By Raphael Ede
Enugu
Following increasing cases of asthma in Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF) has called on government at all levels to ensure the establishment of minimum health standard in schools.
The foundation noted that the essence is to ensure that schools are able to handle some medical emergencies, such as asthma, to avoid needless deaths of young Nigerians as a result of asthma and other related ailments.
A resource person, Mr. Larry Oguego, made the call during the organisation’s school asthma management programme with Bishop Otubelu Juniorate, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu at the weekend.
Oguego, who said the provision of minimum health standard should be criteria for establishing schools, whether public or private, regretted that “our healthcare system is not that detailed. Schools must have first aids, should be able to handle different kinds of medical emergencies even beyond asthma.”
He said the enlightenment campaign by ACUF was to get young ones, their teachers and parents “to know that together we can ensure that there is no more fatality case of asthma in Nigeria or anywhere.”
Asthma is a respiratory disease that makes it hard for patients to breathe well because it attacks the lungs and has been dealing a deadly blow to many Nigerians and the entire world.
“Experts believe that 100 million Nigerians would suffer from asthma in the year 2025 and currently, more than 15 million Nigerians have asthma with about 5-10 per cent of children in any given community suffering from asthma,” he said.
