Doctors worry about painful endometriosis in women, girls
A former minister of health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has called for more research and awareness towards ensuring effective prevention, early diagnosis and management of endometriosis among Nigerian women and girls.
Adewole, an Endo Champion of the Endometriosis Support Group, Nigeria (ESGN) who presented the keynote address during a webinar organised to mark the 2022 edition of the annual ESGN Endometriosis Awareness month, said there was limited awareness about the condition in Nigeria.
Endometriosis affects an estimated 170 million women worldwide and occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb is found elsewhere – most commonly on the ovaries, in the recto-vaginal septum, bladder and bowel. The tissue bleeds every month, and can cause severe and chronic pain.
Represented at the webinar by a renowned gynaecologist, Prof Chris Amaku of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Adewole lamented the adverse social and economic impact of endometriosis, saying more attention will empower those affected to seek solutions in earnest. “
According to him, endometriosis is one of the biggest hindrances to women in the home and at work. He said the impact on the family and relationships is worsened by delayed treatment and suboptimal access to surgery.
“The Founder of the ESGN, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, on his own part, described endometriosis as a chronic inflammatory disorder characterised by the growth of the endometrium outside of the uterus.
“During menstrual flow, these lesions bleed in their locations leading to pain. The most common symptoms include chronic pelvic pain, painful bowel movement, menstrual pain and sometimes some degree of infertility.”
Noting that the condition is estrogen-dependedent, he explained that it is common among the reproductive age group of women, but said it can progress beyond menopause.
“About 10 per cent of the female population is affected and we cannot afford to ignore them. There are about 190 million women and girls that have this condition globally, and even with 30-50 per cent of infertile women affected it is usually undiagnosed and undetected for many years.
“The quality of life of the women that are affected is not spared, and it usually costs them their careers. So many homes are scattered because of endometriosis.
“Sometimes there are no symptoms, and when there are symptoms, it is usually pain, and that could come with infertility. The spouses and family are affected, it affects relationships.”
Ajayi said the Endo Awareness month event was being held in commemoration of the World Endo march USA and that the focus was on attracting government attention, especially on the African continent, taking the cue from Nigeria.
“The government needs to take significant interest in the condition with a view to ensuring that women get access to diagnosis and management of endometriosis with a view to improving the quality of life of people living with the condition.
“This year we are taking our cue from the global theme and are encouraging people living with endometriosis to speak out.
“Let’s encourage one another, let’s share experiences and let’s make our voices heard as a community to drive home our quest for access to care.
“I strongly believe that we are getting closer to where we ought to be in terms of getting the attention of our government to focus on this segment of our society.”
During the webinar, attention was on new techniques to assist doctors to make an accurate diagnosis of the condition, especially in Africa where there is a dearth of modern equipment. Focus was also on the effect of endometriosis on the quality of life and the economic impact on the individual.
In a move to provide Nigerians with access to improved quality healthcare services, Interswitch’s eClat Healthcare Limited, an innovative health-tech solutions provider and a subsidiary of the Interswitch Group has relaunched eClinic to effectively address challenges associated with medical records management.
The eClinic is a specially designed patient-focused healthcare service product that transforms the familiar analogue system of record-keeping to a digitalised process, where patients’ records are kept secure and easily accessible.
The eClinic platform centralises all records of patients, ensuring their data is within reach of health workers, opening avenues for swift analysis, efficiency, and thoroughness of healthcare professionals in the country.
Speaking on the relaunch, Dr. Wallace Ogufere, Chief Executive Officer, Interswitch eClat, said that the introduction of the improved health-tech solution to the healthcare system in Nigeria, would facilitate efficiency and enhance the trust between patients and their healthcare providers, as patients are guaranteed of their safety and the safety of their medical records.
Wallace noted that the infusion of technology into the healthcare system in Nigeria was one that will certainly increase efficiency, save costs and entrust trust between patients and their healthcare providers.
“Ultimately, this is the goal of eClinic, among other benefits. As a flexible tool, it was created to serve a range of healthcare providers, from small, single care providers to multi-specialist facilities, making it a well-rounded platform tailored to the varying needs of healthcare providers, and complementing existing systems.
“The solution was designed with three layers of care providers in mind: the eClinicPHC, which was designed for primary care providers, and the eClinicPlus, designed for secondary and tertiary care institutions, reducing cost for health service providers and retaining data integrity and security.
“With the relaunch, the eClinic solutions have new features integrated into it, such as inventory and stock keeping, patient appointment and queue management, medical and insurance billing, assets management, integration to third-party systems via API, quick messaging and notification, medical coding, backup and multi-location support, among others, patients are assured of an improved healthcare delivery process when they walk into their preferred care provider for health-related matters.
“Our focus revolves around the provision of value to both the demand and supply sides of health care—institutions that provide healthcare services and patients who seek these services. Through eClinic, we are integrating inventory keeping, efficient service delivery, sales and accounts receivables into one platform. By doing so, the service delivery process is streamlined, and productivity is boosted.”
eClinic was developed with specialised modules that function at various clinical levels such as antenatal and immunisation, aggregating data from different centres and providing a single front for enterprise capabilities.
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