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By Muinat Usman
The Young and Gifted Youth Development Initiative, YGYDI, has called for improved access to basic healthcare services in underserved communities, particularly for residents facing financial and geographical barriers to medical care.
The Programme Coordinator of YGYDI, Miss Oluwaseyi Ogbonlaye, made the call during a free community health outreach organised by the organisation in Ajangbadi community, Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The outreach, which benefited about one hundred residents, featured free genotype testing for children, Hepatitis B screening for adults and blood pressure checks, among other basic health services.
Miss Ogbonlaye said the intervention was aimed at bridging the healthcare access gap in the hard-to-reach community, where some residents could neither afford hospital bills nor travel to urban centres for medical tests.
She stressed the importance of knowing one’s health status, particularly genotype, noting that such information could guide important decisions relating to marriage, blood transfusion and medical treatment.
The Programme Coordinator expressed concern that some parents do not know the genotype of their children, while many adults have never undergone Hepatitis B screening.
She said early detection of health conditions would enable individuals to seek timely medical attention and reduce the risk of complications.
Miss Ogbonlaye added that participants were also counselled on personal hygiene, nutrition and preventive healthcare as part of efforts to promote healthy living.
Also speaking, a YGYDI volunteer, Miss Aminat Saliu, said adults were screened for Hepatitis B, blood pressure and other health conditions during the outreach.
She described Hepatitis B as a viral infection that affects the liver and stressed the importance of regular screening, particularly for people living in communities with limited access to healthcare services.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist, Miss Saidat Hassan, disclosed that the Hepatitis B tests conducted during the outreach returned negative results among the beneficiaries screened.
She, however, advised residents to undergo regular health checks and avoid practices that could expose them to Hepatitis B infection.
Some beneficiaries, including Mr Bolaji Nasir and Mr Ahmed Olarewaju, expressed appreciation to YGYDI for bringing the healthcare services closer to the community.
Speaking on behalf of the community leader, Mrs Ruqayat Abdulazeez, commended YGYDI for the initiative, noting that many elderly residents in the community face difficulties accessing healthcare because of their age and financial constraints.
YGYDI says the outreach is part of its commitment to improving community wellbeing by taking basic healthcare services closer to underserved populations.
Editing: Abdullah Ahmed
