- Community leader advocates continuous free medical outreach
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
As a part of its national integration, cohesion, and unity mandate, the Medical Team of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Monday took free medical services to the people of Kofan Fada community, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The one-day NYSC medical outreach under Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) is a brain box of Community Development Service (CDS), National Directorate of NYSC, Abuja, where corps health personnel are mobilised to rural communities especially where health facilities are not close-by, to diagnose, treat and refer patients to hospitals when necessary.
Flagging off this year’s first quarter outreach held at Sarki Sambo Science Primary School, Kofar Fada community, Zaria, Zaria Local Government area of the State, Assistant Director of CDS, NYSC, Kaduna State Secretariat, Mrs Obeche Stella Nonso said, the intervention became necessary to help locals who don’t have access to basic health services due to financial and geographical limitations.
According to her, “Today, we are here in Zaria, attending to the health needs of rural dwellers as a way of complementing the government’s efforts in the health sector.
“NYSC as the largest youth mobilisation organisation in Nigeria, mobilise our medical team including medical doctors, corps doctors, pharmacists, medical labs, optometrists, dental therapists, health scientists, and microbiologists among others, to this community in Zaria, and render free health care services to the people here.
“So, it is not out of point to say the NYSC is using this to practicalise its corps mandate of national integration, cohesion, and unity because these young educated Nigerians came to Kaduna State from different states to render this service and other essential services in all facet of our economy”, she said.
The President, Medical CDS, Fagoroyi Idowu, lauded the leadership of the Scheme in the state for providing an enabling environment for him and other corps members to reach out to those who could not possibly afford out-of-pocket expenditures.
“We love to impact communities where we are. We have been trying to do this on our own but we have been going back and forth due to the elections.
“Luckily for us, NYSC Coordinator here in Kaduna called that this would be happening and we quickly mobilised ourselves to be here. We are happy. You can see that we are up to the task.
“We have adults and children tested for malaria, high blood pressure, ulcer, eye, and dental while we have those between 7-14 years old coming for medical check up. So far, more people tested positive for malaria”, he said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with newsmen, a traditional and community leader, Hakimin Birni da Kewaye, Barrister Sambo Shehu Idris, who was represented by Mardannin Zazzau (District Head), Fadan Kofa, Lawal Babangida Ahmed, urged the scheme to make the free medical services a continuous thing.
“We thank the corps medical team and NYSC for free healthcare services in our community today. We also thanked God that we started and finished well
“However, this should be a continuous health intervention for rural dwellers majority of who cannot afford out-of-pocket expenses. We pray God that God bless the NYSC and our youth corps member here today to attend to our medical needs free of charge,” he prayed.