Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has provided free medical services to over 3,370 residents in different areas as part of its Renewed Hope Medical Mission.
The services include antenatal care, immunisation, free HIV and diabetes screening, screening for hypertension and sickle cell diseases, free dental health services, and nutritional assessment, among others.
FCT minister of state, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, while flagging off the outreach in Bwari area council, said the FCTA was fully committed to meeting not just the peoples’ health needs, but also needs that would give residents the best health services.
Mahmoud said Nigeria is one of the African nations with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality resulting from poor ANC attendance, low facility-based delivery and low uptake of immunisation and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
She added that rapid population expansion leading to increased demand for health services had posed serious health challenges to the administration.
The minister said to address some of the challenges, the FCT Administration was committed to improving the primary healthcare system such as renovation, upgrading and building of more primary health centres across the six area councils and employment of more health workers.
She spoke on danger signs in pregnancy, the importance of ANC attendance, exclusive breastfeeding, importance of immunisation in preventing childhood diseases such as polio, TB, pneumonia, pertussis, diphtheria, measles, the importance of screening for HIV, diabetes and hypertension, among others.
Earlier, the mandate secretary of health services and environment secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said despite recent improvements in access to quality healthcare for residents of the Federal Capital Territory, many communities remained underserved.
Fasawe emphasised the success recorded in the previous free medical outreach held in Kuje area council that led to the expansion of the 2024 medical mission.
“We attended to 1,578 general outpatients, with 42 referred to Wuse and Asokoro Hospitals for surgery.
“Dental services were provided for 302 patients, including 45 extractions, 12 dentures and five operculectomies, with 48 referrals to Wuse Hospital.
“For eye care, we saw 931 patients, provided reading glasses to 531 of them, and made 91 referrals to Asokoro Hospital, where 29 cataract extractions have been completed. Antenatal care was provided to 74 women, and with 49 enrolled in health insurance,” she said.