This article originally appeared in Nature 555, 7 (2018) . In 2000, the United Nations hosted the largest gathering of political leaders ever held. At that meeting, all 189 UN member states, plus leading development institutions, committed to the Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight ambitious goals for lifting more than one billion people worldwide out of extreme poverty. The first goal — to cut extreme poverty and hunger in half by 2015 — was especially important to me, because it was crucial to achieving all the others. It was also controversial: experts thought it was impossible to achieve. But it sparked a global conversation about how to invest in agriculture, nutrition and food systems to ensure a future in which all children get the food they need to thrive, not just to survive. Talk led to action, and action to results. Between 2000 and 2015, nearly every African country improved childhood nutrition, especially in reducing stunted growth caused by malnutriti...

Amid war and devastation in South Sudan came glimmers of hope Wednesday as the world's newest nation announced a milestone step toward eradicating a debilitating disease. South Sudan has gone 15 consecutive months without a single reported case of Guinea worm, a major victory for the country that once had the most cases of  the painful parasite. Riek Gai Kok, South Sudan's heath minister, called it a "massive achievement." "Having known the suffering it inflicts on people, one is very happy today," he said at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Former President Jimmy Carter's organization has led  global efforts in eradicating Guinea worm . Donald Hopkins helped kill smallpox and is close to slaying the fiery serpent "Future generations will read it in the books as part of the history," Gai Kok said. "We have restored dignity to our people." Guinea worm is set to become only the second human disease in history to be...

Malaria deaths reduce by 50% in Ghana - NMCP Malaria deaths in the country decreased from 1,264 in 2016 to 603 in 2017, representing a 50 per cent reduction, data from the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has shown. Similarly, the number of suspected malaria cases across the country reduced marginally from 10,447,524 cases in 2016 to 10,191,250 in 2017. More than 8,891,909 cases were tested, out of which 4,886,080 tested positive. 5,208,624 of the cases were treated with anti-malaria drugs within the same period. source : Ghanaian Times

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST SCHOOL OF NURSING ILE IFE OSUN STATE           2018/ 2019 ADMISSION Seventh Day school of Nursing Ile Ife  hereby invites interested applicants to apply for One year Refresher Course accredited by Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria  (NMCN) for eliminated students. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS : * 5 credits level Pass in WAEC / SSCE / NECO which must include: English Language, Mathematics, Biology,  Chemistry, and Physics at not more than 2 sittings. * Academic Transcript detailing records of subjects offered from last attended institution * other credentials : Birth Certificates,  Marriage Certificate, Change of name. * Applicant is expected to have been eliminated after three (3) unsuccessful attempts in the professional Qualifying Examination for General Nurses from 2005 to date. Screening Date : March 8th, 2018 Come along with writing materials ADMISSION is open to all irrespective of race, colour, ...

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is to commence OSCE for Nursing students with effect from May, 2018 Council Exam. This was communicated to the head of Nursing training institutions in a circular obtained by Nursesarena.com and dated 2nd of January, 2018. Below is the content of the circular: The Board of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria at its 43rd General Meeting held 18th-19th December, 2017 approved the introduction of Objective Structured Clinical Examination for General Nursing Program In the light of the above, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has concluded preparations for the application of Objective Structured Clinical Examination for professional examination for General Nurses. This initiative is in line with the Council’s core mandate of regulating Nursing education and practice in alignment with global best practices. The implementation of OSCE would begin in May 2018 Professional Examination for General Nurses  Consequently, a 3 day...

No fewer than two hundred and fifty-five (255) workers of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital have been sacked by the management of the institution. An internal memorandum signed by one A.M Ajiferuke, dated 27th December, 2017, a copy obtained by DAILY POST Thursday morning, confirmed the disengagement of workers of the teaching hospital jointly owned by Oyo and Osun States. The list also revealed that 299 other workers of the hospital are to be redeployed to the state service, bringing the total of affected workers to 554. The internal memo reads, “Kindly find below the list of disengaged staff as directed by the Oyo State Government and approved by the board at her meeting held on Thursday, 21st December, 2017.” Source: nairaland

ONDO STATE SCHOOL OF NURSING AFFILIATED TO UNIMED, BECOMES DEGREE AWARDING Ondo State Government has approved the affiliation of the state School of Nursing and Midwifery in Akure to the state University of Medical Sciences UNIMED, Ondo, in a bid to make the school a degree awarding institution. Briefing Government House Reporters at the end of the weekly State Executive Council meeting in Akure, the State Commissioner for Health Dr Wahab Adegbenro said the decision was in line with the directive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. The State Executive Council also approved that the Medical Village in Ondo City become the Teaching Hospital of UNIMED and the State Specialist Hospitals in Akure and Ondo become annexes of the teaching hospital. Also the Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Health, Dr  Jibayo Adeyeye disclosed that a 9-man committee has been set up to harmonize the decisions of the council. The committee according to him, would...

Mrs Toyin Saraki expressed her seasonal greetings to the Nigeria Midwives and all over the world. She is the founder / Director of Wellbeing Foundation Africa, also the ICM Global Goodwill Ambassador. She wishes all the midwives a joyous Christmas celebration. This was contained in her tweet as she eulogised thier commitment in providing quality healthcare and safe delivery.

  It is said that one who saves a life is a hero. Nurses save millions of lives. Therefore, nurses are super heroes. Even though our efforts are downplayed by the very society we sacrifice all to serve and protect, we should take pride in the fact that our work is noble, virtuous and knowledge-based and without us no meaningful success is achieved in care delivery at all levels of healthcare, anywhere in the world.  As we celebrate Christmas and prepare to journey through year 2018, it’s good we remind ourselves that we also contribute to the reason our giant strides are downplayed by the society. We have not sufficiently propagated our crucial roles in care delivery to the public through effective public relations. Nobody can do that better than us.  We therefore implore nurses to acquaint themselves with the tenets of public relations in nursing practice and market nursing as the good and indispensable product that it is, everywhere, everyday and every time. ...

The Accreditation of School of Nursing Birnin -Kebbi has been Withdrawn and embargo placed on admission of new intakes.  In a letter dated the 18th of December 2017 and signed by the Secretary General/Registrar Alh Faruk Umar Abubakar to the Honourable Commissioner Ministry  of Health, Kebbi State  on the councils decision to withdraw the accreditation status of the school and place an embargo on the intake of new students at its 43rd General meeting following the schools inability to reapply for accreditation.    Below is the content of the letter:   WITHDRAWAL OF ACCREDITATION STATUS (SCHOOL OF NURSING, BIRNIN-KEBBI, KEBBI STATE)   The Board of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria had, at its 42nd General Meeting, withdrew the accreditation status of your School and placed embargo on students' intake with immediate effect.    The action is in line with section 14, subsection 2 of the Nursing and Midwife, Council Act 2004 for your ina...

*SEASONAL GREETINGS* Great Nigeria Nurses/Midwives, I am delighted to communicate you all, young and old, male and female, students and qualified nurses. I bring you seasonal and solidarity greetings during this era full of Christmas celebrations and various activities are in top gear to celebrate the end of this year 2017. Dear professional colleagues in all areas of our endeavour and professional undertakings, viz professional unionism, clinical practice, education sector (department of nursing sciences in the universities, colleges of nursing/midwiferies, and schools of nursing and midwifery), research institutions, government agencies, parastatals, extra ministerial departments, private organizations, non- governmental organizations, faith based institutions as well as professional regulatory agencies. I bring you fraternal greetings and solidarity message from the leadership of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives and I pray for a merry Christmas, splendid end...

Photo via Pixabay by  RitaE Living far away from your family members can be difficult, especially if they are aging or have health issues. It’s only natural to want to help them, but doing so from afar can be tricky and complicated. If you hold the power of attorney for your parents or are considered a  “long-distance caregiver” , you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin when it comes to helping out. Fortunately, there are several apps  and services that will make life easier for both you and your loved one. With today’s technology, there are many ways you can help from afar and keep things running smoothly, not just for your loved one’s sake, but for your own. There’s a lot to think about, but with some organized planning and assistance from technology, you can ensure your loved one is well taken care of. Here’s how to get started. Get organized It’s hard to be helpful when you’re overwhelmed and disorganized, so it’s importan...

Chioma Nwabueze is a Registered Nurse, graduated from School of Nursing, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, 2015. She upheld the nursing oath by alleviating suffering of a man. Nurse isn't a killer nor prostitute as acclaimed by many newsprint and society. Below is her story: I came back from work and met this guy in my house. According to my family, they always see him around and my mum fondly called mama Africa, usually give him food anytime she sees him resting in front of our compound. To cut the story short, mother was only trying to do what was written in Bible. This man hailed from Adamawa state, a victim of the Boko Haram insurgents, he lost his parents and family during the insurgency, hence moved to  Lagos. On the 9th of December 2017,he was brought to our home by a good samaritan who found him dying of pains, he gave the good samaritan my home address as its the only family he has in Lagos. I met this stranger I haven't seen before in bad condi...

The Ghana Health Service in partnership with the Ghana Education  service is set to roll an annual health screening exercise for all first year senior high school  students across the country This move supported by the Government of Ghana is to help come up with strategies to improve adolescent health as well as create a database of adolescents in the country. Some of the screening to be done annually includes : Hepatits Haemoglobin BMI blood pressure Urine analysis Tuberculosis Chest xray among others Health workers will be brought together in every district to run the program. The team will comprise of 7 health workers from various speciality. Adu- Fokuo Douglas

Dr. Geralyn Datz  is a leading national mental health expert who has contributed to the National Pain Report. She is a chronic pain advocate. Recently, we discussed how her comments on Twitter about cognitive behavioral therapy can benefit the chronic pain community. Here are her comments: National Pain Report:  “We saw your tweet about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for pain relief – you seem to indicate that workers comp and other insurers are viewing it not only more positively but may also cover it? Would you like to expand?” Dr. Datz: “ Sure.  Psychotherapy as a whole is technically a covered service under workers compensation, and has been for many years. However, the challenge has been that acknowledging the mental health side of medical problems is something that Workers Comp has traditionally been loath to do. There are many reasons for this, but two of the most prominent have to do with the idea that the mind and body are separate, and that psychological suff...