Nigerian Army Medical Test, Screening Tests and Physical Fitness Test.

Thinking about joining the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy or the Nigerian Airforce and want to know what happens at the medicals during medical examination including medical tests and physical fitness tests?

The physically and mentally demanding nature of life in the Nigerian Military means there are minimum physical standards that must be met by individuals to ensure the safety of those who join and those who serve alongside them throughout their career.

There are many conditions that can prevent someone from joining the forces, including diabetes or epilepsy which, although are completely manageable on civvy street, could be life-threatening if they were to be deployed somewhere militarily without access to medication.

Therefore, anyone wishing to join the Armed Forces must first undergo and pass a full medical assessment before they can continue with any form of military training.

Medical/Health Questionnaire

All recruits must complete a health questionnaire that asks questions about pre-existing conditions, medication use and surgery history. It is possible at this stage that you may be considered unfit for service or you may experience delays whilst medical records are checked.

Medical Assessment/Medical Examination

All potential recruits must complete the physical medical with a military or MoD approved doctor. The doctor must review and approve your medical history/assessment results before being allowed to progress onto the next stage of Basic Training.

What Is Checked At The Medical Examination?

• Height, weight and BMI
• Lung capacity/peak flow test.
• Blood pressure/pulse.
• Echocardiography
• Chest X-ray
• EEG
• Electrocardiography (electrocardiogram)
• Urine test to check for drugs
• Eyesight and colour perception.
• Audiogram/hearing test (in a soundproof booth).
• Blood tests and screening for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C (this cannot be used to screen you out, just for record purposes)
• Mantoux test for tuberculosis
• Full blood count
• Sickle cell anemia screening
• Exercise spirometry looks at how well your lungs work before and after exercise.
• A physical examination by a doctor will check for hernias/lumps/irregularities.
• Reflexes and joint/muscular movements will also be checked, and recruits will be asked to complete physical movements such as walking on tip toes/heels/press ups and squats.

Hints

_ Avoid loud noise up to 48 hours beforehand.

_ Avoid excessive caffeine consumption. No smoking.

_ Avoid protein drinks.

_Before your medical, it’s important to not have any fizzy drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, or any sugary drinks or foods for at least 12 hours. They can affect your urine sample.

Medical Issues/Problems

Any issues that are flagged up at the medical stage need to be dealt with before continuing with any form of military training.

Certain conditions like asthma can preclude entry to, for example, certain trades in the RAF such as flying branches, but others may require a certain time period to have passed without incident or treatment and subject to a review of medical records before an application will be considered.

Another issue that crops up frequently is past dislocations and surgery on broken bones. It could be that your condition has been misdiagnosed in your notes or it has been misunderstood, for example back pain instead of discomfort or a ligament tear has been interpreted as a dislocation.

If an applicant feels that the decision is wrong they can appeal the decision but they would need to gather as much evidence to support their case as possible which could include further scans/x-rays or a specialist’s opinion. It is also possible that while the Army may reject an application the RAF or Navy may not.

The medical standards do also change over time so what may be a bar to service one year may be considered the following.

Culled from forces.net

List of drugs for patent medicine store in Nigeria.

What is the difference between a pharmacy and a patent medicine store?

In a patent medicine store, you can only get over-the-counter medications like aspirin, paracetamol, etc but at the pharmacy, you can not only get the OTC but also some restricted medications on prescription.

Secondly, pharmacist is available at the pharmacy for counselling , and advice one on how to take medications and when to take it.

Many persons especially those interested in setting up a chemist always write me to ask the drugs permitted by law in patent medicine stores. Patent medicine dealers are a key part of the health care system and their importance can’t be ignored. Even though they most times go beyond their boundaries, they are the ones set up chemist shops in most rural communities where community pharmacies have not been able to penetrate. They are very close to the local populace.

To set up a patent medicine store in Nigeria, you need to pay a certain amount day #200,000 and register with the Patent Medicine Dealers of Nigeria for a licence.

Patent medicine store is the same thing as a chemist shop and this article also covers the list of drugs to start a chemist shop as you may have googled it.

Pharmacy has a licence for supplying and selling of control drugs while patient store are restricted to a limited drugs.

You want to open a patent medicine store in Nigeria? Check the list of drugs you are permitted by law to stock in your patent drug store or chemist shop.

List of drugs for patent medicine store in Nigeria

Analgesics and antipyretics

Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin)- capsules/tablet 300mg

Paracetamol – capsules/tablet- 125mg (Paediatric) 500mg adults
syrups/suspension- 125mg/5ml (60ml/100ml)

Ibuprofen capsules/tablets- 200mg, 400mg

Diclofenac tablets

Antacid Drugs

Magnesium trisilicate mixture – 100ml-200ml

Magnesium trisilicate compound tablets

Aluminum hydroxide, mixture/tablets

Antidiarrhea drugs

Low osmolarity oral rehydration salts

Zinc (sulphate)+ Low osmolarity oral rehydration salts

Loperamide

imodium

Anthelmintic Medicines

Levamisole tablets/syrup- Tablets 40mg, Syrup 40mg/5ml

Pyrantel – Tablets/syrup
Tablets, 125mg
Syrup 125mg/5ml

Albendazole

Mebendazole

Antimalarial medications

Chloroquine- capsules/tablets/syrup
Capsules/tablets 50mg base (Pediatric) 150m (adult)

Pyrimethamine 25mg plus Sulphadoxine (fansidar) 500mg tablets/ syrup (per 5ml)
Pyrimethamine Tablets 12.5mg, 25mg

Artemisinin- combination therapy (ACT)
Artemether +Lumefantrine
Artesunate +sulphadoxine+Pyrimethamine

Quinine

Antiseptic and disinfectant solutions

Benzoin compound tincture

Chloroxylenol 5% solution (for dilution)

Dichloroxylenol plus chlorophenol soap solution

Iodine solution 30ml, 60ml

Methylated spirit 50m, 100ml

Sodium hypochlorite (1-10%) , 250ml, 500ml

Savlon

Povidone Iodine

Anti-anemia drugs – hematinics

Ferrous salts- capsules/tablets – as fumarate, gluconate, sulphate, succinate, fesolate

Ferric ammonium citrate mixture 400mg/5ml

Folic acid tablets 5mg

Antipruritic and astringent drugs

Calamine lotion

Calamine plus zinc oxide lotion/plaster

Loratadine tablets

Piriton tablets and syrup

Cold relief preparations

Chlorpheniramine maleate tablets 4mg/10s
Syrup – 2mg/ 5ml

Diphenhydramine preparation

Contraceptives

C.ondoms

Forming tablets -spermicides

Emergency contraceptive pills like postpill, postinor, plan b

Dermatological (anti-infective) drugs

Gentian violet tincture 1%

Silver sulphadiazine cream 1%

Antiseptic and disinfectant solutions

Wound Dressing materials

Absorbent gauze

Cotton /crepe bandages

Cotton wool

Elastic plaster dressings

Dusting powder

Zinc, starch and talc dusting powder with or without menthol

Antifungal drugs.

Benzoic acid (6%) plus salicylic acid ( 3% ) ratio 2: 1 cream ,

Clotrimazole cream, ointment 1%; aerosol spray 1%; dusting powder 1%

Funbact A, baby Tribotan, dermazin , skineal, etc

keratolytic and keratoplastic drugs

coal tar solutions/ ointment

coal tar ointments USP

salicylic acid, ointment /solution
ointment 2.5% solutions , 12% in flexible collodion

Mouthwashes

Hexetidine solution 0.1%
Non-specific (general) antidotes
Charcoal, activated
Powder /granules /tablets
Powder /granules 5mg/sachet
Tablets 1g

Nutritional drugs see vitamins, minerals, and nutritional drugs

Magnesium hydroxide mixture- hydrated magnesium oxide, 550mg/10ml
Magnesium sulphate
Granules/sachets/mixture
Granules/sachet 5g. mixture 4g/10ml
Senna Granules/ tablets

rubefacients and inhalers

Methyl salicylate compound preparations
Balms, creams, embrocation’s
Liniments, rubs, ointments, Oils and inhalers

Scabicides and pediculicides

Benzyl benzoate emulsion 25%

Monosulfiram solution/soap 25%

Throat antiseptic preparation

Dequalinium hydrochloride- 250mg lozenges
Domiphen bromide (0.5mg)

Hexetidine mouthwash/gargle 0.1%

Menthol plus eucalyptus oil plus camphor plus thymol (0.207%plus 0.069% plus 0.0007% respectively

Menthol plus ascorbic acid plus anhydrous citric acid (0.09% plus 2.9412% plus 0.8332 respectively ) lozenges

Vitamins, minreals, and nutritional drugs

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C ) – tablets
Tablets, 100mg, Syrup 100mg per 5ml
B complex vitamins
Capsules/tables/syrup
Cod liver oil – capsules, syrup
Multivitamins- capsules/ tablets/ syrup/ drops

Calcium salts

Calcium gluconate tablets, 500mg
Calcium lactate – tablets , 300mg
Folic acid- tablet 5mg
Glucose powder for oral use.

Diabetics

Metformin

Glucose test strips

Glucometer

This article is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng

Can an auxiliary nurse open a chemist shop.

Yes… auxillary nurses are allowed to open patent medicine store in Nigeria. This means , as an auxiliary nurse or a health assistant or a nurse assistant…you can set up a small chemist shop where you will be allowed to sell some patent over the counter medicines or drugs.

All you need to do is to get a license from the Nigerian Association of Patent mad Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED)….NAPPMED have offices in alp the 36 states of the federation with their headquarters in Abuja. After you have registered your patent medicine store with NAPPMED, then you are good to go.

Please be informed that setting up a chemist shop is capital intensive but you can start small…To drive sales and make your shop visible, you can also be selling provisions, water, drinks (not alcohol though), supplies for safe sex like good cycle etc.

You can read more about over the counter drugs you can stock in your shop ….with good turnover. Some over the counter drugs you must always have in your chemist shop as an auxiliary nurse is postinor, postpill, methylated spirit, cotton wool, gauze, painkillers, oral and IV antibiotics, sanitary pads etc.

Summary; an auxiliary nurse can open a chemist shop in Nigeria and even in Africa after getting permission and certificate from NAPPMED…This chemist shop will be stocked with over the counter drugs and some other essential supplies. You can include some edible provisions to drive sales and remain afloat financially…

Please set up your chemist shop in strategic locations….and don’t involve yourself in malpractices. Thank you.

A biochemist or microbiologist can also open a chemist shop where he or she will be selling patent medicines.

Whether you like it or not, patent medicine stores is what drives Community Pharmacy in Nigeria. What the government needs to do is to regulate their activities to avoid quackery.

This article is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng.