Providing Access to Affordable Healthcare for Bwari Community
The Health Services and Environment Secretariat, HSES, of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, in reinforcing
the priority towards health and environment, recently took the “Renewed Hope Medical Outreach” to Bwari Area Council. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that through this citizen-tailored outreach, the HSES Mandate Secretary, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, ensured provision of affordable and accessible high quality healthcare services to the residents
In line with global best practices used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reinvigorated its quest to touch the lives of such populations, one community at a time.
Through the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), led by Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, an award winning physician, who is the Mandate Secretary (MS), the FCTA continuously reinforces priority channeled towards health and environment under the present FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Thus one community at a time, the mandate secretary has been carrying out medical outreaches that are citizen-tailored to meet almost all their healthcare needs, thereby fortifying a transformative public health systems in the FCT and ensuring provision of affordable and accessible high quality healthcare services to residents of the FCT.
At the medical outreaches, like the one in Kuje recently, the communities had antenatal care for pregnant women, general outpatients care, pediatrics, eye and dental care, nutrition services, HIV, hepatitis tests, follow-up care, surgery and even pharmacy. This was in addition to smart gases shared.
An All Encompassing Outreach for Bwari Community
Recently at Bwari Community, one of the many suburbs that dot the FCT, these and many more were their lot when the Fasawe-led team carried out an all encompassing medical outreach in the community.
The outreach covered medical services like health promotion, antenatal care (ANC), immunisation services, free HIV screening, screening for diabetes, hypertension and sickle cell diseases, free dental health services, nutritional assessment, pharmaceutical services for free prescription drugs, distribution of fertilisers for farmers, gas cylinders, sanitary pads amongst others.
While flagging off the free medical outreach at Pilot Science Primary School in Bwari Area Council, the FCT Minister of state, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, stressed that the FCT Administration is fully committed to meeting not just the peoples’ health needs, but also the needs that would give the residents of the FCT the best health services.
Mahmoud, who noted that Nigeria is one of the African nations with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality; due poor ANC attendance, low facility based delivery, low uptake of immunisation and family planning services, especially in rural communities, said that rapid population expansion leading to increased demand for health services has posed serious health challenges to the administration.
To address some of these identified challenges, Mahmoud stressed that FCT Administration is committed to improving the primary healthcare system, such as renovation, upgrading and building of more primary health centers across the six Area Councils, and employment of more healthcare workers.
She also harped on the danger signs in pregnancy, importance of ANC attendance, exclusive breast feeding, importance of immunisation in preventing childhood diseases such as polio, TB, pneumonia, pertussis, diphtheria, measles, importance of screening for HIV, Diabetes, Hypertension, amongst others.
Reaching Underserved Communities
Earlier, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, acknowledged that despite recent improvements in access to quality healthcare for residents of the Federal Capital Territory, many communities remain underserved.
She noted that free medical missions like what they have been hosting, are global best practices used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations.
“This strategy has been successfully adopted in many parts of Nigeria, and it takes healthcare directly to those who need it most through mobile health service delivery,” she added.
Fasawe emphasised that the success recorded in the last free medical outreach held in Kuje Area Council that gave birth to the expansion of the 2024 medical mission.
According to her, “We attended to 1,578 general outpatients, with 42 referred to Wuse and Asokoro District Hospitals for surgery. Dental services were provided to 302 patients, including 45 extractions, 12 dentures, and five operculectomies, with 48 referrals to Wuse District Hospital.
“For eye care, we saw 931 patients, provided reading glasses to 531 of them, and made 91 referrals to Asokoro District Hospital, where 29 cataract extractions have been completed. Antenatal care was provided to 74 women, and with 206 enrolled into FCT Health insurance Scheme (FHIS).”
Again, the Mandate Secretary HSES appreciated the efforts of IHS and Zenith Bank PLC for partnering the HSES to ensure the success of the medical outreach. She also called on other potential partners to collaborate with government in order to provide succour through various interventions and initiatives in the society.
The highlight of the event was the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud in company of the Mandate Secretary HSES, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe carrying out consultation on some patients.
