Female

Reimagining Health Access in Africa, One Test at a Time

Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO of Healthtraka, is on a mission to transform healthcare in Africa. In a recent interview with healthiness.ng, she shared her inspiring journey and vision for making lab testing easy and accessible through at-home sample collection and rapid digital results delivery within 1-3 days. “I knew that I wanted to provide a solution to make sure that people have access to on-demand healthcare,” says Ifeoluwa. Her drive to create Healthtraka was born from a deeply personal experience.

Period poverty, reusable pads and the quest to keep Nigerian girls in school

In some resource-limited settings in Nigeria, reusable pads are being used as a sustainable solution to period poverty that can help girls stay in school and manage their menstruation with dignity. But the scale of this initiative may not be big enough to have statistically significant impact(s) on national metrics. Halima Akande is among thousands of girls who miss school several days every month—once her menstruation comes. She fears any stain showing on her dress, cannot focus in class or

Tackling Nigeria’s Medication Management Challenges of Access and Adherence

Access to necessary medications for illnesses such as HIV/AIDS can be a struggle for patients in emerging markets like Nigeria and other African countries. With pharmacists being the first point of access, patients are often required to visit them every month to receive their medications and to keep track of their drug use.  This creates a tedious process for patients, which can result in low adherence and missed doses. However, a new technology-based solution is aiming to improve this situation by

The uphill battle for safe abortion in Nigeria

Despite the large number of lives threatened by unsafe practices, abortion remains a highly controversial issue in Nigeria, where it is mostly illegal except to save the life of the mother. Despite the restrictive laws, however, unsafe abortions continue to be a major public health concern in the country, with an estimated 3.5 million induced abortions taking place each year. This is due to a lack of access to safe and legal abortion services, as well as cultural and religious

Patients diagnosed with breast cancer need to have right information and expectations — Expert

Ifeoma Joy Okoye, Professor of Radiology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka has stressed the need for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or even metastatic breast cancer to have the right information and expectations. “It is our duty to encourage them to have open conversations with their healthcare teams to understand how they can be supported but also how they can participate in their own care – taking an active role in their treatment can help

More than 1 in 5 of all childbirths now through cesarean section — WHO

The rising rates of caesarean section suggest increasing numbers of medically unnecessary, potentially harmful procedures, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. According to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO), caesarean section use continues to rise globally, now accounting for more than 1 in 5 (21%) of all childbirths. This number is set to continue increasing over the coming decade, with nearly a third (29%) of all births likely to take place by caesarean section by 2030, the research finds. While

In Nigeria, cancer screening is an added cost and inconvenience

The perception of cancer screening an added cost and inconvenience is one of the major reasons why past efforts to raise awareness for cancer and treatment options have not been completely successful in improving cancer health behaviour amongst women in Nigeria. This was the submission of Nigerian First Ladies against Cancer (FLAC). At a press briefing held on Tuesday, FLAC members and Roche Nigeria noted that f it is institutionalized as one of the requisite tests, then cancer screening will become

Top 5 Stories From #PCOSWithMedplus Showing The Importance Of Health Awareness Campaigns

Using the hashtag, #PCOSWithMedplus, Nigeria’s leading health and beauty retail pharmaceutical chain, Medplus Pharmacy reached out to audiences to share their stories with PCOS and its relevant symptoms, from irregular periods, difficulty getting pregnant, weight gain, to excessive hair growth. Mrs. Joke Bakare, Medplus Founder and CEO, commented, “PCOS is a major condition that impacts several aspects of life for women, but yet, it tends to be under-recognized by women as they have no idea what their symptoms mean, and end