Market Doctors Offers Free Medical Services, Mosquito Nets to Oniru Community

As part of efforts to curb the spread of malaria in the world, as the world celebrated World Malaria Day, a philanthropic medical group known as Market Doctors Nigeria took their monthly free medical test, provision of drugs and mosquito nets to residents of Oniru community in Lagos.

Speaking at the exercise in Lagos, with the theme: ‘Maternal Health and Malaria: Priority Access for Women’ the Chief Executive Officer of the group, Dr. Yetunde Ayelalowo, said the programme tagged: ‘Adopt A-Market Project’ was aimed at commemorating the 2017 World Malaria Day, noting that the scourge of malaria is endemic in Nigeria, therefore efforts should be put in place to end it.

She also stated that the group is committed at ensuring they provide healthcare access to the market people in the area, stressing that they have model clinics for the market and they intend to make sure that every market place has access to health, “this can be daily, weekly or monthly depending on the size of the people in the market.”

Ayelalowo further stated they are bringing the awareness and access to medical heath to the people, as the Market Doctors frequently visit residents, engaging them on how to end and prevent the disease.

In his remarks, the Medical Director of Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited, which sponsored the programme, Dr. Bello Aliyu, said as a company, they are offering support to the group as part of efforts to create awareness on how the scourge can be prevented.

According to Aliyu who was represented by Dr. Babatunde Adekunle, “We are talking about ABCD of malaria control, A stands for awareness, B is bite prevention which means without mosquito bites you can’t get malaria, C is Chimoprofilaksis and for people to know the appropriate one to use and D means proper diagnosis and treatment as people need to realise that they need to be tested to know that they have malaria. You need to understand that you must have proper testing in a laboratory. Our theme for the World Malaria Day 2017 is ‘End Malaria for Good.”

He explained that without the malaria vaccine the disease cannot be prevented, expressing confidence that if people are able to prevent mosquito bite, then the disease can be curbed, therefore efforts should be geared towards preventing the bite, “and in case you have mosquito bite, then you can prompt the diagnosis and get adequate treatment or you can take Chimoprofilacksis which will help to prevent malaria even though you were bitten by mosquito.”

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The Sole Administrator of Iru/Victoria Island Local Community Development Area, (LCDA), Princess Aderemi Adebowale, who also graced the event, said the state government, as part of its efforts to stem malaria, has instituted the Lagos State free malaria programme in all government health facilities, adding that beneficiaries of the programme children from birth up to 12 years old, the elderly, from 65 years and above, and pregnant women.

She explained that the LCDA in conjunction with Exxon Mobile and Market Doctors have brought the ‘Adopt Market Project’ to Oniru Market, adding that they chose various markets in the state to bring malaria related interventions to the grassroots and they included distribution of long lasting insecticidal nets, medical consultations, Malaria tests, and drugs.