Hemorrhoidal illness represents one of the most common medical conditions in man. The most recent statistics indicate a prevalence of about 25% in the adult population, and higher than 50% for those older than 50. However, the prevalence and incidence are most probably higher, considering the fact that, in certain patients, the illness begins in an asymptomatic fashion.
The origin of hemorrhoidal disease can be either mechanical or vascular (hemodynamic): According to mechanical theory, the supportive structure of the hemorrhoidal plexus undergoes spontaneous involution which includes excessive laxity and leads to displacement of the internal hemorrhoids. Acute intrarectal or abdominal pressure are worsening factors. Vascular factors are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the development of hemorrhoidal disease through alterations of the vascular plexuses and dysfunction of the arteriovenous shunts, the effect of which are amplified, as above, by increased abdominal pressure. Hemorrhoidal disease is often associated with inflammation. Therefore, the treatment of hemorrhoids has to achieve three objectives: to eliminate mechanical and local triggering factors, to reduce the inflammation, always present in acute manifestations and to reestablish optimal hemodynamic and microcirculatory conditions.
The great Man of the Masses, Mallam Aminu Kano (9 August 1920—17 April 1983) would have wept over this elitist display of megalomania.
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero already has official Rolls Royce car.
This is not a gift, but traditional political bribe that will soon be followed by receiving a new traditional title from the Emir and another selfish pursuit.
Billionaire Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu should have spent the N200 million on scholarships for the indigent students from poor families in Kano to sponsor them to go to tertiary institutions; provide safe drinking water boreholes for his village to prevent the recurrences of Cholera epidemic or build a well equipped Primary Heath Care Centre in his village.
They ruling elites of the Hausa Fulani political ruling class will never end their enslavement of the poor Talakawas and the millions of underprivileged children out of school in Kano and the rest of the predominantly Muslims states of northern Nigeria, because they need the poor and powerless commoners for the regular supply of cheap labour as underpaid housemaids, houseboys, messengers, drivers and factory workers in their institutionalization of poverty in the social class hierarchy of the society.
There are more than five million Alamajiri and Almajira in Kano in the so called Almajiranci system of Islamic education for children willingly sent by their parents. But only the underprivileged children of the poverty stricken poor Talakawas or commoners become Alamajiri and Almajira and not the privileged children of the elites who are enrolled in modern public and private schools.
The Alamajiri have become easy recruits of the Boko Haram terrorists and bandits who have been on rampage in northern Nigeria with incessant terrifying occurrences of killings and kidnappings. And as the saying goes, the Chickens have come home to roost.
Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund Appoints Dr. Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko as General Manager
The Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) has announced the appointment of Dr Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko as General Manager.
With the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Nigerians, the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund aims to support vulnerable groups, strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare systems and reskill the Nigerian Youth for a post COVID-19 era. To this end, the NSSF has set its main priority for 2021 going forward: To get One Million Nigerians vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr Chinye-Nwoko is a qualified medical doctor and an accomplished executive with over ten years of experience in program management. With a proven track record in designing and implementing multi-donor projects from inception to completion, she is ideally placed to oversee the focus on a vaccination program for Nigerians, driven by her passion for healthcare delivery.
After qualifying from the University of Port Harcourt in 2010, Dr Chinye-Nwoko spent the first part of her career as a medical doctor with the Lagos State Health Service Commission. She spent four years at the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation where, amongst other initiatives, she led the development of policies and guidelines for the improvement of maternal and child health outcomes in Nigeria.
In 2019 she gained a Masters degree in Global Health Policy from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Through her consultancy work she has been at the forefront of innovations in telemedicine, and provided program management for EpiC, the USAID funded program which provides support to the Government of Nigeria to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, morbidity and mortality.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr Chinye-Nwoko to steer the NSSF towards its goal of vaccinating one million Nigerians,” says Tijani Babatunde Folawiyo, Chairman of Global Citizen Nigeria.
“Her wealth of knowledge and experience in healthcare equips her to navigate this huge task, which includes making sure that our citizens are well informed about the vaccine. We are excited to move the work of the fund forward with her involvement,” he says.
Dr Chinye-Nwoko says that she aims to contribute to the building of a resilient healthcare system in Nigeria, with a focus on removing the barriers to access quality healthcare. She says her first task will be the focus on vaccine equity and education.
“I would love to see NSSF bring together like-minded passionate Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, to help finance this new focus. We have identified the great need for our people to be protected against COVID-19 and to this end will be working to acquire vaccines and ensure that Nigerians have the benefit of knowledge about the vaccine. We will work towards creating an understanding of why it is necessary for as many of us as possible to be protected from the disease.”
The NSSF has raised over $ 2.4 million and is launching a new drive to encourage Nigerian philanthropists, HNIs, corporate organizations, the public sector and international businesses, to contribute to the pool. The fund for Nigerians by Nigerians aims to raise $ 50 million, and you can support this initiative by visiting https://nigeriasolidarityfund.ng/donate/. All donations will support the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.
-ends-
For more information please contact:
Kirsti Lyall
kirsti@hitch.co.za / +27 83 450 6665
About NIGERIA SOLIDARITY SUPPORT FUND (NSSF)
The NSSF is a private-sector led institution born out of a partnership between the Global Citizen (GC) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to complement efforts in combating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through fund raising to address three core COVID-19 response areas: supporting the most vulnerable, strengthening health care systems and re-skilling of Nigerian youth for The New Nigeria.
The Institution believes that everyone should have access to quality and affordable healthcare services when they need it, young Nigerians should be enabled with opportunities for self-empowerment and well-skilled for a post-COVID era and that the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized groups in Nigeria should not be left behind.
For more information, visit https://nigeriasolidarityfund.ng/
Created by: Medical Billing and Coding Infographic: The hazards of hospitals Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing. But as this infographic shows, threats like superbugs, sloppy records and sleepy interns can make U.S. hospitals surprisingly dangerous.
Seeing is Believing, and the Key to Good Health Video Storytelling - the Way to Better Health at BeSmartBeWell.com.
CHICAGO, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — When it comes to their health, nearly 90 percent of Americans lack the literacy skills to understand basic medical information and instruction. Low literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of hospitalization and less frequent use of preventive services. A few quick minutes with a physician is not sufficient for most of us to understand a complex or chronic medical condition and how we can manage it. But new research indicates that video storytelling can be an effective way to educate people about health conditions - and watching others share their health stories can empower people to take control of their own health.
Stephanie Vomvouras, M.D., medical director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and BeSmartBeWell.com medical advisor
BeSmartBeWell.com, a consumer health website produced by the country’s largest customer-owned health insurer, is at the forefront of this video storytelling health-information movement, helping people manage childhood obesity, drug safety, mental health, childhood asthma and more with videos that feature health experts and people living with these conditions.
Research findings
A study published earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that storytelling can help change a person’s behavior–and bad health habits. As patients “enter” the world of the storytellers, they can see themselves in that situation. As noted in the study, people with high blood pressure benefited more from video storytelling than from traditional teaching methods.
Stories people can relate to
Tiffany, 20 year old amateur boxer
BeSmartBeWell.com uses a similar approach to those highlighted in the research, presenting real kids, real teens and real parents talking about important health issues.
“When we developed our personal stories, we could imagine that the viewers would see these stories and go ’Gosh, they’re just like us. Look at them going to the grocery store and picking out healthy food. Look at them reading labels,” explains Stephanie Vomvouras, M.D., medical director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and BeSmartBeWell.com medical advisor.
See more of Dr. Vomvouras and others discussing BeSmartBeWell.com’s approach to consumer health education. Reliable source
Produced in collaboration with medical experts and national health organizations, BeSmartBeWell.com is a non-commercial informational resource available to the public. At BeSmartBeWell.com, people will find:
* Credible resources and links * Health news * Expert Q&As * Links to health tools and calculators * In-depth articles
Consumers can also register for the monthly Spotlight newsletter and news alerts. For information about family-focused health topics—including childhood obesity, drug safety and teen dating violence–and to see more life stories, visit BeSmartBeWell.com. About Be Smart. Be Well.
BeSmartBeWell.com is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Divisions of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Media Contact: Ross Blackstone Media and Public Relations Manager Health Care Service Corporation 972/766-1735 Ross_Blackstone@hcsc.net
All other inquiries: 312/653-BSBW (2729), Editor@BeSmartBeWell.com
SC Johnson Introduces Windex® Mini, Hopes to Revolutionize Use of Cleaning Concentrates
Company Invites Consumers to Make Greener Choices, Help Lead the Change
RACINE, Wis., July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — With today’s launch of Windex® Mini, a concentrated refill pouch that uses 90 percent less plastic packaging than a traditional 26 fluid ounce trigger bottle, global environmental leader SC Johnson is taking another bold step to help consumers make greener choices.
Concentrates use less packaging, decrease shipping impacts and reduce waste that ends up in our nation’s landfills. Yet sales data shows U.S. consumers prefer not to refill their household cleaning bottles. This means stores won't stock concentrates and companies hesitate to create them. With this test, SC Johnson wants to understand how to motivate consumers and retailers to consider trading up from traditional cleaning methods to a greener choice.
“By conservative estimates, a flexible pouch saves six times as much plastic waste that goes into a landfill compared to a traditional bottle,” said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “Refilling with a concentrate is an example of a very small behavior change that could make a real difference in minimizing waste. But many people don't want the inconvenience. We want to crack the code and figure out what it would take to make concentrated refills an accepted – even demanded – choice.” Leading the Change, Learning Along the Way.
The Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch launch comes on the heels of Johnson’s speech at the 2011 Fortune Brainstorm Green conference in April. He spoke about the challenge of getting U.S. consumers to adopt concentrates, and his remarks received an enthusiastic response. Thus began a go-to-market plan to get Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouches into the hands of U.S. consumers in less than 15 weeks.
“The environment isn’t top of mind in most consumer purchases right now, but it needs to be if we’re going to address some of the challenges that future generations could face,” Johnson said. “What we try to do at SC Johnson is get product choices out there that work well and also have a better environmental profile than the ones that came before them.”
Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch delivers the streak-free results consumers expect from the 75-year heritage of the Windex® brand. In just three easy steps – cut, pour, add water – consumers can refill a clean, single 26 fluid ounce Windex® bottle with cleaner. To get the revolution rolling, the product is being sold directly by SC Johnson at www.scjgreenerchoices.com in three-packs of “snip ‘n’ pour” pouches. It's About Dialogue
With Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch, SC Johnson hopes to gain valuable insight into how Americans use concentrated cleaning products.
“We want to create an open dialogue and get feedback from consumers once they give Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch a try,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainability. “We know this initial test won’t be perfect, but to create real change we need to hear what consumers want and need, and learn as we go.”
The company invites Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch purchasers to visit www.scjgreenerchoices.com to post comments and critiques about their experience with the product. Small Change, Big Difference
The trigger bottle for Windex® Original glass cleaner is already produced with 50 percent post consumer recycled content. Choosing to refill with one Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouch has an immediate positive impact:
* Requires 90 percent less plastic packaging than a 26 fluid ounce trigger bottle - enough to make 6.5 ballpoint pens * Avoids transporting 22.4 fluid ounces of water - nearly 1.5 pounds by weight
If SC Johnson can prove that concentrates will sell, and convince retailers to stock them, it could make an even bigger impact. People buy approximately 21 million bottles of Windex® Original glass cleaner each year. If just 20 percent of those were refilled, each year it could:
* Save 350,000 pounds of plastic - that's 26 million ballpoint pens * Avoid using 175,000 pounds of virgin plastic - that's 3 million soda bottles * Avoid transporting 735,000 gallons of water - that's more than 6 million pounds by weight
Online Forum for Change
To support the launch of Windex® Mini concentrated refill pouches, the company is expanding its corporate website, www.scjohnson.com, to include a “Greener Choices” section. This forum, available directly at www.scjgreenerchoices.com, covers four main topic areas: Conserving Energy, More with Less, Reduce & Recycle and Everyday Alternatives.
Greener Choices includes tips on small, easy choices families can make, as well as an area where people can post their own environmental tips and recommendations. In addition, the site offers perspective from well-known environmental blogger Scarlet Paolicchi of Family Focus Blog, and FAQs from SC Johnson about its own green practices.
Also part of Greener Choices is a new carbon calculator that SC Johnson is launching in partnership with Conservation International (CI). The easy-to-use tool, designed by CI, offers a detailed analysis of a family's carbon impact based on home energy use, vehicles, diet and more. It also offers suggestions to lower your impact and a chance to offset it.
This isn’t the first time the 125-year-old privately held company has led the charge to green the consumer products industry – learn more about the SC Johnson’s sustainability initiatives in the 2010 Public Report. About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and pest control. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 125-year-old company, with more than $8 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world.
Media Contacts: Jam Stewart 262-260-2440 jmstewar@scj.com
Nine in 10 Doctors Want More Say in Hospital Management, Finds PwC Survey
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, April 20, 2011
NEW YORK, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 90 percent of doctors in a recent nationwide survey by PwC US believe that physicians employed by hospitals should be more involved in executive leadership and management of the hospital, including serving on the board of directors and outlining performance improvement initiatives, according to From courtship to marriage Part II, a new report released today by PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI).
Healthcare is moving toward a new approach in payment that rewards doctors and hospitals for quality results over volume, and the shift is driving the two closer together. Hospitals must rely on physicians to help them achieve health reform goals, and in return, physicians want not just financial security but also a say in hospital leadership. The prospects for a long-term union between hospitals and physicians will depend on their ability to meet in the middle, says PwC.
PwC's report is based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 physicians, supplemented by in-depth interviews with hospital executives, about their expectations as partners sharing power, resources and outcomes in a post-health reform world. HRI's research focused on what PwC says are three secrets for a successful marriage of hospitals and physicians: Shared governance, aligned compensation and changing physician-practice patterns.
Hospital employment means physicians may have to give up control of how they practice to comply with standards that emphasize overall system quality and efficiency goals. The trade-off, in their minds, comes with certain caveats. PwC's survey of physicians found the following:
* More than eight in 10 physicians (83 percent) who are considering hospital employment said they would expect to be paid the same as or more than they are now, with increases ranging from 1 percent to 4.7 percent or an average increase of 2.4 percent. Forty-five percent of physicians said they would expect an increase in pay and 38 percent would expect no change. * Realizing the health system is changing to track and reward performance, most physicians agree that half their salary should be fixed and the other half should be based on meeting a combination of productivity, quality, patient satisfaction and cost of care goals, with upside earning potential for performance. * Expectations for compensation varied by physician specialty, with pediatrics, psychiatry and cardiology expecting the largest increase and general surgery, oncology, and emergency medicine expecting the least. * Six in 10 physicians (62 percent) believe that nationally accepted physician practice guidelines should be used to guide the way they practice medicine, while one in three (30 percent) prefers locally developed guidelines.
Hospital executives interviewed for the report, however, said they aren't ready to "hand over the keys" just yet. They say that in order to pay physicians higher salaries, they will need to find funds elsewhere in the organization through improvements in the healthcare delivery model. They need physicians to not only help reduce supply and infrastructure cost but also to generate additional revenue.
There also is an issue of physician skills. Hospital leaders who were interviewed say that most physicians lack the business management and leadership skills needed to be effective in positions of leadership and governance.
"To succeed in the future, hospital executives and physicians may both have to cede on money and control issues," said Brett Hickman, partner, PwC health industries advisory. "It's a new day, and hospitals and physicians are beginning to realize that they are better together than apart. As in all healthy marriages, there can't be winners and losers. It is a relationship that has to start with trust and transparency, something hospitals and physicians have previously lacked. Then it's a matter of investing in each other and working together toward shared goals that both sides buy into."
Next Generation of MDs Seeking Business Training and Work-Life Balance
From undergraduate studies through medical school and into residency and fellowship programs, physicians traditionally have focused on the science of medicine. The next generation of physicians, however, is more likely to also receive business training to prepare them for their future careers, says PwC. HRI's review of the required curriculum of the 10 largest medical schools by total active enrollment in the country revealed that no time is formally allocated directly to business-related training. However, several universities are now offering joint MD/MBA programs. In fact, 53 medical school-affiliated universities are recognized by the American Association of Medical Colleges for offering dual-degree programs, a reflection of the medical and academic communities' awareness of and response to the need to address changing educational needs of medical student.
The availability of these programs is too late for today's doctors, which means they will need on-the-job training, an investment that hospitals must be willing to make, says PwC. The report describes how some hospitals are addressing the skills issue by creating educational programs to teach physicians business theory and techniques related to quality improvement, outcomes management and staff development. Beyond skills, the second issue for physicians is time. Physicians who have traditionally been paid to generate volume in a fee-for-service compensation model have been driven to see more and more patients, leaving them little time for anything outside of their medical practice. The question is whether they have capacity to also take on hospital governance and management, at least so long as fee-for-service compensation reigns.
Over two-thirds of physicians surveyed by PwC feel confident they could devote more time to leadership roles and activities of hospitals. Three-quarters (77 percent) say they have time for greater involvement in performance improvement initiatives; 71 percent in hospital executive leadership, and 69 percent have time to serve on hospital boards.
As part of larger well-documented generational trends, younger physicians are likely to want better work-life balance than their predecessors, making flexible compensation structures particularly appealing. In fact, not all physicians expect an increase in pay. Seventeen percent of physicians surveyed said they would accept a decrease in overall compensation when considering employment by a hospital.
"The key for hospital executives will be to determine the right compensation package to offer the right physician, based on their individual aspirations and expectations," added Hickman. "Physicians will be the key drivers in improving and sustaining clinical quality, and providing them with the right mix of compensation based on productivity and incentives will help hospitals increase revenue and avoid financial penalties."
The PwC report profiles three hospitals and the different approaches they have taken to address compensation, governance and practice standards issues. These hospitals are Indianapolis-based Franciscan St. Francis Health, Huntsville (Texas) Memorial Hospital, which is affiliated with the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, and SSM Health Care and Dean Health System of Wisconsin.
From courtship to marriage is a two-part series on hospital-physician alignment by PwC's Health Research Institute, and is part of PwC Health Industries' ongoing exploration of health reform and its implications. A full copy of From courtship to marriage II is available at: www.PwC.com/us/PhysicianHospitalAlignment. From courtship to marriage I and other health reform reports from PwC are available at: www.pwc.com/hri.
Methodology
PwC's Health Research Institute commissioned an online survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. physicians, balanced by age, gender, practice type and specialty. In addition, HRI analysts conducted 28 in-depth interviews with thought leaders and executives representing healthcare providers, payers and professional associations.
About PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI)
PwC Health Research Institute (www.pwc.com/hri) provides new intelligence, perspectives, and analysis on trends affecting all health-related industries. The Health Research Institute helps executive decision makers navigate change through primary research and collaborative exchange. Our views are shaped by a network of professionals with executive and day-to-day experience in the health industry.
About PwC's Health Industries Group
PwC's Health Industries Group (www.pwc.com/healthindustries) is a leading advisor to public and private organizations across the health industries including healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, health and life sciences, payers, employers, academic institutions and as well as non-health organizations with significance presence in the health market. Follow PwC Health Industries at http://twitter.com/PwCHealth.
About the PwC Network
PwC firms provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to enhance value for their clients. More than 161,000 people in 154 countries in firms across the PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. See www.pwc.com for more information.
I started using the Ovi Life Tools since last Saturday, to see how useful they are and found them engaging for having the latest updates of facts on Health, Education, Agriculture and Entertainment for my news and information blogs.
The Ovi Life Tools were launched in Nigeria last November, 2010, after the successful introductions in India, Indonesia and China.
Ovi Life Tools is a first step toward extending the advantages of today’s digital economy to the whole world at cheaper rates so that everyone can afford the service.
The service has been of immense benefit to over 7 million users so far. Farmers in rural areas in Asia use the tool for agriculture to get vital information on the weather and crops.
Presently the Nokia Ovi Life Tools in Nigeria will be offered on the Nokia 2690 and on the Nokia C1-01 through Zain/Airtel and Glo Mobile, at the affordable prices of N250 for the agriculture service and N200 per month for all other subscriptions and will soon be on MTN.
The service will be available countrywide in Nigeria in three languages – English, Hausa and Pidgin English.
Once activated the service on their phones, it will be free of charge for one service for the next one month. Note that there are 4 services: Agriculture, Healthcare, Entertainment, and Education. The 1 month free service is for only one of these services of their choice. If they choose to activate the 4 services, they will be charged for 3 while the 4 th will be free.
The healthcare service include information and advice on mother & childcare, health, fitness and diseases. Users can tailor the service to their needs by entering their sex, age and other relevant details. The agriculture service allows subscribers to specify the crops or commodities they’re interested in, their location and the preferred language for messages. English learning can be provided in Easy, Medium and Difficult levels, according to the user’s proficiency. The entertainment services includes local and international football information (personalised around the subscriber’s favourite team), music, entertainment news and jokes.
Go try the Ovi Life Tools and Enjoy 24/7.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OVI LIFE TOOLS IN NIGERIA
Q: What is Nokia’s Ovi Life tools?
A: Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools is a suite of personally relevant information services providing regular localized information related to Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Entertainment. The service is designed to work without the need for any GPRS plans or settings, as the updates are delivered via SMS to the OLT inbox in a graphically rich easy to read format in the user’s local language.
Q: Are all of these services/areas be available in Nigeria?
A: Yes, the Ovi Life Tools offering in Nigeria will consist of the Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Entertainment services.
Q: What do these services actually offer?
A: The services offer the following to users:
Healthcare Services: (total of 7 subscription services) • Mother & Child o Subscription service #1: Pregnancy advice – This service keeps the user informed on what to expect from pregnancy and parenthood along with the nutritional and developmental needs of oneself during the entire course of pregnancy. Information delivered to the user is specific to the week of pregnancy and geography determined by the expected date of delivery and the location (6 geographical zones in Nigeria) provided by the user. o Subscription service #2: Child care advice – The service provides information on the nutritional, hygiene, immunization, and developmental needs of the child linked to the important milestones related to child growth up to 5 years of age. Health tips are relevant to the age of the child determined by the Date of Birth input by the parent. • Health and Fitness o Subscription service #3: Women’s Health – The user will receive gender, region and age specific health tips on nutrition, hygiene, fitness and well being to help the user stay fit. Daily content delivered in local language specific to the age of the user. o Subscription service #4: Men’s Health - The user will receive gender, region and age specific health tips on nutrition, hygiene, fitness and well being to help the user stay fit. Daily content delivered in local language specific to the age of the user. • Disease Information • Daily health tips to user based on the important disease conditions prevalent in the geography. Information will help user in prevention, prolonging onset and living better with the condition. Health tips related to medical, co-morbidities, lifestyle, fitness and safety based on the condition chosen by the user. In keeping with the healthcare industry practices, the tips are preventive in nature and not diagnostic or prescriptive advice is offered.
Agriculture Services:
• The Agri service covers the 25 major crops/commodities at launch. More will be progressively added. Market Prices for 111 marketplaces in Nigeria, with 3 market places for each state in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). • There is one agriculture subscription service which packages the news & tips, weather and market prices. The user makes the selection of the 3 crops/commodities that she wishes to be informed regularly about. This hyper local service is personalized to those 3 crops for user’s region. 1. News & Tips: The user will receive daily crop tips based on the choice of crop/commodity and agriculture news that is relevant to the location of the user. The crop tips are hyper localized advice based on crop life cycle & agro climatic aspects prevalent in the user’s location. Tips also will contain best practices & techniques around increasing the yield of the crop/commodity. • Market Prices: The user will receive market prices twice a week for a choice of 3 crops/commodities from 3 nearby & relevant markets for the crop/commodity. • Weather: The user will receive weather forecast for the day specific to the location. The weather information will include general outlook around Temperature, Rainfall, Humidity & Wind.
Education Services:
• Learn English – This service allows users to learn Conversational English with the help of their local language via daily messages. The service comes with a choice of three levels - Easy, Medium & Difficult allowing the users choice of learning levels. The service also allows choice of languages – English, English with Hausa and English with Pidgin. The learning outcomes of the Easy level are 70% common conversational words and 30% common phrases using simple sentences; the learning outcomes of Medium level are 30% intermediate vocabulary, 40% common phrases and 30% on constructs like verbs, tenses etc.. using simple sentences, while the Difficult level focuses on 50% on advanced vocabulary and 50% on constructs like verbs, tenses etc.. using intermediate sentences. Each of the three levels – Easy, Medium, Difficult are separate subscription services to enable the users to choose the service based on their current knowledge. • General Knowledge - This service allows users to keep themselves updated with general knowledge, important information and vital facts about their state, country and the world via daily messages. This service focuses 60% on region or state level, 30% on national level and 10% international information. • Exam Results – This service allows users to get their exam results for WAEC by providing their registration number.
Entertainment Services: • Football: This service allows users to keep themselves updated on the latest happenings around their favorite football club. The daily updates will be around news, match dates, transfers, gossip etc. around the club and the players. On match days, the users will receive 8 updates during the match time spaced from start to end of the match covering key items like goals, score updates, penalties and final result. The users have a choice of 12 football clubs, national and international. • Music: This service allows the user access to a variety of music services like MonoTones, TrueTones, PolyTones categorized into Naija Top 10, World Top 10, HipHop, Oldies, Gospel etc. • News: This service allows the user to keep up-to-date with the latest International, National and Sports news. • Horoscope: This service allows user to access daily predictions based on Sun Signs of choice. • Jokes: This service allows user access to a daily dose of humor in the form of jokes. • Entertainment Gist: This service allows user to keep up-to-date on the gossip around the entertainment industry and popular personalities.
Q. Why do you say Ovi Life Tools is personalized and hyper local?
A: The learning and information services in Ovi Life Tools are specific to user profile and choices making them personalized and hyper local. Various services allow relevant personalization by users, for example: • The agriculture services allow the user to specify the crop/commodity of choice, location and language of messages. • In healthcare services the user is allowed to input details like Gender, Date of Birth and relevant details (expected date of delivery or last menstrual period) to personalize the service content to exactly match the profile of the user. The user also has the choice of language of content for all services and location for pregnancy, men’s & women’s health. • In education services, for Learn English the user can choose the level of difficulty of learning English by subscribing to Easy, Medium and Difficult levels based on their current proficiency in the language. Furthermore, the user can choose to learn English with via English or English + Hausa or English + Pidgin. • In entertainment services, for Football the user has a choice of 12 popular football clubs to choose from and similar choice are available in other entertainment services too like Sun Signs in Horoscope, wide range of options in Music, etc...
Q: Which Operators will support Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools in Nigeria?
A: We will support all operators to ensure the benefits of the service are available to all mobile users in Nigeria. To start with, Zain/Airtel and Glo Mobile are live. We are in discussions with other operators and will endeavor to work with them to get the benefits of Life Tools to a larger base of mobile users in Nigeria.
Q. In which languages is this service be available?
A: The service content will be available English, Hausa and Pidgin English. .
Q. Is Ovi Life Tools be available to the whole of Nigeria?
A: Yes, Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools is available nationwide in Nigeria.
Q: Is this available on all Nokia devices in Nigeria ?
A: The Nokia Ovi Life Tools service in Nigeria is available on select Nokia devices. It will initially be pre-installed on the Nokia 2690 and the Nokia C1-01. The service will be available on additional Series 40 & Series 30 devices in 2011.
Q: When did you start working on this project in Nigeria?
A: We have been working on this project since the second half of 2009.
Q: Why do you think this service will be popular in Nigeria?
A: OLT addresses the basic needs of people. Aside from this, the service aims to improve people’s livelihood. It will also provide information which will help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.
Q: What type of support have you had from the Government in Nigeria?
A: Courtesy visits were made to the management team of Nigeria’s telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as well to the Minister of Information (which is the supervisory ministry of NCC), Prof. Dora Akunyili, in September 2010, during which they were briefed on the OLT service. They are very excited about the service and we will work together to take the partnership further.
Q: What are Nokia’s expectations for take up of the service in Nigeria and by when?
A: Based on our experience in other markets, we are confident that Nigeria consumers will find this service attractive and affordable. We will start off slowly with only a few devices linked to the service and add more next year. We will take continuous feedback from the market and constantly improve the service.
Q: Aren't these low-end phones on which OLT is being offered no longer meeting demand - even in rural areas - for multimedia touch devices at affordable prices?
A: It is important that we deliver the total solutions at an affordable price, so we are starting with some of the well known and affordable devices. We will add a larger range of devices in the future giving consumers even more choices.
FACTS ON SMS
Despite the flexibility of email and the ever-so-fashionable Twitter, SMS (text) messages remain the most popular messaging choice of mobile phone users around the world. Here are five textual facts:
The first text message was sent on December 3, 1992 using the UK’s Vodafone network. It read ‘Merry Christmas’.
Six per cent of texts are never read by their recipients.
Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology found that texting was addictive as smoking, with around a fifth of people suffering increased heart rate and anxiety levels when deprived of their phones.
Around 2.5 trillion text messages were sent worldwide in 2008 – a 20 percent increase from 2007.
The phrase used in Guinness World Record speed texting attempts is “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.” Time to beat? 41.4 seconds.
A Cry Out to President Jonathan to Take Speedy Action on Nigeria’s Extremely Bad Health Care
Mr. President, you are fully aware of the deeply held culture of indifference that filters through our public institutions and especially, our hospitals.
The psychological and cultural realities of the Nigerian institutions are not strange to you and should not therefore, be much of a surprise to you.
As you know, Nigeria’s institutions are degenerating and wallowing in corruption, while religious and ethnic strife are a threat to good administrative governance and public sanity.
However, as the President of a country that is a part of the global economy, both you, other open-mind Nigerians, and our global partners should be in shock at life expectancy and the standard of health care in Nigeria.
Take a look at the ongoing horror-filled news from hospitals like the General Hospital in Agenebode, Edo State where patients undergo surgeries with flashlights, as in the most recent case where the Chief Physician, Dr. Monday Obawonyi, in near darkness and with no air conditioning, performed a surgical operation on one Mrs. Mary Alugbe.
There is the case of dead babies from the premier Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) being packed into bags, moved through the streets of Lagos on the way to be dumped in bushes.
It seems that there is no end to this national nightmare, to the extent that some in the Nigerian leadership who are quite familiar with the reality of life amongst the people, are beginning to believe that societal upheaval may be the quickest way out of this national distress, in order for constructive and drastic changes to occur.
Voices of Warning
An Economist, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria in a recent lecture at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, seemed to predict that should the current economic woes continue, the people could seek self-help through violence, and bring the needed change that some in leadership have always resisted.
In addition, with an air of frustration, a nationally revered Constitutional Law scholar, Prof Ben Nwabueze at a recent Book launch, in Victoria Island, Lagos, posited adequate transformational change only taking place through Bloody Revolution.
His Co-member at the Presidential Advisory Council, retired Lt. T.Y Dajuma stated that at this time there is no leader to help transform the nation and fears that revolution as the only path for change would be too costly in terms of money and the lives of the Nigerian sons.
Even the current Federal Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien in a recent speech at a London business summit celebrating Nigeria’s 50th birthday sees the nation as being in a state of deep structural degeneration and seemingly hopeless.
A Way Forward
However, there is a much more forthright path in which the President can immediately take the country to put to rest these predictions of disappointment and doom.
Mr. President, declare a national state of emergency across some public institutions in light of the fact that no matter how much money is poured into a system, most of it gets converted to personal use.
As such, few projects are completed in Nigeria, and fewer come out right. In the process, the consumers of the intended public services suffer.
Mr.President, the blunder is not with the buildings; it is with those who occupy these buildings and handle the customers who seek help from these institutions.
In fact,the fault lies mainly in the heads and minds of some of the workers, officials, supervisors, clinicians, consultants, contractors, and managers of these institutions.
Sir, you must familiar with as one who has held public service for years and are familiar with how you break away from other powerful Nigerians who are entrenched in the system. This is an issue for you to grapple with, and it will not be easy. You will need help.
Help in the Diaspora?
It is time to summon the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Foreign Embassies in Nigeria and the Nigerian High commissions and Consulates in countries like United States of America to help in the mass recruitment of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
Bringing them in with their experiences will be less costly than the status quo and what might eventually result from its continuation and eventual public frustration.
Personnel blending or displacement will certainly be more tolerable to those likely to be displaced compared to the apparent appraoch being called for by the likes of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and Prof. Ben Nwabueze,
I would suggest that you cannot ignore these nonviolent recommended paths to institutional-personnel renewal as you work on creating on a healthier institutional environment.
Sir, in order to have an idea of the type of sound governance that many Diasporan Nigerians could bring in, you only have to spend some time browsing internet News Papers and Outlets in the likes of Thewillnigeria.com, Nigerianinquirer.com, Saharareporters.com, Xclusivenigeria.com, UkpakaReports.com, Huhuonline.com, Pointblanknews.com, TheNigeriaVoice.com, NigeriansReport.com, and others.
Within these news outlets are essays, comments, and inventions from Diasporan Nigerians who dearly love home. Many of them have mostly spent credible periods in foreign public-oriented careers and professions, while some are consequences of the Brain Drain-from the public and health care sectors, in Nigeria, especially.
The Shambolic Healthcare Sector
With the idiocy over the zoning issue, there are now grounds to believe that uncertainty could lie ahead as the electorate look towards the forth coming national election.
Mr. President, while focusing on the public institutions, the health care sector in particular can no longer be left in the hands of predatory commercialists, politicians and administrators.
It remains shocking how the nation has failed those dead children, having been loaded into street bags in the hands of a so-called contractor while the hospital medical executives, administrators and management seemingly look away and stand in a state of ignorance or denial.
If one of the best teaching hospitals—Lagos Teaching University Hospital (LUTH) could showcase such unethical/possibly illegal actions, what about all other much less noticeable medical centers across the nation?.
If the parents of these seventy-plus dead children are reportedly abandoning them within a short period of two to three months, where are the police reports on parental abandonment?
Could some these deaths be suspicious, or unexpected as they relate to possible child abuse and parental neglect? In that case, where are the documented calls from hospital staff and follow up police investigations? Are some of these deaths due to signs of physical trauma, medical accidents or criminal acts, and where are the autopsy reports from the pathologists?
Could some these deaths could have being prevented with the active presence of ethically minded workers/contractors and sustainable resources? How many child deaths happens due to intentional or gross neglect in order to enable staff to illegally supplement their salaries with bribes from morbid contractors?
How many corpses are dumped in residential and industrial bushes as corpses are turned away on contractors who cannot further pay inflated fees and bribes to cemetery care takers having bribed hospital workers and officials’ in order to remain in the job?
How many street and unlicensed contractors are allowed to manage the disposal of decomposing bodies in the midst of possible health hazards to the living and public environs?
Where are the Federal and State Ministries of Health in terms of procedures and practices for monitoring the handling of unclaimed bodies at different morbidity units in various hospitals?
Do public health officials have the educational and training fliers to guide parents and hospital officials on child related issues? Do these various local governments and large teaching and Specialist hospitals have Children fatality Review Board to assist in examining child fatalities?
Mr. President, surgical operations are always high risk in Nigeria, whether due to blackouts or inadequate supplies. Added to unreliable electric power and few medical supplies, there are few monitoring devices, no functioning oxygen plants, no adequate trauma care centers, no active stationary phones, no refrigerators to store medicines and food, and no workable toilets
Patients lay down on inadequate mattresses with no pillows. They overflow into corridors due to too much heat; X-Ray machines are AWOL; there is lack of running water, few good roads, no enforceable traffic regulations or dependable emergency transportation to hospitals.
Mr. President, public trust is weakening, in these crucial times and in the face of blatant extortion of public funds by a tiny fraction of the society.
Taking Bold Action
With all the recovered monies by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EECC), some of the confiscated monies could be directed to procure high-powered generators, functioning morgues, effective X-Ray machines, create workable cemeteries. Funds could be directed towards the mass return of Diasporan Professional who will only come if there perceive strategic insights into, and commitment towards solving these issues.
As the 2011 national election draws near, will the public hospitals and other medical institutions be ready for cases of trauma and other emergency related crises?
You must take action to convince Nigeria’s citizens that their health needs will be met in the short term, even if some form of national health care emergency has to be declared. Time is running out and many would say: “hurry up, Mr. President”.
~ By John Oshodi
John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, DABPS, FACFE, is a Clinical/Forensic Psychologist, and the Interim Associate Dean of Behavioral Science, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. Joshodi@broward
Nobel Prize Winner Professor Muhammad Yunus Leading Delegation From Bangladesh to World Health Care Congress to Advance Affordable Health Care Innovations
Health Care innovations and opportunities attract attendees from more than 35 countries and delegations from over 12 to the 6th Annual World Health Care Congress April 14-16, 2009, Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Professor Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank and a delegation of 12 leaders from Bangladesh will be joining delegations from more than a dozen other countries at the 6th Annual World Health Care Congress, April 14-16, Washington, D.C. Professor Yunus, a 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate will be speaking at the conference regarding the Grameen Healthcare initiative, a program to develop a world-class, sustainable health care network to serve the people of Bangladesh.
"A vital component of our health programs is the accompanying micro-health insurance program to encourage positive health seeking practices. This serves a dual purpose of enhancing utilization of health services and improving cost-recovery to achieve sustainability," states Professor Yunus. "While initial evaluations of the Grameen Clinic network and its health impact are positive, continuous improvements in coverage, disease prevention, quality of care and sustainability remain as top priorities."
The Bangladeshi delegation will be joined by others who will represent the spectrum of foreign health care leaders, from health ministries to hospitals, medical research facilities, pharmaceuticals and media outlets. This year's congress will feature delegations from: China, India, Israel, Romania, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Denmark, Canada, and Nigeria. Representatives from more than 35 other countries are also registered.
Countries such as China also will be represented with pavilions that highlight companies that are shaping the future of health care delivery in their home countries.
"The World Health Care Congress is a truly international event, and our international participation continues to grow," said Nicole Garratt, World Health Care Congress president and director. "We strongly encourage everyone to join the global discussion concerning health care. It's exciting to see one conference connect all points on the globe through health care thought leadership and new business opportunities."
As one of its features, the 6th Annual World Health Care Congress will offer a roster of foreign speakers for a two-day International Health Summit, with topics including:
-- Game changing innovations in developing countries that improve the cost and quality of care -- Global health's major killers and new medical research efforts -- Advancing the Electronic Medical Record - UK's lessons learned to improve physician compliance and quality -- International partnerships for health care delivery innovation -- Lessons learned from global hospital and health system shared experiences and best practices
-- Responses to world public health challenges
About Grameen Healthcare
Grameen Healthcare aims to establish a sustainable health system in Bangladesh that will serve the health needs of all Bangladeshis income levels with low cost and high quality health care. Grameen Healthcare will design low-cost, affordable health services for all of Bangladesh, especially the lowest income women and children, and sustain these services thru social business. In addition to existing social business partnerships with Danone and Veolia, Grameen Healthcare has recently announced partnerships with Pfizer, GE Healthcare, and the Mayo Clinic. Grameen Healthcare continues to gather more new and innovative partners committed to harness best practices to build sustainable business models that can meet the unmet health needs of the poor in Bangladesh.
About Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank (GB) has reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for collateral and created a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. GB provides credit to the poorest of the poor in rural Bangladesh, without any collateral. At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the over all development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the grounds that they are poor and hence not bankable. As of January, 2009, it has 7.71 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women. With 2,541 branches, GB provides services in 83,744 villages, covering almost 100 percent of the total villages in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank was jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with its founder Dr. Muhammad Yunus. See http://www.grameen.com/ for additional information.
About the World Health Care Congress
The 6th Annual World Health Care Congress is the most prestigious meeting of chief and senior executives from all sectors of health care. The 2009 conference will convene over 1,700 CEOs, senior executives and government officials from the nation's largest employers, hospitals, health systems, health plans, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and leading government agency policy makers. For more information visit www.worldhealthcarecongress.com
CONTACT: Shadab Mahmud Program Manager, Grameen Healthcare Support Group 617-953-1665 Shadab.Mahmud@gmail.com
CONTACT: Patrick Golden Director of Communications, World Congress 781.939.2511 Patrick.golden@worldcongress.com
Source: World Health Care Congress
CONTACT: Shadab Mahmud, Program Manager, Grameen Healthcare Support Group, +1-617-953-1665, Shadab.Mahmud@gmail.com; or Patrick Golden, Director of Communications, World Congress, +1-781-939-2511, Patrick.golden@worldcongress.com
