NACA, MDGs wrap up free medical programme

Jesse Ese, Yenagoa

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), in partnership with the office of the Senior Special Assistant Presidency on Millennium Development Goals and New Horizon Aid Development Initiative, has wrapped up its free medical outreach programme in Bayelsa State.
Commenting on the programme which lasted for 4 days at the Primary Health Centre at Otuokpoti in Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State, the Principal Programme Officer of NACA, Dr. Okorie Gideon, disclosed that the core of the programme was to curb some of the diseases such as HIV, hypertension and diabetes that are ravaging the country and Africa in general.
Dr. Gideon stressed that it has been the heartbeat of the President Goodluck Jonathan to curb the widespread of HIV and that is the reason he mandated NACA to develop a comprehensive plan where some targets were set to test about 80 million Nigerians in the next two years and also place them on treatment.
He warned against claims made by individuals that say they have a cure to HIV; that there has not been any universally proclaimed cure. He advised the public to know their statuses and urged those who are negative to try and remain negative.
In her part, the CEO of New Horizon Aid Development Initiative, Mrs. Ebi Owoubiri, who was part of those who were there to implement the free medical outreach programme, stated that there have been other outreach programmes going on all over the country that this one is meant for Bayelsa.
Mrs. Owoubiri added that they are hoping to see more outreach programmes next year. She stressed that her NGO was there to implement the medical outreach programme while NACA was there to oversee the HIV counseling test.  “Our NGO collaborates with other agencies and we are partnering with NACA.”
The CEO commended NACA and all those who worked to make the programme a success.
Mr. Jackson Roman, who is the CDC Chairman of Otuokpoti Community, stated that they have never seen anything thing like this in their community before. He lauded NACA and the government for putting them in remembrance and appealed to the government to turn the Otuokpoti Health Centre into a modern hospital so that people from neighbouring communities can also come to receive treatment from there.
While advising the public to always find time to attend such medical initiatives, the Women Leader, Nabai Epemu, appealed to the government to make the programme a permanent one in the community.