-Organise free health outreach for 300 residents
Mariam Akinloye
Youths and residents of Igbe Oloja, a community in the Ijede Local Council Development Area of Ikorodu Division area of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, have appealed to the council and the Lagos State Government, to assist the community with well – equipped health centre and medical programmes.
The youths, under the aegis of the Ijede LCDA Unified Youth Forum, Igbe Oloja Zone, recently organized a 2 – Day free medical outreach providing themselves and other residents the opportunity to check their blood pressure and sugar level.
The free health services, which benefitted about 300 residents, also included health enlightenment and was held at the Igbe Oloja palace, on Friday, December 15 and 16, 2023.
Mr Wale Ogunsanwo, a member of the forum, said that the free services provided for the people of the community, was part of their efforts in giving back to their community and assist their people who, according to him, have poor access to medical service.
“This is a body of youths in Ijede LCDA. We are looking at a way to give back to the community through CSR, and that is why we have been able to organise this program, so that our people can benefit from the opportunity that we got.
“We came together as a peer group, agitating for many things among which is the issue of electricity bills”.
He called on the government to intervene in the community by providing people with palliatives and medical assistance.
“We want the government to intervene in our community through the provision of palliatives that they have promised, because there are a lot of things that people are facing in this harsh economic condition”, he said.
“We also need a well – equipped health centre in our community. Many people are dying suddenly because they don’t know their BP and sugar levels. However, provision of health centre will go a long way in giving people access to health facility and care.
“The local government should assist in this regard”, he added.
A community elder, Mrs Adeniyi S.Olajumoke, also speaking to our reporter, said that the programme is the community’s way of helping its people live healthy life by knowing their health status.
“The program is all about our health, because many people are dying due to lack of knowledge of their BP and sugar levels, and the environment that we found ourselves is not helping either”, she said.
“We come together and deliberated on what we can do for the people and organise our community, thus, we came up with the free health programme. This is to help our people to know their health status.
“The people really turned up for the exercise because it is a good initiative”, she said.
She called on the government to assist the government in continuing the medical programme for the residents.
“We want the government to help us so that we can continue. We want to be doing it every three months which amounts to four times in a year. They can assist us with some medicines like malaria drugs and others. They can also give us doctors to educate our people on healthy living and what they need to know about their sugar level, high blood pressure, malaria”, she said.
Quadri Ibrahim, a beneficiary, commended the screening process and also called on the government to assist in sustaining it.
“The process is very good and fantastic, it will be good if they can continue with it so that more people can also benefit from it”, he said.
“I did my sugar level and high blood pressure screening”.
“We want the government to help us with this programme, so that we can continue with it and for others too to benefit. This is the only way for us to have a good environment”.
Another resident, Olayande Olaide Surajudeen, in his own reactions, said:
“To God be the glory, we, the people that are here today, were able to know our health status, and if you know your health status, that will give you better knowledge about yourself. With this, you will know what to do, what to eat and what not to eat”, he said.
“We thank those that put this together, God will continue to strengthen them with wisdom, knowledge and understanding for them to continue to provide for the community”.
