Beneficiaries, Workers Applaud Rotary Family Health Days Activity in Ebonyi Communities.
Primary Healthcare workers and beneficiaries have applauded the Rotary Club's free medical outreach in some Ebonyi rural communities.
The Rotary Action Group for Family Health and AIDS prevention with the Bill and Melida Gates Foundation, in collaboration with Rotary Clubs and districts in Nigeria, Ministries of Health, private sector and Nongovernmental organizations has concluded its 3-day annual nationwide free health services tagged "Rotary Family Health Days"
The 3-day event started Tuesday April 16 and concluded Thursday April 18 at Echaraukwu Primary Health Centre in Nsokkara, Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi state.
The Ebonyi event was organised with support from the USAID-Integrated Health Program and the State Ministry of Health.
Apart from general health care services, the event addressed issues on maternal and child health, HIV testing, Polio vaccination and others; vitamin A administration, deworming of children, family planning, eye and dental care as well as COVID-19 awareness.
Professionals also rendered free medical counseling, among other services while various gifts were distributed to pregnant women and nursing mothers who were diligent in accessing facility care.
Applauding the initiative, the Health Officer in-charge of Echaraukwu Primary Health Centre, Janet Elom, said it has greatly improved the number of persons seeking medical and other services in the facility, adding that the outcome was a good step in discouraging the community people from patronizing quacks.
Elom explained: "Because of these gifts and free treatments brought to the people today by Rotary Club and IHP, more pregnant women, mothers with their children and other patients will henceforth be rushing to this place: deliveries will increase, ANC will increase and general attendance to facility will also increase.
"This is one of the 171 health facilities supported by USAID-IHP in Ebonyi.
"Before now, attendance to this health facility was very low, the delivery and antenatal registers were zero.
"But since the intervention of IHP, things have been moving well.
"Now we do get between 40 and 50 ANC attendance in a month.
"We also get deliveries of between 7 and 10 in a month.
"With this kind of intermittent free treatment, people usually come out in large numbers to seek health services, and this have reduced attention to quacks in the community."
Some beneficiaries, including a 47 year old pregnant woman, Cecilia Orugbala and a 72 year old retiree, Johnson Oyibe who spoke to newsmen applauded the gesture as a big relief.
Orugbala stated that the medical examination and care were holistic touching on all her needs and those of her children.
She commended Rotary Club and the USAID-IHP for their humanitarian activities.
Oyibe added: "As a retiree in Nigeria, it has been very difficult for me to even access basic medical care due to high cost of drugs and services in hospitals.
"But this Rotary medical outreach has assuaged my pains as I was examined by the doctor, diagnosed and given drugs free of cost.
"May God bless their efforts."
Speaking on his experience, the leader of the Rotaractors who joined the volunteer team, Kingsley Awoke, said the outreach has enhanced interaction between the community people and the health facilities in the areas.
Awoke, who is the District 9142 representative of Rotaract, the youth arm of Rotary Club, emphasized that social services benefit both the giver and the receiver.
"I thinks it's all about passion, and passion is derived from the conviction that service is the rent we pay for the life we live.
"Though it may seem quite risky to be exposed to all manner of persons with various kinds of ailments, but we consider it as service above self, which is the major rotary motto."
Awoke further advised all who are privileged not to continue to sit in their comfort zones with the notion that what concern others do not bother them, warning that such problems will, with time, still find itself, somehow, back to everyone in the society.
Awoke emphasised that the partnership and collaboration which birthed the outreach, and the medical provisions that came with it have restored the confidence of the people that there are other well meaning partners, organisations, and groups, away from government who are concerned about their health and wellbeing.This, according to him, would ultimately give the people assurance of adequate care.
He added: "Moreover, this outreach also served as an avenue for needs assessment because we got feedbacks from the people on what other medical needs they have, and by next time, we will work towards meeting them."
A team member of Rotary Club of Abakaliki, District 9142 and desk officer, Open Maternity and Baby Shower initiative in the State Ministry of Health, Ngozi Aloh, indicated that the State government through the Ministry would own the project and make it a more regular activity.