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By Muinat Usman
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State Chapter, has organised a free medical outreach for more than 400 students and over 70 staff members of the Kwara State School for Special Needs, Ilorin.
The outreach was part of activities marking the 2026 Physicians’ Week, with the theme: “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the outreach, the Chairman of NMA-Kwara, Dr Suleiman Rotimi, said the charity day was part of the association’s efforts to give back to society.
Rotimi said the association also donated food and sanitary items to the school in addition to conducting the medical outreach.
The NMA chairman assured the school that the association would return for a larger outreach, noting that Kwara State would host the National Physicians’ Week in 2027.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chairman of the association and Chairman of the 2026 Physicians’ Week Planning Committee, Dr Salihu Olaitan, explained that the charity outreach was a major highlight of the week.
Olaitan said the outreach included screening for hypertension and diabetes, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) examinations, as well as ophthalmological screening.
He further explained that the association donated drugs to the school clinic and food items to students staying in the hostel as part of its efforts to give back to the community.
In her reaction, the Principal of the Kwara State School for Special Needs, Mrs Rashida Kayode, commended the NMA for conducting the free medical outreach for students and staff of the school.
She described the outreach as a long-awaited intervention that addressed the real needs of the school community.
The principal said staff and students hardly had time for routine medical checks due to the demands of running and attending the school.
Mrs Kayode also commended the association for donating food items to the school in addition to conducting the medical outreach.
She urged other medical groups to emulate the NMA by including the school in their corporate social responsibility programmes.
The principal added that what persons with special needs require from society is empathy.
“What they need from society is empathy. People should have feelings for them because they are also human beings, and they did not choose to be the way they are,” she said.
Mrs Kayode further said that neglecting the health needs of persons with special needs amounted to denying them their rights.
Some of the food items donated included bags of rice, vegetable oil, yam, beans, salt and seasoning cubes, among others.
Editing: Abdullah Ahmed
