May 23 https://www.nairaland.com/6567704/covid-19-update-may-23-2021

40 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-29
Abia-3
Ogun-3
Kano-2
Kaduna-1
Plateau-1
Rivers-1

May 22 https://www.nairaland.com/6566448/covid-19-update-may-22-2021

35 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-9
Kano-8
Yobe-7
Rivers-4
Akwa Ibom-3
FCT-2
Katsina-1

May 21 https://www.nairaland.com/6565025/covid-19-update-may-21-2021

43 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-32
Rivers-7
FCT-2
Akwa Ibom-1
Kaduna-1

May 20 https://www.nairaland.com/6563361/covid-19-update-may-20-2021

49 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-21
Rivers-16
FCT-5
Kano-3
Akwa Ibom-2
Ebonyi-1
Ekiti-1

May 19 https://www.nairaland.com/6561619/covid-19-update-may-19-2021

Happening Now:
HE, @GovUmarGanduje receiving his #seconddose of #AstraZeneca #CovidVaccine at the Govt. House Kano_20.05.2021.

43 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-19
Rivers-14
Kastina-5
Jigawa-3
Kano-1
Oyo-1

May 17 https://www.nairaland.com/6558216/covid-19-update-may-17-2021

69 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Ondo-35
Lagos-30
Rivers-3
FCT-1

Today's report includes:

✅Data from Lagos State recorded over the last two days
✅Data from Ondo State recorded from 27th April to 16th May, 2021

A breakdown of cases by state via:

May 16 https://www.nairaland.com/6556547/covid-19-update-may-16-2021

7 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Niger-5
Rivers-2

A breakdown of cases by state can be found via

May 15 https://www.nairaland.com/6555299/covid-19-update-may-15-2021