The Rotary Club of Abuja Federal has provided free medical services to hundreds of residents of Piwoyi community along Airport Road, Abuja, as part of efforts to improve maternal and child healthcare and strengthen access to primary health services.
The outreach, organised in partnership with the Silver Cross Hospitals Foundation, the Rotaract Club of Abuja Federal and the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Piwoyi, targeted pregnant women, nursing mothers, children and other vulnerable residents with free medical consultations, malaria screening, medications and health education.
President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Federal, Rotarian Ismaila Adeleye Ibrahim, popularly known as Jasper, said the club had adopted the Piwoyi community about 12 years ago and had consistently implemented health interventions there.
He disclosed that more than 2,000 residents had benefited from the club’s various outreach programmes over the years, with at least 300 people reached during each intervention.
According to him, the club has also renovated the community’s primary healthcare centre and supplied medical equipment to improve service delivery.
He, however, lamented that inadequate electricity remained a major challenge affecting healthcare delivery at the facility, forcing patients to pay between N3,000 and N4,000 for simple laboratory tests outside the centre instead of about N1,000 at the PHC.
“We are considering interventions such as providing a generator or solar power, but government must also play its part. Rotary is driven by people committed to serving humanity, not by abundant resources,” he said.
Ibrahim urged governments at all levels to strengthen support for primary healthcare centres to ease the burden on rural communities.
He also dismissed claims that Rotary programmes primarily benefit women, explaining that while July is dedicated to maternal and child health, the organisation’s interventions cover youth empowerment, vocational training, economic development and disease prevention for all members of society.
Highlighting the club’s youth empowerment programme, he encouraged young Nigerians to start businesses with whatever resources they have.
“Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Start with whatever you have, no matter how little. Rotary may not provide capital, but it gives young people the mindset, confidence and leadership skills to build successful enterprises,” he said.
Director of Community Service of the Rotary Club of Abuja Federal, Philip Osung, said the outreach formed part of Rotary International’s Maternal and Child Health Month activities.
He said about 400 residents were expected to benefit from the exercise, including nearly 100 pregnant women registered at the Pyi Primary Health Centre.
Osung described the programme as an annual intervention designed to improve access to healthcare and promote healthier communities.
“Health is the foundation of everything. By helping people know their health status and providing medications, we are building healthier and more productive communities,” he said.
President of the Rotaract Club of Abuja Federal, Rotaractor Samuel Attah, said the club provided antenatal medications for more than 50 pregnant women, enough to last six months.
Attah said the initiative reflected Rotaract’s commitment to community service through the use of members’ time, talent and resources.
Project Manager of the Silver Cross Hospitals Foundation, Nelson Akotonou, said the foundation provided malaria screening and other health assessment services during the outreach.
He noted that the intervention was aimed at reducing Nigeria’s high maternal and infant mortality rates through sustained community-based healthcare programmes.
According to him, the foundation has reached nearly 300,000 beneficiaries across Nigeria since its establishment and remains open to partnerships with organisations committed to improving healthcare delivery.
Some beneficiaries, including Isaac Favour and Deborah Emmanuel, commended the Rotary Club and its partners for the initiative.
They appealed for sustained medical outreaches in the community, saying malaria and typhoid remain among the most common illnesses affecting residents while access to affordable healthcare continues to be a challenge.
