50,000 Flood Victims to Benefit from Free Medical Outreach in Kogi

Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja

No fewer than 50, 000 persons from five local government areas in Kogi State that were worst affected by the 2018 flood disaster in the state are expected to benefit from a free medical outreach for six weeks.

Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, disclosed this in Lokoja, the state capital, during the inauguration of the free medical outreach programme oganised by the Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF), a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-funded organisation in collaboration with the Kogi State Ministry of health.

Audu said that the medical outreach programme would last for six weeks in the five LGAs affected by flood, adding that about 50,000 persons were expected to benefit from it.

According to him, the RHHF’s service is strictly targeted at women and girls, while the state government is supporting the interventions directed at other categories of persons (children, adult males and the elderly).

Audu added that the state government would be supporting the current outreach with drugs, general medical services and other consumables to ensure that every flood victim in the affected communities benefit maximally, irrespective of age and sex.

He noted that the outreach had already commenced in Ibaji LGA, saying Ajaokuta, Bassa, Lokoja and Kogi LGAs would have their turn in line with the already drawn timetable.

The commissioner urged the benefiting communities to avail themselves the opportunity to benefit from the laudable effort of government and partners in addressing their health challenges.

Audu, however, reassured that government would continue to do all it could to provide quality health services to the affected communities and the entire Kogi citizens to ensure a healthy living for all.

The Director of Administration, Royal Heritage Health Foundation, Mr. Sunday Adewoye, commended the state government for creating the enabling environment for the free medical outreach to take place.

Adewoye noted that the free medical outreach had commenced in Ibaji LGA, saying he was impressed with the massive turnout of the flood victims.

He, however, expressed concern over the deplorable state of the access roads to the affected communities in Ibaji, saying the flood had badly destroyed the roads.

Earlier, the Director of Public Health, Kogi State Ministry of Health, Dr. Francis Akpa, said the state government had responded promptly by locating specific camps for the flood victims, explaining that the ministry provided medical services for the victims while they were still in those camps.

“This intervention by RHHF is part of the efforts to fortify the intervention and strengthen interventions carried out in and around the time of the flood. Additionally, we are preparing our teams with the support of WHO to commence preparation for any event of flood in 2019”, Akpa said.

Akpa reiterated that the ministry’s Rapid Response Team had commenced preparations for the 2019 flood incident with support from the World Health Organisation, to prepare the team for the next flood.