The governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has lauded the management of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, for providing free and qualitative medical services to Nigerians through her Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, HIRD.
Akeredolu expressed the appreciation when he flagged-off the 2022 second quarter NYSC HIRD programme at the Town Hall, Ile-Oluji in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo local government area of Ondo State.
He said that the government and people of Ondo State were highly thankful to NYSC management for supporting the state through the provision of free healthcare services which he described as another step towards a more holistic contribution to the continued good health and enhanced productivity of the citizens and residents of the state.
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Akeredolu, who was represented at the programme by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development who doubles as Chairman, NYSC Governing Board, Otunba Bamidele Ologun, in observing that government at all levels might not have the ability to completely cater for the needs of the citizens and residents, described the programme as a pleasant relief.
The Chairman, NYSC Governing Board, was equally represented by the Director of Youths in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Mrs. Catherine Olukemi Okukpe, pledged the readiness of the Ondo State government to provide all the necessary collaboration to ensure that the laudable programme does not become a thing of the past.
The governor, while pledging to strengthen the partnerships with NYSC and seek ways to expand its reach so that more people of the state could benefit from the free medical services, promised to collaborate with the scheme to further deepen the objectives of the programme.
In her welcome address, the NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Nnenna Ani, informed the highly valued guests and beneficiaries that the HIRD programme was an initiative of the NYSC Director General geared towards reaching out to rural communities with free medical services to be provided by corps medical professionals of the scheme.
“Apart from supporting the state government in the provision of healthcare, the programme is meant to medically promote the quality of life of the rural dwellers,” she said.
The state coordinator disclosed that the programme was targeted at further increasing the broad impact of the scheme and expanding its value to its critical stakeholders at all levels of our society.
Ani urged the people of the community to take advantage of the programme to take better care of their health by trooping out en-masse to be medically attended to, and enjoy the huge benefits the programme seeks to offer.
She thanked the stakeholders and partners who have contributed financially and materially to the successful flag-off of the programme.
Some corps doctors gave series of lecture on total well-being of individuals with special reference to High Blood Pressure and other ailments and diseases.
