Health
HAJIYA Silifat Sule, Wife of Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state, has inaugurated an outreach for free medical intervention for about 1,000 Indigenes in the state.
Sule inaugurated the outreach shortly after concluding a road walk with members of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) who were in Lafia for their annual conference on Monday.
The medical outreach is part of activities of AHAPN 23rd Annual National Scientific Conference in Lafia from Aug. 1 to 5 with the theme “COVID-19 Experience: Expanding the role of health system by pharmacists”.
Sule appreciated the association for the medical intervention adding that the gesture will go a long way to address the immediate medical needs of people in the state.
Sule who called on residents to reciprocate the gesture of the association by coming out en masse to be attended to, also thanked the association for choosing Lafia to organise the Annual National Scientific Conference.
In an interview, Mr Olabode Ogunjemiyo, National Chairman of the AHAPN explained that organising the health outreach was part of the association’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which it carried out regularly.
“We always organise it to complement the efforts of the Nasarawa State Government in improving the health of its citizenry.
” I have the opportunity of enjoying the pharmaceutical care free of charge,” he said.
According to the AHAPN National Chairman, about 1000 Indigenes are expected to benefit from the outreach which is only focused on basic ailments such as Malaria, High Blood Pressure among others.
“Most of the ailments don’t even require medication. There are some of them that will probably just require counselling. We are not treating chronic ailments here. We are only treating basic ailments,” he said.
Ogunjemiyo also explained that the essence of the road walk carried out earlier was to improve personal health and as a symbolic walk against drug abuse.
“The choice of what to walk against is solely due to the fact that drug abuse has become a major public health issue worldwide and the attendant damaging effects it’s having on our youths and young adults,” he said.
A beneficiary of the programme, Mallam Aliyu Magaji, said the gesture had gone a long way to tackle some health challenges of the people who were not buoyant enough to visit a health centre.
He urged the association to sustain the effort and called on other organizations and well meaning Nigerians to imitate the association.
“Some of us don’t go to hospital not because we dont want to go but because of the harsh economic situation we find ourselves.
“So for these people to bring this initiative here is a big plus for us. It has given us the opportunity to come out and get the medical attention that we wanted but cannot pay for,” he said.
NAN reports that the association also paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage (Rtd) who thanked them for the visit and picking Lafia to hold their annual conference. (NAN)
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Tags: Abdullahi Sule AHAPN CSR Justice Sidi Bage Silifat Sule
