The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has offered free medical services to over 1,000 rural dwellers in Doro village, Bindawa Local Government Area of Katsina State under its Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD).
Mr John Okpo, the state NYSC Coordinator, disclosed this while monitoring the programme on Monday in the area.
He said that HIRD was an articulated programme where corps medical doctors, pharmacists and other paramedics were mobilised to provide services through diagnosis, treatments and referrals to rural dwellers.
Okpo said that the corps medical team goes round the rural areas to offer services particularly where health services and health personnel were inadequate.
He revealed that the services provided to the rural dwellers were free of charge.
According to him, the NYSC selected Doro for the programme because of its peculiarities.
He expressed appreciation over the high turnout of patients to access the services in the area.
The Local Government Head of Administration, Alhaji Yahya Muhammad, thanked the NYSC for selecting the area for the programme in the state.
He noted that healthcare service was one of the cardinal sectors of the present administration.
Muhammad urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the drugs provided to them.
Also speaking, one the members of the NYSC medical team, Dr Oziren Olainiyi Ogbimi, stressed the importance of both personal and environmental hygiene as part of the measures to prevent themselves from diseases like malaria and cholera.
He further advised people to be sleeping under treated mosquito nets, stop self-medication and always go to the nearest health facility for medical attention.
Ogbimi also underscored the need for eating nutritious foods.
Alhaji Bashir Usman, the Director, Primary Healthcare Department in the local government, urged the NYSC to include child and maternal services in the programme.
He pointed out that would also assist to reduce high rate of child and maternal mortality particularly in the Northern part of the country.
