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Health

Amputees call for support to end stigma, discrimination

Amputees call for support to end stigma, discrimination

By Justina Auta
Amputees
Abuja, Nov. 4, 2019 (NAN) The Amputee Coalition of Nigeria (ACON), an NGO, has appealed to government and relevant stakeholders in the society to end stigma and discrimination against Persons Living With Disability (PWDs).
The ACON National Secretary, Mr George Anwayi, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had in January, signed into law the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, following nine years of advocacy by right groups and activists.
Anwayi, decried the challenges faced by the PWDs, particularly their inability to access some buildings, secure jobs, as well as the discrimination due to their challenges.
“We realised that amputees have peculiar challenges which most people don’t understand, and that has led some amputees into depression and a feeling of hopelessness.
“Another mobility challenge is the difficulty amputees’ face in accessing buildings and other public and private facilities, especially those who lost their legs.
“Quite a number of amputees are not able to secure jobs because of stigma and discrimination by employers.’’
He, therefore, appealed to the government and relevant stakeholders to support all PWDs and ensure full implementation of the Disabilities Act.
“If Government, Development Partners, religious organisations, private sector and other good-hearted individuals will support the activities of the Coalition, it will in no small major, enhance the lives of amputees across Nigeria.
“We will keep campaigning, sensitising and creating awareness to the general public about the fact that amputees are normal human beings with intellect, talents, gifts, special abilities and value to give to the society.
“Therefore, there is no need to discriminate or stigmatise against them.
“We will also work hard with other special abilities groups to ensure the full implementation of the disability right law which was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari,’’ Anwayi said.
Anwayi said the NGO helped amputees live a more meaningful life post-amputation through peer support services, counselling, sporting activities, access to prosthesis, job creation, advocacy, education and training as well as fight against stigma and discrimination. (NAN)
JAD/AMM/MST
Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Stop stigmatising Lassa fever survivors – Edo Govt warns

Photo attached

Stop stigmatising Lassa fever survivors – Edo Govt warns

Health

HIV: Group seeks Law to stop stigma, discrimination

HIV: Group seeks Law to stop stigma, discrimination
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Stigma
Lagos, Dec. 25, 2018 (NAN) The Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) has advocated for a Law that would protect people infected by HIV/AIDS from stigma and discrimination.
The group also urged the National Assembly to make the enactment a priority in 2019.
Mr Peter Obialor, the Lagos State Coordinator of the group, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to him, if governments can come up with a law that will make it a crime to discriminate against clients, there will be hope and a sense of belonging to us all.
“I am pleading with our lawmakers to come up with a law that will protect and guide People Living with HIV (PLHIV) against every form of stigmatisation and discrimination.
“After the National Assembly has made the law, State Assemblies can domesticate it so that the implementation will be effective and taken seriously in the country.
“Currently, many children have stopped going to school because of stigmatisation and discrimination,” Obialor said.
He urged governments to also institutionalise special scholarship programmes for children living with the condition.
He said: “Governments should grant scholarship to youths living with HIV and also come up with empowerment programmes for orphans and vulnerable children that their parents died due to HIV.”
However, he commended the Lagos State Government on efforts done to ensure the state Assembly passed a bill that would stop stigma on HIV persons.
He hoped that the bill could be fully implemented to end the increasing stigma on PLHIV.
He however expressed worry that PLHIV were being sacked from work.
He said: “The increasing stigma on people living with HIV is something very disheartening and has got to even work places.
“When a company or organisation finds out that you are PLHIV, you are finished because you are going to be relieved of your work.
“One thing people should know is that HIV is not a sickness that kills faster like malaria does, it is the fear that kill.
“Also, HIV cannot be transmitted through eye contact nor touching, it can be acquired through sex and sharing an infected sharp objects,” he said.
NAN reports that Nigeria is one of the countries with high number of people living with the scourge. (NAN)
LED/CHOM/MST
Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Mental Health: Psychiatrist identifies stigma as major problem

Mental Health: Psychiatrist identifies stigma as major problem
By Blessing Odega
Psychiatry
Jos, Oct. 3, 2018 (NAN) Dr Moses Audu, a Consultant Psychiatrist, says emotional and mental health are often neglected and not accorded the same degree of importance as physical health due to societal stigma.
Audu, who is the Director of Quintessential Health Care, Jos, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.
He said that the society associates mental health challenges with insanity, hence leading to stigma.
“When someone gets extremely sick, most likely the individual will see a doctor; similarly, seeing a psychiatrist means the patient needs help and advice.
“Unfortunately, in our society, going to a psychiatrist often suggests to family members that the patient is insane or a lunatic,” he said.
According to Audu, it is not in our culture to seek psychiatric help, but this trend needs to be discouraged because if more people start seeking help for their mental health challenges, the practice may become contagious, thus leading to a healthier society.
“The act of keeping mental health a secret is highly detrimental as many lives have been destroyed because some families refuse to seek help due to assumed stigma.
“The public needs to disabuse their minds from such belief because it will discourage people from seeking psychiatric help early.
“Seeking help will address the rising cases of mental illnesses,” he said.
The expert attributed the rising cases of mental illness to drug abuse, stress, economic downturn and depression.
According to him, mental health services are barely accessible outside the state capitals, saying that there is urgent need to establish mental healthcare facilities at the grassroots.
He also called on the government to subsidise the treatment of mental illness to enable more patients access treatment.
According to Audu, this will go a long way to prevent mental cases from degenerating thereby making them difficult to treat or manage. (NAN)
UBO/VIV/MST
Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

HIV/AIDS: Oyo records low level of stigma cases

HIV/AIDS: Oyo records low level of stigma cases
By Akeem Abas
Stigma
Ibadan, July 29, 2018 (NAN) The Oyo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OYSACA) has said that the level of stigma against Persons Living with HIV (PLWHIV) in the state has reduced drastically in relative terms compared to other states.
Mr Obatunde Oladapo, the OYSACA Executive Secretary, disclosed this on Sunday in Ibadan during an advocacy visit to the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oladapo led the management team of OYSACA during the visit.
NAN recalls that the state government had promulgated a law against stigmatising PLWHIV as part of efforts to stem the trend.
Oladapo stated that the low level of stigma was a result of adequate sensitisation and enlightenment programmes on the scourge.
He said that the people of the state were now more informed about the ills HIV/AIDS, saying they now understand the need to support PLWHIV and stop discriminating against them.
“OYSACA will revolutionise resource mobilisation and collaborate with stakeholders to develop a work plan and Rapid Response mechanism.
“This is to ensure prompt and effective response to people living with HIV and survivors of abuse on medical, legal, emotional and psycho-social grounds,” he said.
Oladapo who advocated economic empowerment of women living with HIV, noting that the highest percentage of people living with HIV are women.
He called for collaborative effort of the Ministry of Women Affairs to address violence and abuse against vulnerable groups in the state such as women, children, adolescents and orphans.
Mrs Atinuke Osunkoya, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, commended the management of OYSACA for a new improved agency.
Osunkoya explained that protecting the rights of vulnerable people and less privileged in the state was a major concern of the ministry.
“We are passionate about the welfare of women and children in the state. Together, we can truly reduce the scourge of violence against vulnerable children and women in the state and the country at large,” she said. (NAN)
TAA/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Poor funding, cultural barriers impedes VVF programme in Akwa Ibom – Official

Poor funding, cultural barriers impedes VVF programme in Akwa Ibom – Official
By Isaiah Eka
VVF
Port Harcourt, May 17, 2018 (NAN) Rev. Sis. Sylvia Ndubuaku, Matron, Family Life Centre, Akwa Ibom, says funding gaps, stigma and cultural barriers have remained the major challenges against the treatment and cure of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in the state.
Ndubuaku made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Mbribit Itam, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.
The VVF is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder (vesico) and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault.
NAN reports that other causative factors of VVF include pelvic radiation, malignancy or other trauma.
It also most commonly occur due to prolonged and obstructed labour where the baby’s head might be disproportionately large for the mother’s pelvic outlet.
She said that since the VVF/Maternal Birth Injury Hospital opened in 1990 at Mbribit Itam, it had been relying on humanitarian efforts and support to keep running.
The matron said that the treatment of VVF was very demanding as patients were mostly the poor, who could hardly pay for the treatment.
According to her, some people’s detestable cultural beliefs as well as those who still indulge in female genital mutilations also contribute to VVF incidents and persons living with preventable VVF scourge.
“Funding remains our challenge and how to break the cultural barriers of some communities.
“VVF is preventable, the Federal, States and Local Governments need to wake up and face the challenges,’’ Ndubuaku said.
The matron, who attributed the major causes of VVF to prolonged obstructed labour during childbirth, advised against early marriages.
Ndubuaku said the centre organised quarterly operations for patients with VVF across the state and beyond, and admitted 66 patients in the first quarter operations in 2018.
She said that 26 of the patients were operated upon, while 22 were those with purely VVF cases and 18 were new cases of the scourge.
“We organise pool effort for surgery; it takes two weeks tedious operations. Four times in a year we take in patients.
“Each time we call for camp in preparation for operations, we do not have less than 28 new cases.
“Vesico Vaginal Fistula operations demand a lot of money. We cannot cope alone. We require support from governments, multinational organisations and philanthropists to come to our aid.
“We expect to have another operation in August and we need assistance because VVF patients we encounter so far are very poor,’’ Ndubuaku said.
She also said that VVF patients also suffer stigma such that instead of seeking help for patients family members would first isolate those with the problem from public before rejecting them.
She appealed against stigmatisation of patients with VVF, stressing that VVF patients when treated properly can live normal lives; be pregnant and give birth without any hindrance.
The matron emphasised the need for government and individuals to create awareness about the existence of the problem, the causes, effect, prevention and treatment.
She also urged women with abnormal communication between the vaginal and bladder or the rector to seek medical assistance instead of isolating themselves from the public.
She commended ExxonMobil for its kind gesture of taking care of some of the workers’ salaries for years now at the centre.
Ndubuaku also commended the Akwa Ibom Government for also rendering support by deploying nurses, among others, to the centre. (NAN)
IE/DOE/MST
Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Cleric warns against stigmatising Caesarean section delivery

Cleric warns against stigmatising Caesarean section delivery
By Tinuade Adeshiyan
Delivery
Ikorodu (Lagos State), April 17, 2018 (NAN) A Cleric, Mr Tunji Atolagbe, has warned the public against stigmatising Caesarean section delivery to prevent further loss of women and children lives while insisting on normal delivery.
Atolagbe, the Pastor of Christian Life Bible Church, Ikorodu, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikorodu, near Lagos, on Tuesday.
According to Wikipedia.com, Caesarean section also known as C-section or caesarean delivery is the use of surgery to deliver one or more babies.
A caesarean section is often necessary when a normal delivery would put the life of the baby or mother at risk and this may include obstructed labour, twin pregnancy and high blood pressure.
Others are breech birth or problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.
A caesarean delivery may be performed based upon the shape of the mother’s pelvis or history of a previous C-section.
“I am well informed that many women feel like failures for having a C-section, but I have never understood the reason behind their thinking.
“I personally think C-section mothers should be praised, rather than been stigmatised, as they offer themselves for surgery in order for the new baby to be alive.
“When offered the choice between risk to their unborn baby, and to themselves, they chose taking on the risk in an effort to protect the baby.
“Many maternal deaths are caused by the stigma; even in religious houses they condemn CS because religious leaders will never advise them to accept C-section after many days of induced labour.
“All they say is `pray’, yes, prayer works wonders, some even say CS is not the will of God, but they have forgotten that the will of God is for the mother and baby to be alive.
“When a woman is willing to pay a price to be sure that her baby is okay, isn’t that the essence of motherhood?
“Whichever way a woman gives birth is not really necessary, God wants living soul to praise him not the dead,’’ said the cleric.
Atolagbe, however, said there is no reason for any mother to be embarrassed or stigmatised for going through C-section to deliver the new baby.
He said C-section is a sign of devotion, not a sign of failure.
“If you must give birth through a C-section seek the advice of medical experts,” he said. (NAN)
TAL/KOLE/MST
Edited by Remi Koleoso/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Mental Health: Hospital raises public awareness on stigma

Mental Health: Hospital raises public awareness on stigma
By Mohammed Nur
Stigmatisation
Kano‎, April 11, 2018 (NAN) Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kware, Sokoto State, has called for increased public awareness on mental health in order to avoid stigmatisation and discrimination.
Dr Auwal Salihu, a Consultant at Department of Psychiatry, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano‎, made the call while flagging off the Northwest awareness campaign on mental health in ‎Kano on Wednesday.

He said that the campaign was sponsored by the neuro-psychiatric hospital Kware to enlighten the public on mental health and stigmatisation.
He said that Kano, Katsina and Sokoto states had been selected for the first phase of the project.
According to him, the programme will focus on awareness creation and sensitisation of the public, particularly at the ward level, about mental health and the need to give it as much importance as the physical health.
“This project will go a long way to increase our level of outreach and also see that we make people more aware about their mental health.
“In most areas, people with this ailment are often mistreated by the public, their family members and their care takers, doctors and nurses are not left.
“Public education on mental health will greatly help to reduce the misconceptions often associated with it,” he said.
According to him, many depressed people in Nigeria are not seeking medical help due to misunderstanding, poor education and stigma.
He advised those with symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders to visit hospitals for proper medical care.
According to him, health definition by the World Health Organisation (WHO) emphasises mental health along with physical and social well being.
“Mental illnesses and substance abuse affect mental health.
“There are over 300 diagnosable mental illnesses, some mild, some moderate and others severe.
“Majority are the mild and the moderate, which constitute about 80 per cent, while the severe ones are the remaining 20 per cent.
“The signs and symptoms of the severe ones include hearing things other people don’t, seeing things other people don’t.
“Having abnormal believe like some people are persecuting the person with any evidence, having special abilities and identities without any evidence, aggression, restlessness, poor sleep, talking alone etc,’’ he added.
Earlier, Dr Muktar Gadanya, a Consultant at the Department of Community Health, said that everybody is vulnerable to mental illness.
He said that one out of five individuals suffer from mental illness; males, females, young and old, all societies, all cultures have mental illnesses.
“Causes of mental illnesses are multiple which include genetic, environmental, trauma, infections, drugs, parenting style and stress.
“Overall mental illnesses are viewed as brain disorders due to scientific evidences confirming that,’’ he said. (NAN)
MNT/FF/MST
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Environment

WaterAid wants Nigerians to dispose of stigma, taboos about menstruation

NAN-AE-5
Menstruation
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, July 27, 2017 (NAN) WaterAid Nigeria on Thursday called on all stakeholders to make pragmatic efforts break the stigma and taboos relating to menstruation in the Nigerian society.

 

Ms. Blessing Sani, WaterAid Communication and Advocacy Assistant, said this at a meeting of the Task Group on Sanitation in Abuja.

 

According to her, menstrual hygiene management in the country concerns issues pertaining to human rights infringement, social inclusion, education, health and livelihoods.

 

Sani, quoting a Joint Monitoring Programme Report, said that no fewer than 40 school days were often lost by girls due to absenteeism because of the lack of appropriate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools.

 

She said that menstrual hygiene management was a human rights issue, underscoring the need to provide water, soap and other WASH facilities for women and girls.

 

She said that there were certain cultural beliefs and myths about menstruation in the society, adding that these often portrayed women and girls as inferior to men and boys respectively.

 

According to her, the development reinforces gender inequality and often constitutes discrimination which has a negative impact on the fulfilment of the universal human rights of women and girls to dignity, health and education.

 

Sani said that WaterAid Nigeria recently carried out a study on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Benue, Bauchi, and Plateau States.

 

She said that the goal of the study was to explore and evaluate existing MHM practices and the context that might impact positively or negatively on the implementation of a MHM programme in the country.

 

She said that the study revealed deeply rooted attitudes and myths about menstruation, including an erroneous belief that a menstruating woman or girl was cursed and possessed by evil spirits — the harbingers of bad luck.

 

“Such beliefs result in restrictions being placed on girls and women during their menstrual cycles, including their exclusion from attending religious services and even holding their infants.

 

“In some communities in West Africa, women and girls are not allowed to use water sources and latrines during menstruation – the very facilities they need the most during this time,’’ she added.

 

Sani stressed that everyone must move away from the paradox of placing value on menstruation as a sign of fertility, celebrating the birth of new life and, at the same time, excluding women and girls during their menstruation. (NAN)
TAK/MOL/OOK
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe