Health

The US government has halted the support for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing countries following an order by President Donald Trump. The US State Department stopped the disbursement of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a programme for HIV treatment in Africa and developing countries, for at least 90 days. The action originates from President Trump’s executive order on foreign aid, which he signed on his first day in office last Monday. The order instructed all government agencies managing foreign development assistance programmes to halt the disbursement of funds. As a result, nearly all…

The world’s first patient with a transplanted pig kidney has died, almost two months after the operation. In March, Massachusetts General Hospital transplanted the genetically-edited pig kidney into Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old man living with end-stage kidney disease. The operation was a milestone in xenotransplantation – the transplantation of organs or tissues from one species to another – as a potential solution to the worldwide organ shortage, the hospital said at the time. Mr Slayman’s death was not linked to the transplant, the hospital reported. “Our family is deeply saddened about the sudden passing of our beloved Rick but take…

Oluwafemi Tijion Esho, a British-Nigerian celebrity doctor, has been found guilty of having an improper emotional relationship that included sexual intercourse with one of his patients by a medical tribunal in Manchester, United Kingdom. According to the BBC, Esho, 42, a cosmetic doctor who had featured on many BBC and ITV programmes, admitted before the tribunal on Wednesday that he “behaved inappropriately” and that his conduct was “driven by sexual desires”. Despite Esho’s past denials, the tribunal would later establish that he indeed had sex with the unnamed patient in exchange for a botox, an injection administered to patients to…

Coco Samba, a herbal mixture, has been found to contain excessive amounts of sildenafil, a medication used to enhance sexual stimulation. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) shared on Friday that 100 ml of the mixture contains more than the approved dose of sildenafil. It further stated that the deadly sildenafil proportion in the product was discovered after it landed in Germany. “The product was seized by German customs and analysed by the German Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL). The analysis report showed the product contained undeclared amounts of sildenafil (150mg), which is above the…

A team of surgeons in New York announced Thursday they had performed the world's first transplant of an entire eye in a procedure widely hailed as a medical breakthrough, although it isn't yet known whether the recipient will regain his sight. The groundbreaking surgery involved removing part of the face and the whole left eye of a donor and grafting them onto a line worker from Arkansas who survived a 7,200-volt electric shock in June 2021 when his face touched a live wire. Aaron James, 46, suffered extensive injuries, including the loss of his left eye, his dominant left arm…

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), has admitted demanding money from human rights activist and president of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor to carry out Covid-19 test. Chief Eholor had dragged the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH); Chairman of Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Federal Minister of Health and Polaris Bank Plc, to the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged extortion and outright corrupt practices as regards Covid-19 testing procedure. Eholor, in the writ of summons filed before Abuja Federal High Court, narrated his…

By Gambo H. Jagindi A first time visitor to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Keffi, will no doubt be greeted with sophistication and beauty, befitting of a world standard medical facility. FMC surely has become the first class medical hub of Nigeria, a sight not common with government owned health care facilities. It is heartwarming to note that this is a recent achievement by the FMC under the leadership of Dr. Yahaya Baba Adamu. Adamu is the Chief Medical Director of the centre which has been transformed into one of the best health care facilities the country currently boasts of.…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its two months old strike folllowing the recommendations of the emergency delegates meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held in Abuja on Sunday. The strike suspension came after the issue of a communiqué signed by NMA Secretary General, Dr Ekpe Philips Uche, which advised NARD to stop industrial action based on the ongoing intervention by the Association. Other resolutions by the NMA at the meeting included; a mandate to the National Officers Committee (NOC) to ensure speedy implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/signed with the Federal Government of Nigeria…