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Amid Racism Concerns, WHO Renames Monkeypox “mpox”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended ‘mpox’ as a new name for monkeypox.

In a statement on Monday, the organisation said its move was prompted by concerns of “racist and stigmatising language online”.

“Following a series of consultations with global experts, WHO will begin using a new preferred term “mpox” as a synonym for monkeypox. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while “monkeypox” is phased out,” the statement reads.

“WHO, in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) update process, held consultations to gather views from a range of experts, as well as countries and the general public, who were invited to submit suggestions for new names.

“Mpox will become a preferred term, replacing monkeypox, after a transition period of one year. This serves to mitigate the concerns raised by experts about confusion caused by a name change in the midst of a global outbreak. It also gives time to complete the ICD update process and to update WHO publications.

“The synonym mpox will be included in the ICD-10 online in the coming days. It will be a part of the official 2023 release of ICD-11, which is the current global standard for health data, clinical documentation and statistical aggregation.

“Various advisory bodies were heard during the consultation process, including experts from the medical and scientific and classification and statistics advisory committees which constituted of representatives from government authorities of 45 different countries.

“The issue of the use of the new name in different languages was extensively discussed. The preferred term mpox can be used in other languages. If additional naming issues arise, these will be addressed via the same mechanism. Translations are usually discussed in formal collaboration with relevant government authorities and the related scientific societies.

“WHO will adopt the term mpox in its communications, and encourages others to follow these recommendations, to minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name and from adoption of the new name.”

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Health

500 Patients Have Benefitted From Ogun Free Surgical Intervention Programne In One Week – Abiodun

L-R: Director Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Jimoh Salaudeen; Chief Medical Director, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital and Chairman, Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria, Prof. Emem Bassey; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Musa Olomu during a courtesy visit to the Governor's Office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Thursday.

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that over 500 surgeries have been performed on patients under his administration’s Free Surgical Intervention Programme in the last one week.

Governor Abiodun made the disclosure when he received the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Thursday.

The governor said the free surgery programme was designed to provide succour to the poor and vulnerable who could not afford medical bills at this difficult time.

He said his government has also done a lot to improve the healthcare sector in the Gateway State since 2019.

Prince Abiodun said: “We have also implemented our Health Insurance Programme called Ilera Dero and the Ibidero for the women. As of now, because of the prevalent economic situation, we have decided that all our women and children, the poor and vulnerable should go to our Primary Healthcare Centres and secondary or tertiary hospitals in the state. We will register them under our Free Health Insurance Programme.

“Our pregnant women, when they go to the hospital, they get free pre and post-natal attention. After they put to bed, they also get N10,000.”

Governor Abiodun disclosed that the state is creating a database that would track a family or community, and the kind of disease prevalent among them as well as compiling records at the grassroots that would enable the government to predict predominant diseases that are in the family, community or area and treat them appropriately.

Speaking on the situation at the 250-bed hospital located at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the governor noted that his administration is collaborating with a partner, as part of its medical architecture, to run and make it a centre of medical excellence, to engender medical tourism in the country.

Prince Abiodun noted that medical institutions in the state are wearing new looks as his government has employed a large number of medical personnel and purchased new equipment to make them render quality service to the people.

The state helmsman described the relationship between the state’s Ministry of Health and the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, as cordial.

“We do not see the difference between the FMC, Abeokuta, and our own Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), because when there is a problem, we rush the patient to the nearest available medical facility. This has, over the years, helped us in dealing with difficult situations,” he added.

He commended the Committee for initiating the meeting, noting that it would help them review each other’s research, development, and new techniques that could be of assistance in dealing with different types of illnesses and diseases.

Speaking earlier, chairman of the Committee and Chief Medical Director, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Prof Emem Bassey, commended Governor Abiodun for investing in the health sector, emphasizing that the increased funding, recruitment of different categories of health workers and renovation of over 100 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state, was worthy of note.

He said the Committee members, consisting of all heads of federal medical institutions, were in the state for its 106th Regular Meeting to review and learn from each other to impact positively in their different hospitals at the end of the meeting.

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Health

No more leave of absence for health workers, Minister declares

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced a new policy prohibiting health workers from taking leave of absence.

He also informed the public of the ministry’s plan to recruit 120,000 additional nurses.

“The government has put a rule in place that says healthcare workers can’t take time off if they want to work abroad,” he said.

He added that if health workers wanted to go abroad for better opportunities, they would have to quit their jobs.

Alausa revealed this on Saturday during his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Aro, Ogun State.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order addresses brain drain in the health sector, otherwise known as ‘Japa Syndrome’.

He also declared that the yearly number of nurse recruitment increased significantly from about 28,000 to 68,000 in 2023.

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Alleged Assault: UCH Resident doctors suspend 3-day strike

Members of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, on Saturday suspended the strike they began on Wednesday.

The association had embarked on a three-day warning strike following the assault of a colleague by a patient’s relation on Sunday.

However, the association’s President, Dr John Oladapo, and General Secretary, Dr Gboyega Ajibola, as well as other executive members, have now disclosed in a communique that they were calling off the strike.

“The strike, having run its full course of a maximum of 72 hours, ended Saturday morning.

“All members are to commence work and be at their duty posts Saturday morning,” the association stated in the communique.

The communique further said that the two men who assaulted one of their members at the hospital’s Emergency Department have been remanded at the Agodi Correctional facility in Ibadan.

”They were awaiting the perfection of their bail conditions, following their being charged to court.

“Our executive council swung into action since the assault, which includes closely following proceedings at the correctional centre to ensure justice is obtained for our affected member,” it said.

The ARD-UCH revealed that it also widely engaged the media to inform the public about the situation, the strike and the association’s demand.

“The doctors also engaged the UCH management, calling attention to the acute problem of chronic manpower shortage in the hospital affecting all the members.

“The association brought the spotlight on the departments of Haematology and Paediatrics.

“Actions are being taken to rectify this and the process has commenced for the employment of more doctors.

“We are continuing our engagement with the management on the improvement of the security architecture of the hospital, laying emphatic demands on flashpoints like the emergency department, ICU, labour ward, et cetera,” the association added.

It also disclosed that Dr Luqman Lawal, the assaulted doctor, has been granted time off work as demanded by their congress.

”The executive council will continue to work with all stakeholders to bring succour and improve our welfare.

“We will continue to serve the public and give our best to all patients,” the association said.

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