Adeola Ogunlade
ONE hundred and sixty thousand Nigerians from across various communities, with no fewer than 80,000 in Lagos and Ogun states have benefited from the Rotarians for Family Health and Aids Prevention programme.
The event, which lasted for three days, had free prostate and cervical screening and other ailments. The programme, organised by Rotary International, Districts 9110, 9925, 9140 and 9142, held simultaneously in about 120 locations across Nigeria with 54 locations in Lagos and Ogun. It started at Rotary Centre, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. Many people, including the District Governor-elect, Rotary International, District 9910, Bola Oyebade, took advantage of Rotary Family Health Days to know their health status.
According to Oyebade, the national programme, which has been running for the past seven years within communities alone, would move further this year to include prisons in Lagos State.
He lamented the state of health of many Nigerians who have no knowledge of their health status and disclosed that Rotary clubs in the various Districts would mount booths in various locations to test, screen and examine members of the public on critical issues.
He said the free health services include HIV testing and counselling, hepatitis B & C, diabetes and glucose level screening, hypertension Screening, Tuberculosis screening, de-worming for children, Malaria screening and treatment, cervical/breast,/prostrate cancer screening, eye cataract tests and treatment.
He assured that anyone who tested positive in some critical cases like prostate cancer would be referred to go for more test while girls with cervical cancer, would be given the needed vaccine, adding that Rotary International is in partnership with government, government hospitals and some private hospitals as well as primary health centres to provide the service.
tended to in the last similar programme but the number has been increased this year to 6,500 to allow for more beneficiaries.
He added that patients with hepatitis B would be referred to University Teaching Hospital and others already earmarked, adding that treatment of this to some extent would be free.
Past President, Sola Benson disclosed some of the areas in Lagos State the event would be holding as from today to include Palmgrove, some of the Primary Health Centres, Ijora Badia where there slums, Iju, Ajuwon, Akute. Others are Agege Local Government, Agege, Ajara Town Hall, Ajara, Alimosho Primary Health Centre, Akowonjo, Apapa waterside, Apapa among others while in Ogun State, the programme would hold at Oke-Ilewo Primary Health Centre, Abeokuta, Obada Primary Health care Centre, Ijebu-Igbo among others.
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