Navy Takes Medical Outreach to Lagos Community to Strengthen Relationship 

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has taken medical services and medications to the Arumoh Ajeromi area in Lagos State as part of efforts to provide free medical services to host communities. 

The Command Admin Officer, Western Naval Command, Cdre Edem Duke told THISDAY at the weekend during the free medical check-up that this initiative by the Nigerian Navy is to strengthen its civil-military relationship with communities that host all its unit establishments and commands across states in Nigeria. 

“In the Lagos area, Western Naval Command is having its corporate social responsibility. We are showing them love and appreciation, he emphasised.

According to Duke, this is a continuous activity. “This is just the health outreach we are using to wish the residents well for the Yuletide season,” he emphasised. 

The Commander, Obisesan Medical Centre, Apapa, Surgeon Cmdr Ugo Elendu listed high blood pressure, arthritis, deworming in children, malaria, diabetes and others as some of the illnesses they hope to attend to.

“Last week was World AIDS Day. So one of the objectives of this programme is to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. And we have a station here that will be offering voluntary counselling and testing for as many who wish to take the test,” he outlined.

On how to reduce the risk of transmission, Elendu highlighted the ABCs of HIV transmission like abstinence, and the use of condoms. “For maternal-to-child transmission, we have an HIV programme at our centre where we take care of these women when they are pregnant. 

“From pregnancy to delivery, there are certain drugs we give them as soon as the child is born to prevent the probability of transmission.”

With a population of aged people as beneficiaries, the commander assured THISDAY that their pharmaceutical stand was rich enough. “We have anti-malaria drugs, deworming for children, drugs for muscular pains and anti-hypertensive medications among others.”

He hinted at the possibility to follow up on some disease conditions they would detect, adding that “And we will direct them to come to the centre, which is not far, for continuous management”.