From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
United States Agency for International Development - Integrated Health Programs (USAID- IHP), Tuesday carried out free medical care and treatment to the rural dwellers of Ebonyi State.
Addressing journalists during the health outreach at Nguzu Primary School, Nguzu Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of the State, the Staff of USAID-IHP, Divine Omerigwe said the program was embarked upon by the agency to ensure Ebonyi rural residents cutting across the 13 council areas of the state get access to quality medical care and treatment in the health facilities within their vicinities.
According to her, the program helps in strengthening the health system, increasing access and improving the quality of integrated primary health care services in Ebonyi State.
She said the agency used the opportunity to carry out primary health care for mothers, other female folks and children, stressing that both antenatal care for pregnant women and immunization for children at zero to 5years, with Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) vaccination, were carried out as well during the outreach.
Mrs Omerigwe noted that the health outreach by USAID-IHP in collaboration with the World Health Organisation in Nigeria and the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health was used to commemorate the World Food Safety Day, where Safer Food, Better Life through the Nigerian Society of Nutritionists (NSN) sensitised the community people on how to use their local available food resources to process and prepare healthy foods for their children.
She disclosed that the predominant diseases found among the children under five in the area were diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition, while the elderly and the middle-aged suffer majorly rheumatism and high blood pressure (HBP) listing about 25 per cent as patients of the latter.
She however urged the community members to utilize their health centres for health care services and use their locally available food resources to prepare their foods as this will help to improve the nutrition status of their children.
Recall that the Chairperson of the Nigerian Society of Nutritionists, Ebonyi State Chapter, Nwabunma Asouzu conducted both oral and practical teachings on how to process and prepare foods including garri, palp, and plantain porridge, among others for the community people.
Some of the beneficiaries, Pastor Dickson Nduka, and Regina Imo, among others expressed joy over the free medical care and treatment.
"We were treated of general body pains, some eye-sickness, children and women especially those at the bearing age received special treatment like immunisation, antenatal care. Different therapies were given to those attended according to the kind of ailments they are suffering, during the health outreach," Pastor Nduka said.
