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WHO laments high suicide rate

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World Health Organisation (WHO) says one in every 100 dies by their own hand, noting that suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

WHO, in its latest estimates, published on Thursday in “Suicide worldwide in 2019” revealed that every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria or breast cancer ̶  or war and homicide.

“In 2019, more than 700,000 people died by suicide: one in every 100 deaths, prompting WHO to produce new guidance to help countries improve suicide prevention and care.

“We cannot – and must not – ignore suicide,” said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, adding that, “Each one is a tragedy.

“Our attention to suicide prevention is even more important now, after many months living with the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of the risk factors for suicide ̶ job loss, financial stress and social isolation – still very much present.

“The new guidance that WHO is releasing today provides a clear path for stepping up suicide prevention efforts,” he said.

The report stated that among young people aged 15-29, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death after road injury, tuberculosis and interpersonal violence.

“Rates vary, between countries, regions, and between males and females. More than twice as many males die due to suicide as females (12.6 per 100, 000 males compared with 5.4 per 100 000 females).

“Suicide rates among men are generally higher in high-income countries (16.5 per 100, 000); for females, the highest suicide rates are found in lower-middle-income countries (7.1 per 100, 000).

“Suicide rates in the WHO African (11.2 per 100, 000), European (10.5 per 100, 000) and South-East Asia (10.2 per 100, 000) regions were higher than the global average (9.0 per 100, 000) in 2019.

“The lowest suicide rate was in the Eastern Mediterranean region (6.4 per 100, 000),” it stated.

According to the report, globally the suicide rate is decreasing and in the Americas it is going up.

It stated that suicide rates fell in the 20 years between 2000 and 2019, with the global rate decreasing by 36 per cent, with decreases ranging from 17 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to 47 per cent in the European Region and 49 per cent in the Western Pacific.

“But in the Americas Region, rates increased by 17 per cent in the same time period.

“Although some countries have placed suicide prevention high on their agendas, too many countries remain uncommitted; currently only 38 countries are known to have a national suicide prevention strategy.

“A significant acceleration in the reduction of suicides is needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) target of a one-third reduction in the global suicide rate by 2030.

The UN health Agency, therefore, expressed optimism that WHO’s new guidance on suicide would help the world reach the target of reducing suicide rate by 1/3 by 2030.

“WHO’s guidance to suicide prevention, zeros in on four strategies: limiting access to the means of suicide; educating the media on responsible suicide reporting; fostering socio-emotional life skills in adolescents; and early identification, assessment, management and follow-up of those with suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

“The guidance highlights that in the social media age, media reports can prompt copycat suicides, especially when surrounding a celebrity.

“It calls for suicide coverage to be counteracted with articles highlighting successful recovery from mental health challenges or suicidal thoughts.

“It also recommends working with social media companies to increase awareness and remove harmful content,” it added.  (NAN

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2 Abuja Doctors, 2 Others Arrested Over Organ Harvesting in Abuja

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Two medical doctors and two other suspects have been arrested in Abuja for organ harvesting by the Nigerian Police Force in late August 2026. They were arrested for allegedly running an organ harvesting and human trafficking network operating between Abuja and Nasarawa State.

The arrested medical practitioners are Dr. Benjamin Oyime (a 48-year-old kidney consultant) and Dr. Daniel Otukpa (a 53-year-old Acting Director of Clinical Services).

Both nephrologists are linked to Wellington Clinics (Wellington Hospital) in Life Camp, Abuja.

The arrests were executed by the Special Tactical Squad (STS-FID) following an investigation brought to light by social media activist Martins Vincent Otse (popularly known as VeryDarkMan or VDM) and his team.

The victim, a 22-year-old man named Samuel Ezekiel approached the activists after medical scans at independent hospitals verified that his left kidney was missing.

The 23-year-old intermediary, Emmanuel Ode, allegedly confessed to recruiting Ezekiel and bringing him to Wellington Hospital for the illegal surgery.

Investigators report that the victim was manipulated into signing official consent documents under a fake name, “Isa Abubakar”.

It was further revealed that the victim was allegedly paid ₦1.7 million for the kidney, while legal representatives allege that the black-market syndicate resells these harvested organs to wealthy recipients for ₦50 million to ₦70 million.

Activists and lawyers from the Martin Luther King Centre fear that this is not an isolated incident, estimating that more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to this specific ring.

Following the police raids and public outcry, Wellington Clinics Abuja issued an official statement denying any deliberate involvement in commercialized organ trafficking. Meanwhile, the private facility immediately suspended all kidney transplant and services effective August 31, 2026, while the criminal investigation continues.

NewsBlast recalls that this case reflects previous enforcement actions by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in which it arraigned doctors from Alliance Hospital in Abuja for similar black-market kidney transplants.

Furthermore, under the National Health Act, trading human organs for commercial gain or charging a fee for transplants carries severe criminal penalties in Nigeria.

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FG Target 20,000 Yearly Medical Intakes Across Six Geo-political Simulation Centres

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To counter the rising trend of Nigerian-trained health personnel migrating for greener pastures abroad, the Federal Government is expanding the country’s healthcare workforce and strengthening practical training for medical and other health professional students.

Consequently, it has disclosed plans to increase the annual medical school admissions to 20,000 within the next three years. Along with this is the targeted establishment of world-class medical simulation centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Medical Simulation Committee.

This was part of a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Ikharo Attah, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education.

Alausa said the proposed centres would provide world-class practical training for medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy and other allied healthcare students. The said:

“I would like to thank the members of the committee that has worked so hard and assiduously to get us to this point in which we are now talking about building several simulation centres across the country to provide world-class training for our medical students, dental students, nursing students, pharmacy students and other allied healthcare professionals.”

Alausa said the expansion had become necessary to meet the country’s health needs.

He disclosed that nursing enrolment, which stood at about 38,000 three years ago, had risen to more than 120,000 students across nursing schools in the country.

The minister added that annual admission into medical schools had increased from about 5,000 students when Tinubu assumed office to almost 12,000 currently.

“Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students. Our goal in the next three years will be to increase the number of annual medical student enrolment in medical schools to about 20,000.”

He added that the number of students admitted into pharmacy and dental schools had also increased.

The minister commended the Chairman of the Medical Simulation Committee, Dr Wale Suleiman, and other members for their work in preparing the report and advancing plans for the centres.

He said the initiative would help ensure that the increasing number of students entering healthcare professions received adequate practical training.

The planned expansion comes against the backdrop of persistent concerns over the migration, popularly known as “Japa,” of Nigerian doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals seeking better remuneration, working conditions and career opportunities abroad.

The migration of health workers has raised concerns among professional bodies and health-sector stakeholders about its impact on Nigeria’s already strained healthcare system, particularly shortages of skilled personnel in public hospitals.

With the proposed simulation centres, the government is seeking to expand training capacity while improving the quality of practical education for a growing pool of health professional students.

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Best way to Eat Fruit is on Empty Stomach — Prof. Ken Anugweje

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This will open your eyes to the full benefits of eating fruits!

*Prof Anugweje has been treating terminal ill Cancer patients by an *”unorthodox” way and many patients recover. He is also a sports medicine specialist.*
He insists that all athletes eat fruits on empty stomach.

Before he used solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients, he believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See his article below.

It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing Cancer is about 80%.

Cancer patients shouldn’t die. The cure for cancer is already found – it’s in the way we eat fruits.

It is whether you believe it or not.

I am sorry for the hundreds of Cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments.*

*EATING FRUITS*

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

It’s not as easy as you think. It’s important to know how and when to eat the fruits.

*What is the correct way of eating fruits?*

*IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS!*

FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH:*

If you eat fruits on empty stomach, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.*

*FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.*

Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.

*The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so due to the bread taken before the fruit.*

In the meantime, the whole meal of bread & fruit rots and ferments and turns to acid.

The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

*So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals!*

You have heard people complaining :
Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc.. etc..

*Actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.*

The fruit mixes with the putrefying of other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat !

*Greying hair, balding, nervous outburst and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.*

*There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter.*

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the SECRET of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice – drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans, packs or bottles.

*Don’t even drink juice that has been heated up.*

*Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all.*

You only get its taste.
Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.

If you should drink the fresh fruit juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

*You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse or detoxify your body.*

*Just eat fruits and drink fresh fruit juice throughout the 3 days.*

And you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look !

*KIWI fruit:*
Tiny but mighty.
This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

*APPLE:*
An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

*STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit:*
Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging and free radicals.

*ORANGE: Sweetest medicine.*
Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

*WATERMELON:*
Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system.

They are also a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant.
Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

*GUAVA & PAPAYA:*
Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.

Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation.

Papaya (pawpaw) is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

*Drinking COLD water or drinks after a meal = CANCER.*

Can you believe this ?

For those who like to drink cold water or cold drinks, this article is applicable to you.

It is not nice to have a cup of cold water or cold drinks after a meal.

However, the cold or drinks will solidify the oily stuff that you have just eaten.

It will slow down the digestion.

Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.

It will line the intestine.

*Very soon, this will turn into FATS and lead to CANCER!*

*It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.*

*Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.*

Prof Ken Anugweje, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

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