Pulse.ng : World Aids Day: Hope for the Village Child Foundation Offers Free Health Care Services To Kasuwan Magani Residents

By Sani Idris

In commemoration of the 2023 World AIDS Day, Hope for the Village Child Foundation, has offered free medical services to no fewer than 300 residents of Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State.

The theme of the World AIDS Day 2023 is ‘Let communities lead’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the World AIDS Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to date, raise awareness about the challenges that remain to achieve the goals of ending AIDS by 2030.

It is also to mobilise all stakeholders to jointly redouble efforts to ensure the success of the HIV response.

The Head of Health Section of the foundation, Sister Juliana Ekwoanya, said the aim was to render service to humanity by ensuring healthy wellbeing of the society.

She added that the outreach was to touch the lives of the people, particularly the common people in communities who cannot afford basic healthcare services.

“Looking at the economic situation in the country, alot of people come to our facility with ailment they know nothing about. This informed our decision to hold the free outreach in commemoration of the day.

“Alot of people come to our facility to complain of headache and that they have been taking pain killers, when we run test we find they are battling high blood pressure,”she said.

Ekwoanya therefore said at the outreach, those found with serious health issues would be referred to appropriate health centres for appropriate attention.

Also, Mrs Sandra Obanewo, the Focal Person, Prevention of Mother to child Transmission of HIV and AIDS, Department of Health, Chukun LGA, said anybody who in the recent times die of AIDS is due to negligence.

She advised the public to always check their HIV status, adding that the medication is free.

Obanewo also urged pregnant woman to always go for antenatal and HIV test to prevent their unborn babies in unfortunate cases of testing positive to the virus.

She commended the foundation for the gesture, while calling on other individuals to key into such kind of humanitarian activities, stating that the government cannot do everything all alone.

Also, Malam Sadiq Bako, the foundation’s Head of Sustainanable Livelihood, stressed the importance of medical checkup, stating that it mitigates deteroriation of diseases which would have been addressed with little resource.

He described the outreach programme as a “service to humanity’’, that would impact on the lives of people at the bottom of the society.

He urged residents of the suburb to ensure proper hygiene practices and constantly go for medical checkup.

Speaking to some of the beneficiaries, Ja’afar Mustapha and Mrs Felicia James, said the outreach would go along way, while thanking the foundation for the gesture.

They urged other organisations or individuals to key into such course for the sake of humanity.

NAN reports that the residents were tested for HIV, Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’, malaria, Suger, among other diseases and given medication.(NAN)