Nigerian Navy & Medshare International Train Over 30 Biomedical Engineers and Technicians

The Nigerian Navy (NN), in collaboration with a US-based firm, Medshare International train more than 30 of its biomedical engineers and technicians at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, Lagos.

According to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok Ibas represented by the Chief Staff Officer, Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Chris Udofia, Ibas,

“The training will also build on the navy’s credible manpower development to achieve optimal capability of personnel.

The presence of highly skilled biomedical engineers and technicians are important to quality health care delivery.

Healthcare delivery all over the world is increasingly dependent on, not only skilled health care professionals, but also the use of diagnostic and therapeutic medical equipment.

These equipment, which have already been put to use in the various facilities, would require regular maintenance and occasional repairs if faulty.

This realisation prompted the need to include the training of navy’s biomedical engineers and technicians as part of the agreement with medshare international.

The training has also been extended to biomedical engineers and technicians from the Nigerian Army and Air Force.’’

Ibas, however, said that the training would not be exhaustive, following the duration of the training (one week) and advised nominated participants to make best use of the opportunity and acquire as much knowledge as they can.

According to the representative of MedShare International, Mr. Eben Armstrong,

“Instead of donating equipment all the time, we should be able to install it and train the end users on how to use it and more importantly, train the technicians and engineers on how to maintain the equipment.”

The Nigerian Navy had earlier in the year, taken delivery of some medical equipment worth $1.2 million, donated by the firm.

The equipment are microscopes, ophthalmoscopes, thermometers, nebulizers, centrifuges and stethoscopes

Others are, 24 Hill-Rom Advanta and 26 skyler S2 Hospital Beds with mattresses, 40ft containers with about 4, 000 boxes of brand new medical supplies, among others.

Nigeria and Morocco Strengthen Ties with Gas Pipeline & Fertilizer Agreements

Nigeria and Morocco strengthened their business relationship by signing two bilateral agreements in Rabat, Morocco at the palace of King.

The first agreement was the Joint Initiative on the Morocco –Nigeria Gas Regional Pipeline.

Tagged “The Wonder of Africa” the pipeline project has historical significance because it is designed by Africans for Africans with a direct impact on 300 million people through the speeding up of electrification projects in West Africa; thus serving a basis for the creation of a competitive electricity regional market.

The scope of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), was to determine the modalities of undertaking a feasibility study and a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study relating to a gas pipeline from Nigeria to Morocco.

It also specified equal partnership in governance, management and financing of the project. The timeline for both studies is two years from the date of signing. Interested third party countries will be allowed to join.

Nigeria and Morocco

The second bilatéral agreement between Nigeria and Morocco was on the Second Phase of the Fertiliser Initiative.

The first phase was the supply of a cargo of phosphate by Morocco to Nigeria after eight weeks of its signing.

This supply led to the resuscitation of 11 blending plants which produced about 1.3 million tonnes of fertiliser; creation of 50,000 (direct) and 150,000 (indirect) jobs while farmers have access to the quantity of fertiliser they need.

The second phase will enable the maximisation of local fertiliser production through the creation of platform for basic chemical products, secure the Nigeria’s market’s fertiliser supply for competitive prices and reinforce local distribution channels.

According to the Foreign Minister of Morocco, Nasser Bourita, who presented the broad guidelines of the projects, the signing of the agreements reflects the shared vision of the two leaders, President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, and King Mohammed VI of Morocco in favour of a sustainable, active and solidarity based joint development for Africa.

Both projects were initiated during the Moroccan leader’s visit of the king to Nigeria in December, 2016.

The Nigeria delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, and had the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe, his counterpart in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Jigawa State and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fertiliser, Abubakar Badaru.

Actionaid & ATBU Provides Free Cancer Tests To 100 Women

About 100 women have benefitted from free cancer tests/screening offered by Actionaid Nigeria in partnership with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Teaching Hospital Bauchi in Bogoro and Kirfi Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.

A medical team led by Consultant Gynecologist, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Dr. Habiba Ismail, conducted breast and cervical cancer screening/test in five communities in Bogoro and five in Kirfi LGA of Bauchi State.

Addressing journalists during the exercise, Ismail disclosed that selection of the beneficiaries was done in a most transparent manner as women who were most vulnerable were first offered the opportunity to be screened while several others went home disappointed as they could not afford cost of screening.

She implored women, particularly those of child bearing age not to toy with their health but to endeavour to ascertain their health status through periodic medical check-up, warning that both breast and cervical cancer posed serious threat to women’s lives.

Ismail recalled that when similar exercise took place in Bauchi last December at the ATBU Teaching Hospital, majority of the 1,100 beneficiaries came from the state capital saying Actionaid/Fahimta’s partnership with the ATBU Teaching Hospital to extend the cancer screening to women in the rural areas was most commendable.

In her remarks, the Executive Director, Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative Bauchi, Hajia Maryam Garba said her organisation, with support from Actionaid Nigeria believed that such humanitarian gesture should be extended to thousands of women in the rural areas especially Fahimta’s focal local government areas.

The free cancer testing and screening were conducted in Lomen-Fulani, Tubule, Kwagal, Dankwa and Zindigawo all of Kirfi LGA. While in Bogoro LGA, Mbal, Gizaki, Dambar, Ungwar Rimi and Gobbiya benefited from the exercise which cost Actionaid Nigeria about 200,000 Naira.