The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has supported Gombe state with the deployment of 50 health workers to fill healthcare delivery service gaps. The health personnel are to fully participate in the Nationwide Health Initiative (NAHI) of rural dwellers in the state. NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Ada Imoni, while deploying the personnel on Wednesday in Gombe, disclosed: “The seven-year healthcare initiative was launched to deepen healthcare delivery services in rural areas across the nation.” Dr. Ezisere Stephen, from Delta state and serving at the Gombe Specialist Hospital, said that his team would fill the gaps and provide basic health services to rural dwellers. “We’re expected to provide health support to 1,000 indigent rural dwellers in Kwadon and Yalmatu in Deba Local Government Area in collaboration with the State Primary Health Care Development Agency,” he said.
He noted that the NYSC has provided an opportunity to reach out to the diverse social class with healthcare delivery services. “Many of the indigents cannot afford most of the healthcare delivery services being provided,” he lamented, as the NYSC has diverse professionals, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and nutritionists. According to Imoni, rural areas are places where NYSC doctors and pharmacists will not want to deliver healthcare services. On referral medical cases, she said: “Complicated cases would be referred to secondary, and tertiary facilities to ensure the rural dwellers are well treated of any disease.”
- While implementing the healthcare initiative, she said: “Most of the treatments, we ensure that the people’s blood pressures are checked. “We’ve opticians and dentists to check patients’ status of eyes and teeth,” she said.
