The Young and Gifted Youth Development Initiative (YGYDI) on Monday organised a free community health outreach for residents of the Ajangbadi community in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara.

No fewer than 100 residents benefited from the medical outreach, including free genotype testing for children, hepatitis screening for adults and blood pressure tests.

Speaking during the outreach, programme coordinator Oluwaseyi Ogbonlaye said the intervention aimed to bring basic healthcare services closer to underserved and rural populations.

She explained that the programme is an inaugural community wellness outreach to Ajangbadi, a hard-to-reach rural community with many poor people who cannot afford hospital bills or travel to town for testing.

“We’re able to have specialised care like genotype testing for children. It’s one of the most important things I’m so excited about.

“The basics of health and anything related to health have to be with adequate information, which will help to make better decisions. It’ll help in making decisions as regards blood transfusion, marriage and also the kind of drugs to take. It is important to have this information.

“We realised that many parents do not know their children’s genotype, and many adults have never been screened for hepatitis. Early detection can save lives and prevent complications,” she said.

Ms Ogbonlaye said that the organisation also used the opportunity to counsel participants on hygiene, nutrition, and preventive healthcare.

She described the initiative as a conglomerate of young people dedicated to contributing positively to communities in the country.

A volunteer with the group, Aminat Saliu, explained that the adults were screened for hepatitis B, blood pressure and other ailments.

She emphasised the importance of early screening while describing hepatitis B as a viral infection that attacks the liver.

According to her, people in rural areas may find it difficult to access such healthcare services, which is why the initiative aims to bring healthcare closer to the community.

A medical laboratory scientist, Saidat Hassan, said the test results showed that community members tested negative for the disease.

She, however, advised on the importance of regular screening and warned people to avoid dangerous practices that could expose them to hepatitis.

Two of the beneficiaries, Bolaji Nasir and Ahmed Olarewaju, expressed appreciation to the group.

A representative of the community head, Ruqayat Abdulazeez, also commended the initiative, adding that many elderly people in the community find it difficult to access healthcare because of age and financial constraints. 

(NAN)