AFRO-NETS> Dateline Health Nigeria No. 04. 18 January, 2000

[A Odutola <chpss_abo@yahoo.com>]

Dateline Health Nigeria No. 04.  18 January, 2000
-------------------------------------------------

* Alternative Medical Practitioners for registration in Nigeria 
* Cholera kills 1,490 in Borno State, Nigeria 
* 30,000 Nigerian women afflicted with post-natal depression 
* Ekiti State in Nigeria establishes more general hospitals 
* Benson and Hedges - "Wild and Wicked in Nigeria"

1. ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS FOR REGISTRATION IN NIGERIA

In a bold move to regulate alternative medical practice in Nigeria, 
the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has called upon al-
ternative medical practitioners to register with the Council in keep-
ing with the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, 1990 as amended by 
Decree 78 of 1992. Affected practitioners include those in the prac-
tice of acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy and osteopathy. 
Source: Guardian (Nigeria) 27 December 1999, p. 47

2. CHOLERA KILLS 1,490 IN BORNO STATE, NIGERIA 

No fewer than 1,490 people died of cholera in Borno State, Nigeria in 
1999. According to Alhaji Malami Wakil Korede, the State Commissioner 
for Health, this figure is out of 12,560 recorded cases of cholera in 
27 local government councils of the State. The Commissioner further 
revealed that 342 children died of measles in the State in 1999 while 
16 persons died of meningitis. He expressed the views that more cases 
of Cholera, Measles and Meningitis may be occurring in the State than 
officially recorded. 
Source: Punch (Nigeria). 1 January 2000, p. 52. By Saka

3. 30,000 NIGERIAN WOMEN AFFLICTED ANNUALLY WITH POST-NATAL 
DEPRESSION 

No fewer than 30,000 Nigerian women are afflicted annually with post-
natal depression (PND) says Prof. O.O. Famuyiwa, Head of Psychiatry 
at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Saying 
that PND should not be confused with post-partum blues, (PPB) Famuy-
iwa revealed that PND in Nigeria is characterized by feelings of 
hopelessness and despondency, insomnia, vulnerability, low self-
esteem, over sensitivity to criticism, persistent sadness, body 
pains, self-hate, inability to cope with motherhood, bearing suicidal 
thoughts and exhibiting infanticide behaviours.  
Source: Guardian (Nigeria) 19 December 1999, p. 4

4. EKITI STATE ESTABLISHES MORE GENERAL HOSPITAL 

The Ekiti State government has established six additional general 
hospitals to herald the introduction of free medical services in the 
State. This brings the number of general hospitals established in the 
State to eighteen says the State Governor, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo. 
The new hospitals are located in different local government areas of 
the State such as Aramoko, Ifaki, Ijebu-isi, Iye and Ode-Ekiti.  
Source: Punch. 5 January 2000, p.7 Kayode Fasua

5. BENSON AND HEDGES - "WILD AND WICKED IN NIGERIA" 

In response to loss of market dominance and income in developed coun-
tries, tobacco companies are channeling their massive resources and 
promotional machinery to lure impressionable youths in developing 
countries of Africa to long-term tobacco use. 

Benson and Hedges (B&H) - a British originated international tobacco 
brand actively marketed in Nigeria has of recent being using musical 
concerts dubbed with such razzmatazz names like "Wild and Wicked" to 
market its brand of cigarettes to Nigerian youths. A concerned Nige-
rian citizen and watcher of B&H's unabashed marketing strategy ex-
pressed the following views about the "Danger in Benson and Hedges 
(Musical) Concerts". 

"At each and every B&H (Wild and Wicked) musical concerts, our hap-
less youths - already mesmerized by the glamorous cigarette advertise-
ments they see everywhere - are seduced with unlimited supply of free 
B&H cigarettes in order to get them hooked to the habit and then 
smoke themselves to their untimely death. Why do the B&H people act 
with such brazen effrontery in Nigeria? Why must they insult the Ni-
gerian people and nation so much by reminding us in print and on ra-
dio and TV that what they are doing to our youths is wicked and wild? 
Why are they acting as if there is nothing any government department 
or indeed any government in Nigeria can do to them?" "The Health Com-
mittees of the National Assembly should summon the Minister of Health 
to explain why his Ministry has shown such ineptitude in protecting 
the health of the citizenry from the scourge of tobacco generally and 
in containing the recklessness of the B&H people in particular. Spe-
cifically, the Hon. Minister should be asked to the following crucial 
questions:
* "If a substance is poisonous why should it be advertised at all, 
let alone advertised with such fanfare and arrogance (as done by the 
B&H people)."

* "Why is the ministry of health of a sovereign nation so powerless 
to do something about this visible threat to the survival of Nigerian 
youths?"

* "Are there people in government protecting the B&H people?"

"If they (the House Committees of the National Assembly) do not get 
satisfactory answers from him (the Minister of Health), he should be 
asked to resign." 

Source: This Day (Nigeria) 2 January 2000, p. 7. By Shehu Usman

--
DATELINE HEALTH NIGERIA is a health communication initiative of 
CHPSS, Lagos, Nigeria. Critical comments on format, quality and con-
tent are welcome. To subscribe, e-mail <chpss_abo@yahoo.com>, type on 
the subject line "SUBSCRIBE DATELINE HEALTH NIGERIA". To unsubscribe, 
e-mail <chpss_abo@yahoo.com>, type on the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE 
DATELINE HEALTH NIGERIA".  Please inform a friend about this e-
bulletin.

DISCLAIMER: CHPSS accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any 
information abstracted in this bulletin from identified sources. 
Funding support is gratefully sought for a dedicated server system 
and website hosting for this bulletin.

Address all comments, enquiries and responses to:

Yemi Abodunrin 
Editorial Assistant and Public Affairs Officer 
Centre for Health Policy & Strategic Studies 
34 Town Planning Way, Ilupeju 
P.O. Box 1785
Lagos, Nigeria 
Tel: +234-1-470-1255, +234-1-263 6229
Fax: +234-1-263-5285 
mailto:chpss_abo@yahoo.com


--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to:  `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.