By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Over 3,370 residents of Bwari community are to benefit from a free medical outreach launched in Bwari Local Council Area yesterday, by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA.

The outreach which drew people from all corners of the council area to Science Pilot Primary School,Bwari,venue of the event,was in different areas of medical needs.

The development which is part of the administration’s Renewed Hope Medical Mission in the nation’s capital city,covers health promotion, antenatal care,immunization services, free HIV screening, screening for diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell diseases, free dental health services, and nutritional assessment amongst many others.

The Federal Capital Territory,FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud,who flagged off the outreach, lamented the increasing population rate of in the FCT, which she noted,was contributing to increased demand for health services,thus portending great health challenges to the FCT authorities.

This was even as he reiterated the commitment of the FCT Administration to meeting not only the people’s health needs but also the needs that would give the residents of the FCT the best health services.

According to the minister,Nigeria is one of African nations with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality resulting from poor antenatal care attendance, low facility-based delivery, and low uptake of immunisation and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.

To address some of these identified challenges, the minister stressed the FCT Administration’s commitment to improving the primary healthcare system, such as renovation, upgrading, and building more primary health centres across the six area councils and the employment of more healthcare workers.

The minister used the occasion to speak on the danger signs in pregnancy, the importance of antenatal care attendance, exclusive breast feeding, the importance of immunisation in preventing childhood diseases such as polio, TB, pneumonia, pertussis, diphtheria, and measles, and the and the importance of screening for HIV, diabetes, and hypertension, amongst others.

Speaking earlier at the event, the FCT Mandate Secretary ,Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, regretted that in spite of the recent improvements in access to quality healthcare for residents of the Federal Capital Territory, many communities remain underserved.

Acknowledging that free medical missions were global best practices used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations,she noted that:“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.”

Fasawe emphasised that the success recorded in the last free medical outreach held in Kuje area council gave birth to the expansion of the 2024 medical mission.

She said:“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, with 49 enrolled in health insurance.”