How To Improve Nigeria’s Health System – Seadogs

National Association of Seadogs, NAS, has donated drugs and medical items worth millions of naira to two public hospitals in Kaduna State to support Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, number three on good health.

The drugs and essentials were presented to about 500 women and 450 children by the Kaduna branch of NAS.

Making the donation to the patients in the two hospitals, the Capoon of Aurora Flotilla Deck, Dr Obinna Okpara said, NAS, also known as Pyrates Confraternity has developed a comprehensive blueprint towards providing free medical assistance to the less privileged mothers and children nationwide aimed at improving their health status.

Okpara said that the Kawo General Hospital and Gwamna Awan General Hospital Kakuri were selected based on the critical assessment of the need by the patients.

According to him, “There will be a blueprint to be delivered to the Minister of Health on a way to improve our health system, a basic point that can accommodate the least people in the communities with basic essentials and by the time that is done, some of our members in each of these states will make sure that those things are implemented.

“Like what we are doing, sharing these things, we did not come to give it to the hospitals to share because most times if you do that and go back, they will turn into private property.

“We came today to share some essentials which are some of the things needed by a lot of pregnant women in our community. Some of them don’t have money to buy some of the essentials.”

He said that the association has developed a comprehensive blueprint towards providing free medical assistance to the less privileged mothers and children as well as the vulnerable nationwide which he explained is aimed at improving their health status.

The branch Capoon said NAS is a global non-profit and non-political organization focused on provision of quality education, good governance,  accountability and also ensuring gender equality.

He said, “This programme was carried out due to our research and discovery of high maternal mortality rate in Kaduna. We started with a sensitization programme which includes collaboration with religious leaders, community chiefs and health practitioners to educate the community on the need for proper antenatal care and child health during and after pregnancy.

“As a fallout of our discussions and advocacy we discovered the need for urgent medical intervention as most of these women in the rural community lack finance to access proper health care and buy the basic things needed during antenatal and child birth.

“This informed our decision to reach out to partners and source for funds and materials to distribute these basic drugs and sanitary materials to these women who are either to deliver or have delivered. The materials sourced includes sanitary equipment, drugs for mother and child, nets etc ”

Fielding questions on why the association embarked on the projects, he said, “Due to the increase in maternal mortality rate in Kaduna, and also the lack of access to proper healthcare which is as a result of finances, we embarked on this project to educate the community on the need to take proper care of themselves by accessing the free antenatal provided by some few hospitals in the state, this is to ensure that the child is delivered safely in good health.

“This will reduce the risk of diseases during pregnancy and after childbirth, and will also ensure safety of mother and child.”