The Rotary Club says no fewer than 500 women and children have benefitted from free medical outreach in Guidna community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The President, Rotary Club of Abuja Central Business District (CBD), Rotarian Aisha Ali, said this on Wednesday at the medical outreach in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the outreach was organised by 12 Rotary Clubs in District 9125 in Abuja in collaboration with Silver Cross Hospital.

Ali said that the outreach was in response to one area of focuses of Rotary International, which focused on providing high-quality health care to vulnerable mothers and children.

She said that the clubs decided to provide the medical intervention to the less- privileged and vulnerable groups that could not afford regular healthcare checks.

According to her, the essence of the programme is to expand access to quality care so that mothers and children can have the same opportunities for healthy future.

“An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation; all of which can be prevented,” she said.

According to her, Rotary provides education, immunizations, birth kits, and mobile health clinics.

” Women are taught how to prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission, how to breast feed, and how to protect themselves and their children from diseases,” she added.

In her remarks, Mrs Lovina Okorn-Ntui, the District Chair, Maternal and Child Health Committee, District 9125, said that the outreach was to fulfill the area of focus as it concerns maternal and child health.

According to Okorn-Ntui, it also focuses on safe delivery for women, safe breastfeeding for women and their children as well as healthy living for women and children.

“We will be enlightening them on safe delivery, issues surrounding safe breastfeeding as well as its importance.

“We will be giving them treatment for preventable diseases such as malaria fever, other common diseases that affect women and children, among others.

“We decided to come here because this is an indigent community and what Rotary preaches is to go to indigent communities to bridge the gap,” she said

She added that the items received by the beneficiaries were mosquito nets, whil free scan services, deworming of children, eye checks and distribution of eye glasses, among others were provided for them.

The Chief Medical Director, Silver Cross Hospital, Dr Patrick Ezie, said that the gesture was to assist the poor and needy in the community.

“We came together and decided that we need to flag-off this kind of intervention for women in rural communities because we identify that a lot of these women are not able to get the type of care that they want for basic problems,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria