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Miss Oyebimpe Olofin, an NYSC member serving in Kogi, has organised a medical screening on malaria, diabetes and blood pressure for the residents of traditional communities of Kabawa in Lokoja.
Olofin told the newsmen at the flag-off a two-day health sesitisation screening on Thursday, that the major aim was to bring healthcare to the doorstep of the people especially the less privilege, who cannot afford it.
“Health is wealth, nobody can enjoy life without being healthy.
“Most atimes we know that people are ill but because they cannot afford the cost of medical charges, people resorted to self medication without any diagnosis.
“We bring this screening to this remote community to make the residents to be conscious of their health and environment, and that they can actually prevent malaria and be free from the parasite.
“We have brought some Consultants who will prescribe drugs to diagnosed patients which will be at a cheaper rate in the hospital we are referring them to for medication, Olofin said.
She added that screening was targeted mainly for the elderly, women and children to test their blood sugar, malaria, blood pressure and urine analysis.
She said “we will also senzitise them to always sleep under their mosquito nets and to regularly go to the hospital for medical checkup, which is not as costly as they think”.
Dr Attah Ahmed, the Special Adviser to the Kogi Governor on Health Matters, who the declared the program opened, commended the corp member for her initiative to bring health screening to the doorstep of the people.
He said that the gesture would complement State Government’s efforts to bringing healthcare delivery closer the people across the state through its diverse health care programmes.
Ahmed urged the people to take advantage of the opportunity to come out en mass for screening in order to know their health status, saying “prevention is better than cure”.
A Consultant Physician, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, Dr Odiah Enaholo, said malaria is a parasite that majorly affects pregnant women and children under the age of 5, with symptoms such as vomiting, cold, abdominal pain, convulsion, among others.
He advised the people to prevent malaria through the regular use of treated mosquito nets, insecticides and taking care of the environment, and to always close their doors as from 5 pm.
He noted that the most effective drug currently used for malaria treatment is ACT.
NAN reports that the health sensitization program was organised by the Corp member (Oyebimpe) as a personal community development service project under the “Emmanuel Hope and Charity Foundation.
Two beneficiaries, Fatima Garuba and Umar Kabiru, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the corps member for bringing health care to the people of their community, and urged the government to come to their aid that they were starving.
(NAN)
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