FCTA: Over 3,370 Bwari Area Council Residents Receive Free Medical Care
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has carried out free medical services for over 3,370 residents in different areas of medical needs as part of its Renewed Hope Medical Mission.
The scope of the medical services provided includes health promotion, antenatal care (ANC), immunization services, free HIV screening, screening for diabetes, hypertension and sickle cell diseases, free dental health services, and nutritional assessment amongst others.
Speaking while flagging off the free medical outreach in Bwari area council, on Friday the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said 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 noted that Nigeria is one of the African nations with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality resulting from poor ANC attendance, low facility-based delivery, and low uptake of immunisation and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
She also noted 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, the minister stressed the FCT Administration’s commitment in improving the primary healthcare system, such as renovation, upgrading and building of more primary health centers across the 6 area councils, and employment of more healthcare workers.
The minister used the occasion to speak on the danger signs in pregnancy, the importance of ANC attendance, exclusive breastfeeding, the importance of immunisation in preventing childhood diseases such as polio, TB, pneumonia, pertussis, diphtheria, measles, the importance of screening for HIV, Diabetes, Hypertension, amongst others.
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 are global best practice 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 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 Hospitals for surgery.
“Dental services were provided to 302 patients, including 45 extractions, 12 dentures, and 5 operculectomies, with 48 referrals to Wuse Hospital.
“For eye care, we saw 931 patients, provided reading glasses to 531 of them, and made 91 referrals to Asokoro Hospital, where 29 cataract extractions have been completed. Antenatal care was provided to 74 women, and with 49 enrolled in health insurance”.
High point of the event was the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, whi carried out consultation on some patients.
