Where are all the medical personnel on this site?

[Anon]

I can't help wondering where all the medical personnel on this website are hiding away. Big K and I have been talking about revamping this section for awhile now and we know that there are many veritable resources we can tap into on this website! If you are a medical doctor, regardless of the discipline, from oncology, surgery, gyne, immunology, podiatry, dermatology, general practice, emergency room doc, nurses, therapists, psychologists, EMS, public health official; Or if you work with any disease or health institutes or programs both abroad or in Naija; or even if you are a student in any medical related field; and you are interested in contributing to this section, please contact me via pm with ideas on how we can move this section to the next level. The health of any nation determines its wealth and we all know the status of our health care system back home. Ideas on how to uplift our personal health in our private lives, in our immediate communities, and in our country would be welcomed here. So pm me with ideas, suggestions or even if you are willing to try and help out a bit with this section.

[Oseitutu]

Anon, wetin you want make I do for this section, oya.

[tatafo]

I don't even know where I fall in right now exactly, but please what does Mr. Anon expect of us before we go further!

[sukaoma]

Anon we full ground

[fowler55]

can count me 2

[Knightofdelta]

I will humbly lay down my services for NVS as a cardiologist. I think that will be a very good way to spend my spare time instead of thinking of ways to blow up pipelines.

The Knight of Delta.

[.bebi]

Present.Wetin u wan make I contribute

[Anon]

Thanks to all those who have responded to this call thus far. Like I said in the Intro to this thread, Big K, and I want to revive and revamp that medical section, so that persons with medical issues/questiions can see it as a clearing ground for information, or simply use it as a resource guide. In many respects, it would be a good starting point for seeking a solution or answers to most medical concerns.

One thing I considered was also giving the medical section an anonymous feature like is done in the palava hut so that people are able to bring their private medical problems to the square and those that are medical personnel would be free to give advice if it fits their fields. Thankfully, Big K, has acquiesced to this request and we have a fully functional anonymous post feature for those who would like to employ same in posting questions.

For starters, here is what I would like everyone to do- (but only if you feel comfortable doing so,)

1) Kindly introduce yourself and your field of study/research/expertise/practice to allow people decide on whether to throw open their questions to you personally, either in this section, or via pm.

2) I want to point out that this section or call is not limited to just Medical Doctors alone, but includes anyone who is working in a health related field. The call is open to Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Counselors, Medical and case workers/managers/ nurses, researchers, medical policy analysts, medical technicians, medical assistants, and of course students in any medical related field.

3) I also think it is useful to know people's specialties, so that in the event your schedules or rotation do not allow you sign in often, there is a quick and easy way to contact you for help with any medical situation within the purview of your specialty.

4) Please feel free to contribute articles, news items on health, healthcare, your medical specialty or general medicine on that thread whenever you can. Sometimes I refrain from posting too many HIV/AIDS articles on here because this is my field and I don't want to overwhelm people or repulse them with just that type of news.

5) If you have suggestions on how to make this thread more useful, please kindly post your suggestions here or send them to me via pm. I personally think that it might be advisable to set up adequate guidelines to help manage that thread and have a good system of determining how and where to refer people to get more information.

6) I am hoping that more personnel would be willing to join us and make this a vibrant and suggestions are welcome from other villagers too.

7) I also hope that those who work in research institutes or those who are students, or MD's working in teaching hospitals would act as huge resource for many here. I think students or MD's in teaching hospitals are very well placed in getting quick and easy access to most up to date information that might be useful in analyzing a case or proffering suggestions.

8) I hope that before long this should be one of the more vibrant threads, but we need other villagers to feel comfortable enough to bring their issues to us, especially now that we have an anonymous feature to answer people's queries. This is a good first step and my hope is that it will give the feel of confidentiality germane to a doctor/patient relationship.

As for me: My field is Immunology and epidemiology particularly focusing on HIV/AIDS and other chronic and communicable diseases especially of the sexually transmitted type. My work particulaly focuses on diseases or ailments that have to deal with the immune systems and my research studies the effects of these diseases in populations of different kinds. This as simple as the definition gets, and to say more would lead me into medical jargons of varying kinds. So let me save the non medical professionals the trouble.

Here I am

http://nigeriahealthwatch.blogspot.com/

[Anon]

Originally Posted by Ike Anya

Here I am

http://nigeriahealthwatch.blogspot.com/

Ike welcome onboard. We have actually met at the last AIDS conference in Toronto Canada but you might not remember. I also follow your work and that of your friend Ihekwazu. I have visited your blogs a couple of times. Why not register on NVS and become a member of the team. We can surely use your expertise here at the healthwise section.

[joyhappiness]

almost done with medical school..
count me in

[elgaxton]

Hi all!

I'm not a medical personnel of any sort but I think this ur Idea is not bad at all.
so my contribution is for the Admin to place the health session just like there is palava hut in the Lounge Area so that people can easily take their health palava their instead jumbling everything into the palava hut.

Hope it makes sense sha.

Just my candid opinion.

thanks.

[Anonymous Villager]

Why does it take NVS Medical personnel ages to respond to healthwise posts? Just curious......Abi na because rofo rofo no dey hia ni??

Abeg don't abandon this fine information section..

[Enforcer]

Who is that medical doctor who wants to offer medical advise without due medical examination?

Why the idea is good, the aims and objectives of the proposed section need to be very clear.

[Ayomide]

Originally Posted by Enforcer

Who is that medical doctor who wants to offer medical advise without due medical examination?

Why the idea is good, the aims and objectives of the proposed section need to be very clear.

Oga Enforcer, you're correct to some extent, you know.

But, have you heard of Tele-medicine? It works well from remote locations. Severally, I've been opportuned to witness it's benefits. For example, during medical rounds in an intensive care unit, on a glorious morning, a critical interception via a phone call came into the unit from another location(UC-San Francisco) regarding a very un-usual patient's cardiac rhythm. Needless to say, that patient went to Cardiac Cathetherization within 15 minutes and Stents were placed promptly. That patient was discharged within days. Had that exceptionally brilliant Cardiologist not been on watch and had not been familiar with that particular rhythm privy at a remote location, that patient may have lived for another few hours yes, but would have arrested and died that day.

You'll also be surprised at how well medical advise in print works. Often, many people/patients really have no clue where to go when medical crises ensue. I don't know where you live, but, short of calling 911 or going to an ER for an emergency situation, have you tried to call your doctor's office on the weekends with important yet non-urgent issues? Certainly, it won't hurt to PM Anon or other physicians/healthcare personnel on this site with questions.

Most of any medical work-up is based on history. Sometimes, or often times, a medical exam is best when focused from the patient's history. There are other times as well when you pull your hair all day because a lab result and an exam do not match your patient's picture. Please, allow me to give you a quick example of a lasting impression in my career. I was working at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center a few years ago. I was covering for the Attendings at night. On my panel was one fairly young female patient in her 40's. While her lab results indicated near normal cardiac enzymes, her cardiac rhythm was borderline with EKG (electrocardiogram) (QT abnormality) changes and she continuously had chest pain and nothing worked. I decided to trace our steps backwards, re-interview and review all her medications. Viola! she had abused her Lithium (a potent psychotropic drug). A lithium level was drawn and the result was toxic. Problem solved.

Once, there was a situation with someone in Nigeria. I was IM'ed and with a few tips, we were able to identify the allergen in the house. From other indicators, we concluded that a few more medical tests were necessary. Due to the lack of attention to details because of the inadequacies of our healthcare system, this person had colonized a particular strain of pathogen present for over a year, as previous lab results indicated. We agreed it required attention.

My point is that one should not underscore the benefits of a medical forum. Lots of good advice abound. And with the situation in our country, it can't hurt.


Dr. Anon, I dey here o, present Sir, sorry for the delay. For more than a year I was on the IHI (Institute for Healthcare Initiatives) team for my organization and quite adept with medical protocols. Although my work is more administrative now, I still provide medical care half of the time. So, I'm at your service PRN.

[elgaxton]

Way Forward please...

[naijanubian]

Originally Posted by elgaxton

Way Forward please...

@Elgaxton

You can brainstorm all you want but until the people understand where power lies it will not work.

But I commend you for your efforts and who knows, maybe it will ...

[Bunch17]

Originally Posted by naijanubian

@Elgaxton

You can brainstorm all you want but until the people understand where power lies it will not work.

But I commend you for your efforts and who knows, maybe it will ...

Thank you my sister. That we have not heard/read about efforts being made in the health care sector does not mean it is not happening. People have made efforts for a long time and some are making efforts as we speak but the problem has always been that the officials do not find these proposals/plans attractive as they do not yield significant egunje etc.

[elgaxton]

Oya wetin una want make I do na?

[naijanubian]

Originally Posted by elgaxton

Oya wetin una want make I do na?

@Elgaxton

My Broda, de thing you go do be say, you go kukuma return back to de original place wey you bin de commot from before you come land for hia. Go see de thing wey you go do for dia.

Oya!