In a bid to reduce sicknesses and death rate among women in Lagos State, Vegetable Cooking Oil Firm, Power Oil in collaboration with Lagos State Government has launched an initiative to cater for the health and social needs of women.
The initiative, which entails providing free health services to women covering diagnosis and treatment, enlightenment on health issues as well as educating them on other social issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, rape among others is expected to hold periodically to enhance its effectiveness.
Launching the initiative at the maiden edition of the Lagos Women Forum, wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode noted that the programme was necessitated by the recurring cases of social problems of domestic violence, child abuse, rape and others despite efforts from both public and private initiatives to contain them. She noted that such social ills were major hindrances to economic advancement in the state.
“In view of this, this programme is thought of to educate ourselves on health issues and our rights as women which will embolden us to shun silence and be vocal voices for our own case. Health they say is wealth, it is the gateway to everything. It is for this reason that free health screening, vital checks, HIV test, cancer screening, free eye glasses and others were made priorities of this forum.â€
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule added: “The theme of today’s forum titled ‘Women: Your Health, Your Social Environment’ is very apt and most appropriate. This is because women’s health is not simply determined by their biological destiny, but more by how societies view and value their roles.â€
In her words, Public Relations Manager of Power Oil, Omotayo Abiodun stated that the firm being a health friendly brand showed interest in the programme because it aligns with its vision in the area of health.
“We all know that women in particular are susceptible to health challenges by their nature ,as such we see this as an opportunity to connect with them in their large numbers to attend to their health issues as part of our commitments and corporate social responsibility goalsâ€, she stressed.
The event was well attended by women across different areas in the state who enjoyed the privilege of free health checks and treatment as well as talks bothering on various health issues by experts.
