NYSC takes free healthcare services to Mangu, donates wheelchairs
The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has conducted a free health-care delivery programme for the indigenes of Mangu community, a local government in Plateau State, as part of its efforts to bring medical services closer to the grassroots at a no-cost basis.
The event, tagged Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, HIRD, which held at the NYSC secretariat of the community, Thursday, served as a catalyst for assisting government’s rural developmental plans; while also living up to one of the crucial objectives of NYSC.
Said to be the fourth edition since initiation, the HIRD programme offered free testing for various diseases including HIV/AIDS, free drugs, and free counselling. There were also brief lectures on disease-preventing measures, hygiene, and how pregnant women and nursing mothers can best take care of themselves.
In an interview with the State Coordinator, NYSC, Olufunmilayo Akin Moses said that: “The HIRD is NYSC initiative to take health care delivery to the grassroots. This programme started two years back and we deal mostly with rural communities. We usually have a week when we go to different communities throughout the nation to deliver free health care. We give drugs, we treat, we give free health talks on maternal-child mortality; how to take care of pregnant women, their babies and how to prevent common diseases like the monkey pox, Typhoid, malaria. We help to treat diabetes, hypertension and teach them how to take care themselves if they have these common ailments”.
Hinting on why their hands were forced to carry out the initiative, Moses, who also addressed participants earlier, said that they (NYSC) realised when people fall sick they stay at home owing to the recession which tremendously wrecked havoc in their pockets.
“This is our own way of bringing heath care to the community. When recession started, we realised that when a lot of people are sick and don’t have money they stay at home, resorting to self-medication and herbal treatment which may not be efficacious or lead to wrong treatment of diseases. So, we’re encouraging people to come out. All we’re doing here is free, see the doctor free, get tested free, get medication, see the pharmacist free, and when the case is beyond our care, we refer to the General Hospital. We also conducted free testing for HIV/AIDS and counselling, and deworming for kids,” she stated.
Commenting on the progress of the initiative since inception, Moses said that 16 communities have been reached in Plateau State. According to her, “in Plateau State, we’ve covered many communities. We, the corp medical team, go to different communities to execute the programme. It’s a quarterly programme, meaning it’s done every three months which is four times in a year and as such we rotate it. So, in a particular year we’re talking not less than 16 communities. We have four local governments and we touch each of them”.
Apart from free medical care, the event also witnessed the donation of two wheelchairs to Nanret Silas and Lohlum Jamdah who were considered worthy of the donations after consultations with the Teaching Hospital in Jos.
Shortly before the presentation of the wheelchairs, the beneficiaries were seen creeping around the venue, actively participating in the programme.
Unable to contain her joy, and speaking in Hausa which was later translated, Silas, who had never known the comfort of a wheelchair all her life simply said “I’m very happy and glad about it. This is my first wheelchair”.
On his part, Jamdah said he was happy and rained prayers on the organisers. “I’m very happy today for this wheelchair. God will bless the corpers and NYSC and help them in their education,” he prayed.
Answering questions on the modalities for selecting beneficiaries, Moses explained that: “The wheelchairs were donated to NYSC by our partners, The Grace Foundation and we were just to identify those who need it but cannot afford it. So, we had gone to liaise with the Teaching Hospital in Jos to know those who are in need of the wheelchairs but can’t afford it, and as our partners donate more to us, we give to society”.
Reiterating commitments to back NYSC programmes in the local government, Hon. Danjuma Haruna Audu, represented by Apiang Valentine, Head, Information of Public Relations said that the administration in Mangu Local Government Council was “very much available to support any programme that would help relief the challenges and problems” of their citizens.
“We’ll be available to partner with you in any direction in any programme, apart from these health service programme, that would touch the lives of the ordinary man in the rural areas,” he pledged.
Desmond Okon