Nigerian Newspapers
‘E-medicine will improve Nigeria’s healthcare’
Professor of Anatomy and former Dean of the College of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, John Ogunranti, tells JUDE OWUAMANAM about his foray into electronic medicine practice
What is e-Medicine all about?
It is properly called electronic medicine. It involves the use of computers and information to study and practice medicine. The definition was first created and used by me in 2008 and demonstrated to the first audience at Imperial College, London which is the best medical technology institution worldwide. It was published in peer- reviewed top class academic journal of Medical Education in Edinburgh called Medical Teacher in 2009. Since then, it has become popular in the international scene in medical jargon.
Are you saying you are the first person to define and practice holistic electronic medicine?
Yes. There is nowhere in Africa where we have the best or the first in academic technology. Neither is there any place which is unique or the best in those areas. When we think we have one, it turns out to be fake. Some of us are fed up with this situation of consumerism and want it changed and have therefore dedicated our lives to be achievement oriented rather than qualification-without-achievement scenario which has pervaded Africa. It does not matter if we are able to achieve little in a world devoted to the West.
What do you mean by ‘qualification-without-achievement scenario?’
Africa and Africans are preoccupied with Europe-styled qualifications and are simply not bothered about providing achievement which matches the said qualifications. Hence, an African will show off a PhD from Harvard University but will provide no achievement when requested for in 10 or 20 years after the qualification. Qualifications are used to obtain jobs. Once a man has a job, his next focus is to use this job to begin to attain some feats. He begins by being the first to perform a particular feat in his home town, later local government, state, country and finally reaches the ultimate- the only one in the entire world. This is where Africa has remained totally a virgin land. Many African academics equate qualification with achievement.
What is the use of e-Medicine?
It is similar in use to two already well known methods of information technology which are: Electronic Learning or e-learning and Electronic Practice like in electronic banking which we are all so familiar with in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, Nigeria as a developing country, has benefitted in no small measure from ICT revolution in such a manner that even our government facilities and parastatals have become almost completely enveloped in the ICT practices. What we want to achieve is to include the practice and learning of medicine with this revolution.
In what ways?
Our doctors would be better trained if we use eMedicine to teach and train them. We all know that a doctor’s experience in practice helps him to become knowledgeable in his practice without which he ends up a quack. A three-year experience is nothing in medicine because you do not see much. But when backed up with electronic medicine, this becomes a great achievement.
A Yale robot was designed some years ago to teach medicine and clinical features of some diseases. It can mimick a few diseases and students can then use such sophisticated computer robot to study those features. But it is very expensive and only a few schools can afford it globally. Even then, it can teach only a few students at the same time. Our model of learning clinical features using the computer is completely virtual and inexpensive.
Electronic medicine can be conducted through the Internet, intranet and other networks to teach more students, mimic diseases, conduct laboratory and radiological investigations and perform post mortems.
How does it benefit the common man who only desires to be treated?
Aside from the fact that the modern patient gets the most modern and well educated doctors who do not make mistakes, this is where the second model of eMedicine comes in and that is in ePractice. Just like eBanking, patients do not need to carry too much identification materials when approaching a hospital for treatment. In fact they don’t need a card any longer if they can remember their names or patient’s number. When the officer logs into his data base, he obtains all the information about the medical history of the patients, case notes can be retrieved anywhere in the country where the network exists with ease and prescriptions made on them and then recorded for future retrieval.
Is there any such model anywhere in the world?
Not yet. But this is the model we presently propose for Nigeria. Just like in eBanking, it will cost very little or nothing. I proposed this model when I was dean of medicine at Jos in 2004.
What is the situation at the University of Jos Medical College now in view of your findings?
There is an electronic learning face of e-medicine.
I am the Principal of this Electronic School and it is the first in the entire world of medicine. It uses the method called IPEM meaning Integrated Procedural Electronic Medicine. This means all subjects in medicine are on this site and are all integrated- a process which has not been done in medical education. When a patient presents a problem, he does not say that his problem is in anatomy, so let him go to the anatomist for treatment, or to the microbiologist. The problems he will present as a patient are integrative of all the subjects of medicine and the practitioner must use all the subjects he had learnt in the medical school to tackle the problems. But unfortunately when a doctor is being trained, he is trained in various subjects separately and without integration. He is then supposed to integrate the subjects in his mind in order to practice on his patients.
What the website has been able to succeed in doing is to help the process of integration by providing links to all subjects on all pages of the site so that the user can perform the integration he needs in order to diagnose the problems of his patient and provide responsible treatment for the patient’s ailments.
The next part of the exercise is procedural medicine. Before now, it has been impossible for the would-be doctor to learn most of the procedures before his graduation. For example, if he is supposed to perform a procedure like setting up IV drip, he must first watch the procedure and be able to perform under supervision before he could do it himself without assistance.
In some modern universities, this is performed on a robot in a clinical examination laboratory. In yet others, reliance is placed on resident doctors to teach the clinical students under the supervision of the consultant. With the use of electronic means of learning, the student is able to open up his computer and see the procedure in question either on video or simulation or even on interactive procedures where he is allowed to perform the procedure virtually using his mouse and keyboard.
The computer can even provide his scores to determine whether he has learnt the procedure satisfactorily. Also, the computer can provide an assessment for examination scoring purposes so that students who do not know some procure cannot pass examination. This is to eliminate the old method in which students are only assessed on theory of practice and not the practical and then even obtain distinctions, only to come out of the medical school and become lousy practitioners.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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