​‌‍‌​‍​‍⁠⁠‍‌‍By Osayi Aghahowa

The Edo Government has organised a one-day free medical outreach, offering screening for high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis (TB), blood sugar and malaria, as well as eye examinations, to promote preventive healthcare and early disease detection.

The exercise, held at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Benin was aimed at encouraging residents to check their health status and seek prompt medical attention where necessary.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Eugenia Abdallah, urged residents to take advantage of the outreach, stressing the importance of regular health checks and early detection of diseases.
Abdallah said the initiative aligned with the state government’s SHINE Agenda, which seeks to ensure that women, men and children were not left behind in accessing essential services, including healthcare.
“Health is wealth. We want our people to be healthy, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity,” she said.
She urged residents not to ignore persistent symptoms or dismiss them without seeking medical advice, particularly when they could indicate an underlying health condition such as tuberculosis.
The commissioner also encouraged participants to share health information with their families and neighbours to increase awareness of preventive healthcare.
She thanked the volunteer medical personnel and partner organisations for supporting the exercise and called for more collaboration to sustain similar outreach programmes for the benefit of the community.
Speaking on behalf of the Braimoh Empowerment Foundation, Mr Braimoh Ahmed said the initiative was driven by the belief that good health remained  essential to empowerment and community development.
“You cannot empower anybody that is not healthy. So the beginning of empowerment is health. It is those that are alive that you can empower,” he said.
Ahmed said his siblings and him  operate  the foundation as a family initiative, adding that the outreach provided an opportunity to help residents identify health conditions and access appropriate care.
He said tuberculosis treatment is available free of charge,  and that people diagnosed with the disease would be linked to treatment and followed up to support their recovery.
According to him, the foundation collaborates with other healthcare facilities, including public and private hospitals, to ensure that people who require further tests or treatment are referred for appropriate care.
The Executive Director of the Health Care and Support Initiative (HCSI), Sister Augustina Okoroafor, said people who tested positive for HIV would receive counselling, be linked to appropriate health facilities for treatment and receive follow-up support.

Okoroafor stressed that HIV test results are  confidential, urging residents not to allow fear of stigma to prevent them from knowing their status or seeking medical care.
She explained that people diagnosed with HIV were supported through counselling and follow-up to encourage adherence to medication and help them maintain their health.
Two beneficiaries, Mrs Maria Uzorka and Mrs Oshanor Joy, commended the organisers for bringing the services closer to residents.
Uzorka said she underwent blood pressure, blood sugar, malaria and eye checks, adding that she appreciated the opportunity to assess her health without paying for the services.
Oshanor said her checks showed that she had no malaria and that her blood pressure and blood sugar readings were satisfactory. However, she was advised to seek further assessment for her eyes.
She urged the government to sustain such initiatives to enable more residents to access basic health checks.
NAN reports that the outreach, themed: “Your Health Is Our Priority”, was organised by the Edo Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with the Braimoh Empowerment Foundation and the Health Care and Support Initiative.(NAN)

Edited by Chioma Ugboma