By Ngozi Nwabuisi and Rebecca Kalaowuno
Rotarians for Family Health and AIDS Prevention(RFHAP), last week took free health care to the poor in mark Rotary Family Health Days 2017. For three days, Rotary Clubs mounted booths and set up camps in various locations to test, screen and examine members of the public. They addressed critical issues of HIV, polio and other diseases.
Services were free and included HIV testing and counselling, hepatitis B and C, diabetes and glucose level screening, hypertension screening, tuberculosis screening, polio immunisation, vitamin A and B administration, de-worning for children, malaria screening and treatment, insecticide trated net distribution, cervical/breat/prostate cancer screening, family counselling and condom supply, sanitary towels for girls, eye cataract tests and treatment, dental care.
Co-ordinator, RFHAP, Bola Oyebade, “ the reason we are doing this is to know the health status of everyone. We have been running this show since 2005, however, it metamorphosed into family health programme in 2012. Before, it was merely a HIV/AIDS programme. We have 60 sites for the programme,11 were within Lagos, 49 were outside. When we started, we had 40, 000 responses, in 2016, we had 140, 000 reponses.”
District Governor, Rotary 9110, Lagos and Ogun States, Dr Wale Ogunbadejo, said, “ we dispense drugs to them for those that need drugs, we counsel those that needed counseling, and for those needed mosquito nets, we gave mosquito nets. It is not only for Lagos and Ogun States , the family week was observed all over the couniry, the west and east costs of Africa, South Africa etc.
“This group started as Rotarians fighting AIDS but later enlarged there exercises to include other diseases. A lot of women and children die from things that arepreventable . We focus on water-borne diseases. In Africa, water and sanitation is an issue. We also see how we can help people start small and medium sale businesses. We also help pupils in schools who need help to continue their education. More than 100,000 have been helped in this programme, in Nigeria more than 50,000 have benefited,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Surulere area of Lagos State over 2000 people were screened of HIV by a non-governmental organization (NGO), Joy Welfare and Charity Ministry, an arm of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Surulere.
The three-day programme, held at the church premises along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, was organized in collaboration with Rotarians for Family Health and AIDS Prevention.
It also featured talk show on how to brush teeth; the type of brush to use and eight ways of washing hands.
General Leader of the Church, Apostle Prophet Sunday Korode, said the programme was to bring free medical screening to the church’s neighbourhood in Surulere/Aguda /Ijeshatedo /Coker Areas of the state. “The spirit behind the mission is commendable; it is care and compassion for the plight of the needy and less privileged in the society. This caring heart philosophy, which drives our common concern for our society is further highlighted by the comprehensive nature of the coverage such that everybody has one area or the other to benefit from the programme.
“I want to assure you that our doors and arms are always open to collaborate to bring succour and relief to our society especially in these trying times of austerity and recession.Collaborations like this helps to garner resources worldwide, nationwide and channel such to meet needs in critical cases and areas”,.