Widows to benefit from Rural Health Insurance Scheme in Enugu

Widows to benefit from Rural Health Insurance Scheme in Enugu 

By NAN on December 24, 2015 11:17 am

No fewer than 2,000 widows in Nenwe community of Enugu State are to benefit from the Rural Health Insurance Scheme, sponsored by Jonalfa Hope International Foundation.

The founder of the foundation, retired Air Vice-Marshal Chris Chukwu, announced this on Thursday in Nenwe during the inauguration of Nenwe Health Scheme.

Chukwu, an indigene of the community, noted that the gesture was to bring succour to the widows, whom he said are suffering untold hardship.

He said that Nenwe with 27 villages have over 3,000 widows.

“We embarked on a re-verification exercise to have an authentic data of widows in the community and the actual numbers we will be sponsoring.

“At the end of the exercise, 2,000 widows were captured and we are making a commitment to sponsor them in 2016, and beyond as our finances can go, “ he said.

Chukwu said that the foundation had deposited N2.5 million out of N7.2 million required for the scheme annually.

He appealed to the managers of the scheme to review downward the registration fees for beneficiaries to enable more people to participate.

“The registration fee of a beneficiary per annum is much and we urge the managers to take another look at it.

“We have already deposited N2.5 million in the accounts of Nenwe Community Mutual Health Association to ensure we started on a solid footing,’’ he said.

Chukwu said that the foundation was also compiling a comprehensive data of all orphans of primary school age in the community with a view to training them.

“Our mission is to bring succour to the less privileged and other vulnerable groups; our vision is towards a society free from the tears of poverty,’’ Chukwu said.

In an address, Mrs Akunna Ochor, Enugu State Coordinator, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), commended the people of Nenwe for embracing the scheme.
Ochor said that the community was the first in the South-East to embrace the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme.

She said that it had been a tortuous journey to formalise the agreement between the managers and the community, remarking that all processes had been concluded.

The coordinator expressed regret that most people in the rural communities are yet to appreciate the importance of the scheme, which she said would help them live a healthy life.

Ochor, who appealed to the people to embrace the scheme, said that there are several incentives in the scheme.
“Any community that gets about 1,000 beneficiaries, government will intervene and assist pregnant women and children below five years in such communities free of charge,“ she said.

Ochor urged the sponsors of the scheme to ensure its sustainability so as to reduce incidences of untimely deaths in the community.

Mrs Elizabeth Ugwueke, one of the widows, praised the sponsor for the initiative.

“You have wiped our tears and we will remain grateful to you for this intervention,’’ she said.

 http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/widows-to-benefit-from-rural-health-insurance-scheme-in-enugu-state/

ALCOHOL AND CANCER

New alcohol guidelines: What you need to know

Image copyrightThinkstock

Men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week - the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine - in order to keep their health risks low, new guidelines have recommended.

The new Department of Health limits - which come into effect on Friday - replace the previous ones on drinking, which were set out 21 years ago.

Here is a breakdown of what you need to know:

---

Why now?

The government previously said it had heard "sufficient concerns" from experts about what was known about alcohol and its health risks.

The previous guidelines came out in 1995 and the links between alcohol and cancer and heart disease were not as well understood then as they are now.

It is now known that the risks from alcohol start from any level of regular drinking and rise with the amount being consumed. The new guidelines have been set at a level to keep the risk of mortality from cancers or other diseases "low".

Work on the new guidelines has been under way since 2013.

---

So what's changed?

Image copyrightThinkstock

The new changes affect men more than women.

Previously, women were advised to drink no more than 2-3 units a day and men no more than 3-4. This technically meant men could consume around 28 units a week, although the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recommended no more than 21 units should be drunk over seven days.

The old guidance said that by sticking within recommended limits, there was "only a low risk of causing harm in most circumstances".

However, the new rules now state that both men and women should drink no more than 14 units over the course of three days or more. This is the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine over the course of a week.

The rules also say that it's best not to "save up units" and drink them all in one go and to make sure you have alcohol-free days.

---

I thought a small amount of alcohol was good for you?

Image copyrightThinkstock

The new recommendations appear to be moving away from this long-held belief.

The review found that the benefits of alcohol for heart health only apply for women aged 55 and over - and even then it's in very small amounts, around five units a week.

The guidelines say: "There is no justification for recommending drinking on health grounds - nor for starting drinking for health reasons."

It also says that evidence in support for drinking alcohol in small amounts to maintain good health was "weaker than it was at the time of 1995".

---

What about drinking while pregnant?

Image copyrightThinkstock

It's an issue which has caused great debate.

But the new guidelines for pregnant women have now been updated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be clear that no level of alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy.

Previously it was recommended that for women who had opted to drink, consuming no more than one or two units of alcohol - equivalent to one or two small glasses of wine - would "minimise the risk to your baby".

The new guidance says that for women who do drink that amount the risk to their baby is likely to be low, but "nevertheless, we cannot rule out the risks altogether".

---

Is there a safe drinking level?

No. The new recommendations are at pains to point out that these guidelines are not for "safe" drinking, but rather just at minimising risk of illness.

All alcohol consumption carries some risk, the guidance says.

"The vast majority of the population can reduce health risks further if they reduce drinking below the guideline levels, or do not drink at all," the guidance says.

Drinking above the new recommended 14 units a week is the point at which a person's risk of an early death increases by 1% - the equivalent amount of risk as driving a car.

---

What's the reaction?

Prof Matt Field, who is a lecturer in addiction at the University of Liverpool, said one of the most important changes with the recommendations is that there is no "safe" level of alcohol consumption.

"Any amount of drinking is associated with increased risk of a number of diseases; the often-reported protective effects will not apply to the majority of people and where they do apply, they refer to very low levels of drinking. So, any amount of alcohol consumption carries some risk," he said.

"It is also important to emphasise why this advice is being issued. This is not about telling people what to do. Instead, people have a right to accurate information about alcohol and its health risks so that they can make informed decisions about their drinking behaviour."

Booze calculator: Which nationality are you?

Dr Niamh Fitzgerald, who is a lecturer in alcohol studies at the University of Stirling, said: "The purpose of these new guidelines is to provide the public with the latest accurate information on how they can reduce health risks from alcohol, if they choose to drink.

"Most people are aware of the links between smoking and cancer, but far fewer are aware of evidence linking alcohol consumption with an increased risk of future health problems, in particular cancers of the mouth, intestines and breast cancer in women."

Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, said: "I want pregnant women to be very clear that they should avoid alcohol as a precaution. Although the risk of harm to the baby is low if they have drunk small amounts of alcohol before becoming aware of the pregnancy, there is no 'safe' level of alcohol to drink when you are pregnant."

 NEWS

The Fulani that became the first mayor of Enugu

Mallam Umaru Altine : The Fulani that became the first mayor of Enugu

Written by Administrator

• • More Sharing Services  Do Nigerians know that the first mayor of Enugu city was a Fulani man?   Enugu is the capital of old eastern Nigeria with majority of Igbo speaking people; therefore it is imperative to explore and understand how a Fulani politician became the mayor of the city.   Nnamdi Azikiwe’s political machine  made it possible for Alhaji Umaru Altine  to become the mayor of Enugu. 

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first Governor General and first President of Nigeria was by no means perfect in his political career but his faith in one Nigeria was unshakable, unquestionable  and his quest for united and indivisible Nigeria cannot be compared to rest of his contemporaries.

"According to Richard Sklar, an American political scientist who authored the the book “Nigerian Political Parties”, Mallam Umaru Altine who hailed from the old Sokoto Province of the defunct region of Northern Nigeria and who served as President of the Enugu Branch of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons(NCNC) was elected the first Mayor of

Enugu in 1956.

In my humble opinion, this again goes to show the kind of very elevated and futuristic politics played by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first Premier of Eastern Nigeria and the most sincere proponent of Nigerian national unity of all time. It is a testimony to his impeccable credentials as the ultimate Nigerian that during his time in office, a Mid-Westerner and incumbent Oba Erediauwa of Benin (then Prince Solomon Akenzua) and a Northerner, the late Abdulaziz Atta, the Gowon-era Secretary to the Government of the Federation who died in 1972, both served as Permanent Secretaries of the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service," as stated in the Beegeagle's Blog.

In the 1950s a Fulani cattle dealer leaves Sokoto for Enugu, wins the backing of Nnamdi Azikiwe, joins mainstream Enugu politics, and eventually becomes the first Mayor of the Coal City. Travelling through four Nigerian cities, and cross checking the tiny but significant details of a rare story, Weekly Trust explores the life and legacy of Enugu’s first Mayor.

"Nigeria never fails to shock. This power to shock in a positive sense is embodied in the life and career of Umoru Altine, scion of the Sokoto Caliphate, who, on a record two occasions, became the Mayor of Enugu, which lies deep in Nigeria’s  South-East. He was the first ever Mayor of Enugu. Agu Gab Agu, one time Chairman, Enugu North Local Government invited the Umoru Altine family to Enugu in 2004 in his capacity as Chair of the local government. This was simply to celebrate the achievement of their late father. He tells Weekly Trust ‘Our history before that time did not reflect his towering achievement in terms of Nigerian unity. I was going to name a public institution after him, but time did not allow for that. ‘He says that a street was named after the late Mayor somewhere in the Coal Camp area of Enugu during the First Republic. Here is a political story, which also doubles as a Love epic, a war story, a tale of benevolent mentors, and a travel narrative as well.


Altine could have been Sultan
As a descendant of Uthman Dan Fodio, he could have been Sultan of Sokoto. But he preferred the world of trading, travel, adventure (he joined the army and worked with the railways) and politics (one account says he first contested an election in Tambuwal, Sokoto state), and he carved a niche for himself in these respects. He was handsome, was always well dressed, and people were magnetically drawn to him. In Enugu, he wore the Babban Riga, as well as a Turban. On other occasions he wore suits as the event demanded. He went to Church in Enugu if his duties as Mayor called for it, and went to do the kick off at stadia when occasion demanded. He was willing to adjust while retaining his identity. A noble, free and simple spirit is in evidence here. This Prince smoked loved Nsala soup with fresh fish, a popular meal of the Enugu Igbo, so says his wife, had a high sense of personal hygiene and had a good command of English. He never fell ill, so says Ma’Inna Altine, his Sokoto based daughter. He was fluent in Fulfulde and, to cap it all, he married an Igbo Lady. “(Tadaferua Ujorha, Daily Trust)

 http://www.afripol.org/afripol/item/1787-mallam-umaru-altine-the-fulani-that-became-the-first-mayor-of-enugu.html

SOURCE

NOVEMBER in the family Part 1

I want to thank all of you my friends and well wishers   for your good wishes on our birthday and other  occurrences  in the month. So far It has been a  November full of events as usual and we  are grateful to God almighty  for  his  guidance. 

• It started  with Chijioke’s birthday https://www.facebook.com/Cjaypat?fref=ts , on the first,

• Charles birthday,saints day and Ndidi’s birthday https://www.facebook.com/chukwubike.ndidi.roseline

• Chinedus birthday the next day http://naijainworldview.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/polio-who-urges-hygienic-standards-in.html

•  and  mamas memorial day on the 7th
  

• Olivia  birthday followed https://www.facebook.com/chukwubike.olivia?fref=ts

• Today is Ben Titio's birthday

• And Hon Tochi and her two girls are in Paris enroute to the UK  for Chidi's M.SC. graduation ceremony scheduled  for next week. 

 

A FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS LECTURE .....

 A FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS LECTURE PRESENTED AT  MEETING OF FGBMFI (NORTH-GATE CHAPTER) ON SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2015  Strictly For Men & The Women Who Love Them

(STRICTLY FOR MEN-MY CHILDHOOD; MY MANHOOD; MY PROSTAGEL)

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen

I am here to speak with you on Prostagel.
The topic is misleading.
Is prostagel strictly for men?

Yes, ONLY men will use prostagel and ONLY men over 40years but the healthcare enlightenment is for everyone.

There is no woman who does not know a man 40 years and above – father, uncle, brother, son, friend, neighbor, colleague…. Essentially what I will be doing today is health promotion. Responsible health promotion must provide three things:

1.Information
2.Reassurance
3.A plan of action.

Let me start with a background on prostate health.
Everyone has a pair of kidneys. The job of the kidney is to remove waste. It is the LAWMA (waste management company) of your body. Everyday your blood passes through the kidney several times to be filtered. As the blood is filtered, urine is formed and stored in a temporary storage tank called the urinary bladder. If there were to be no urinary bladder, as a man walks on the road, urine will be dropping.

Now think of the plumbing work in your house. Think of the urinary bladder as the overhead storage tank. From the storage tank, a good plumber will run pipes to other parts of the house, including the kitchen. God in His wisdom ran pipes from our urinary bladder to the tip of the penis. The pipe is called the urethra. Just below the bladder and surrounding the urethra is a little organ called the prostate gland.

The prostate gland is the size of a walnut and weighs about 20grams. Its job is to make the seminal fluid which is stored in the seminal vesicle. During sexual intercourse, seminal fluid comes down the urethra and mixes with the sperms produced in the testicles to form the semen. So semen technically is not sperm. It is sperm + seminal fluid.The seminal fluid lubricates the sperm.

After age 40, for reasons that may be hormonal, the prostate gland begins to enlarge. From 20 grams it may grow to almost 100 grams. As it enlarges, it squeezes the urethra and the man begins to notice changes in the way he urinates.

If you have a son under 10, if he has a little mischief like we all did at that age, when he comes out to urinate, he can target the ceiling and the jet will hit target. Call his father to do same, wahala dey.
His urine stream is weak, cannot travel a long distance and sometimes may come straight down on his legs. So he may need to stand in awkward position to urinate. Not many men will be worried their urine stream cannot hit the ceiling. Toilets are on the floor and not on the ceiling. But other symptoms begin to show.

TERMINAL DRIPPLING: 
The man begins to notice that after urinating and repacking, urine still drops on his pants. This is the reason why after an older man urinates, he has to ring bell. A younger man simply delivers to the last drop and walks away. Just see an older man coming from the bathroom. Sometimes he may clutch the newspaper closely to hide the urine stains, particularly on plain colored trousers.

HESISTANCY
At this point you wait longer for the urine flow to start. There are 2 valves that must open for you to urinate – the internal and external sphincters. Both open but because of obstructions in the urethra, you wait long for the flow to start.

INCOMPLETE EMPTYING
You have this feeling immediately after urinating that there is still something left.

As all these things happen, the bladder begins to work harder to compensate for the obstruction in the urethra. The frequency of urination goes up. Urgency sets in. sometimes you have to practically run into the toilet. Nocturia also becomes common. You wake up more than 2 times at night to urinate.  Your wife begins to complain.

Men being men may not talk to anyone even at this point. Then the more serious complications start.
Stored urine gets infected and there may be burning sensation when urinating. Stored urine forms crystals. Crystals come together to form stone either in the bladder or in the kidney. Stones may block the urethra. Chronic urinary retention sets in. The bladder stores more and more urine. The size of the bladder is 40- 60 cl. A bottle of coke is 50cl. As the bladder stores more urine it can enlarge up to 300cl. An overfilled bladder may leak and this leads to wetting / urinary incontinence. Also the volume may put pressure on the kidney and may lead to kidney damage.

What may likely bring the man to hospital is acute urinary retention. He wakes up one day and he is not able to pass urine. Everything I have described above is associated with prostate enlargement, technically called benign prostate hyperplasia.

There are other diseases of the prostate like
1.Prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate
2.Prostate cancer – cancer of the prostate.

This discussion is on prostate enlargement. I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that everyman will have prostate enlargement if he lives long enough.

The good news is that there are life style changes that can help the man after 40 to maintain optimum prostate health.

Nutrition
Look at what you eat. 33% of all cancers, according to the US National Cancer Institute is related to what we eat. Red meat everyday triples your chances of prostate disease. Milk everyday doubles your risk. Not taking fruits / vegetables daily quadruples your risk.

Tomatoes are very good for men. If that is the only thing your wife can present in the evening, eat it with joy. It has loads of lycopene. Lycopene is the most potent natural antioxidant. Foods that are rich in zinc are also good for men. We recommend pumpkin seeds (ugbogulu).

Zinc is about the most essential element for male sexuality and fertility. Men need more zinc than women. Every time a man ejaculates he loses 15mg of zinc. Zinc is also important for alcohol metabolism. Your liver needs zinc to metabolize alcohol.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
As men begin to have urinary symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, it is important they look at alcohol consumption. More fluid in means more fluid out Drink less. Drink slowly.

EXERCISE
Exercise helps build the muscle tone. Every man should exercise. Men over 40 should avoid high impact exercise like jogging. It puts pressure on the knees. Cycling is bad news for the prostate. We recommend brisk walking.

SITTING
When we sit, two-third of our weight rests on the pelvic bones. Men who sit longer are more prone to prostate symptoms. Do not sit for long hours. Walk around as often as you can. Sit on comfortable chairs. We recommend a divided saddle chair if you must sit long hours.

DRESSING
Men should avoid tight underwear. It impacts circulation around the groin and heats it up a bit. While the physiological temperature is 37 degrees, the groin has an optimal temperature of about 33 degrees. Pant is a no-no for men. Wear boxers.  
Wear breathable clothing.

SMOKING
Avoid smoking. It affects blood vessels and impact circulation around the groin.

SEX
Regular sex is good for the prostate.
Celibates are more prone to prostate illness. While celibacy is a moral decision, it is not a biological adaptation. Your prostate gland is designed to empty its contents regularly.

(RECEIVED FROM A FRIEND THROUGH WHATSAPP)