No fewer than 20,000 people from Afikpo North/South federal constituency of Ebonyi state weekend benefited from a free medical outreach organised by Hon.Iduma Igariwey, a member of the House of Representatives.
The benefitiaries were made up of both young and elderly people from the communities that make up the two local government (Afikpo North and South) for the constituency.
Speaking at the event, some medical experts decried the deplorable health system in communities, saying many children suffer infectious diseases and many pregnant women have not been able to access adequate medical care in their localities.
A family Physician, Dr Femi Aworinde, who was the leader of the medical outreach, decried the dearth of basic health infrastructure to cater for basic community and family health care needs.
He said: “The point is this, the health status of our communities in Nigeria is deplorable; many of our children suffering from infectious diseases and many of our pregnant women have no good and adequate obstetric care because of the failure of the health system in this country.
“We are projecting 10,000 beneficiaries from each of the local governments for this medical oureach. However, we have the capacity to go beyond that. Infectious disease is common here and one of the things this kind of thing will do is to generate data for decision makers to make informed decision as far as Afikpo North/South is concerned”.
On his part, a Medical Laboratory Scientist, Ihebueme Herbert, who corroborated Aworinde, described healthcare services as very important in the country.
He lamented that most of the rural dwellers are not properly taking care of health wise which according to him, causes frequent and untimely deaths.
“Healthcare services is very important in this country and we really need to work towards that because most of us in the village are not properly taking care of health wise and this is why you see someone dies out of carelessness.
“I love this outreach that is going in this place because this is what some of the federal lawmakers should be doing to their localities and the places they represent because before you know it, you will see that the health sector will spread and the people will be taking proper care of and there will be longevity, there will be health because health is one of the most important thing in life,” he said.
While addressing the beneficiaries, Igariwey who was represented by his wife, Mrs. Florence Igariwey, noted that several deaths that occur were as a result of negligence to health conditions.
She encouraged people, especially the aged ones who are BP patients to visit health care outfits for regular checkups since the medication is fairly affordable.
She advised the people to embrace water therapy as it has proven to be a major detoxifying agent in maintaining balance in the body system and warned against the consumption of packaged and carbonated foods as according to her, they are harmful to vital organs of the human body.
She underscored the relevance of body fitness and exercise, adding that they help to keep the heart and other vital organs working optimally.
“We should be taking enough water, there is need for water therapy in our body system. when you wake up early in the morning, take enough water, drink the natural water we have, not all these waters we have today are not natural.
“We have to also engage in domestic cooking exercises, we have to use our hands and prepare the foods we eat because it is part of regular exercises and keeping fit. Let us stop buying prepared foods. When you are preparing your foods by yourself, it is at that moment that the blood in your system circulates because you are doing exercise but the moment you buy already prepared foods, you are not engaging in all these little domestic exercises which help our body system”, she said.
