By SANI IDRIS

The Director of Public Health, Kaduna State Ministry of Health (MoH), Dr Sadiq Idris, has urged the public to be conscious of their health, while ensuring seeking medication in the right places.

Idris made the call on Saturday in Kaduna, at the sideline of a medical outreach organised by the MoH at Kaduna Central market and Kawo, Kaduna North LGA of the state.

He said seeking medication in the right places would help the public identify their health status and the accurate medication or counselling against the illness.

He, therefore, explained that the outreach was aimed at providing free basic diagnostic services to the public, to enable them know their health conditions.

He said that some of the diagnoses to be on tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’, amongst others.

Idris added that the outreach would enable those with illnesses that needed further attention, to be referred to higher facilities for treatment, while those with illnesses like malaria would be given medication at the outreach.

“This is a community service essentially, we targeted Central market and Kawo, because it has large number of people doing businesses and other activities within the areas.

“The location also has a lot of passersby, once they see an outreach going on, they would want to also be checked,”he said.

Speaking further, the director said the ministry also conducts outreaches all across the state especially in hard to reach communities with their mobile test trucks procured by the Kaduna State Government.

He stressed that medical outreaches, which is part of the ministry’s routine, was to increase the public’s health seeking behaviors.

He urged the public to be keen about their health, while ensuring good hygiene practices.

Speaking to a beneficiary, Musa Adamu, the Leader of Town Service Bus Operators in Kaduna North, commended the ministry for taking the outreach to a central point that would draw the attention of passersby.

Speaking on behalf of the bus operators, he said their members were so much in need of such services, adding that going to medical facilities is stressful and has to be paid for service.

He thanked the MoH for the gesture, while calling on them to come back some other time to specifically diagnose drivers.(NAN)

•Cross section of participants at the medical outreach organised by the MoH at Kaduna Central market

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