Health
ARD-UATH trains 237 officers on how to handle accident emergency victims
By NAN
The Association of Resident Doctors, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (ARD-UATH), Gwagwalada, says it has trained 237 law enforcement officers in FCT on how to handle accident emergency victims.
The beneficiaries of the training are from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and men of the Directorate of Road Traffic Service (DRTS), all from the Gwagwalada Command of the FCT.
The association disclosed this on Friday in Abuja.
The association also disclosed that the training also came along with free medical services to enable the officers have a good state of mind while carrying out their duty.
Reacting to the training and medical outreach, Dr. Adams Egwakhide, the Chief of Staff/Chairman, Committee on Special Duties, ARD-UATH said the training started on Wednesday June 18 and came to an end on Friday June 20.
Egwakhide said that the decision to carry out the exercise was informed by the recognition that men in service often face unique health challenges and barriers to accessing timely care due to the demanding nature of their jobs.
According to him, many prioritised their work over their own health and sometimes it gets to the extent of complications before they begin to take action.
He explained that the outreach was the association way of bringing essential health services directly to the officers, raising awareness, and encouraging early detection and treatment.
Egwakhide said that it was also way of showing appreciation for dedication to serving the association community, adding that the exercise was also to foster a working and synergistic relationship with the officers in service.
“This partnership is essential in building mutual trust and opening the lines of communication between resident doctors and their colleagues in other government agencies within Gwagwalada Abuja.
“The primary aim of the outreaches was to promote the health and wellbeing of men in service through health education, capacity building and screening for common diseases.
“Our main objectives was to provide free health checks and consultations, raise awareness about common health issues affecting men and women such as hypertension, breast and cervical cancer, viral hepatitis and others.
“It is also to encourage them about lifestyle changes and regular follow-up, foster trust, partnership and co-operation between ARD-UATH and other government institutions,” he said.
Egwakhide disclosed that in the nearest future, the outreach would be to marketplaces, schools, churches, orphanages and other government agencies within the Gwagwalada axis and other underserved areas, where people might not have easy access to regular healthcare.
According to him, for this to be possible, the association hope to collaborate with other institutions and stakeholders like the Gwagwalada area council and some NGOs.
He said that feedback from the training and medical outreach had been overwhelmingly positive from the beneficiaries, where many of them expressed their gratitude for the convenience and care provided.
Egwakhide stated that some of the beneficiaries disclosed that it was their first time undergoing some of the screening test like Hepatitis B, adding that the most rewarding part was how the personnel welcomed the exercise and how enthusiastic they were.
Speaking also, Dr Adewale-Premiere Adeleye, the President ARD-UATH, expressed his delight about the programme, saying that the exercise had sealed the collaborative and partnership aim with law enforcement agencies in Gwagwalada.
He said that he was particularly happy about the gesture that coming during his own tenure and that it ws coming at the time the synergy was mostly needed.
“It is my ultmost joy that we are able to build the capacity of these service men on “How to Handle Accident/Unconscious Victims” and some form of basic life Slsupport techniques as first responder during accident.
“I also think this is necessary especially now that we are battling with Human Capital Flight (The Japa Syndrome) in the Health sector, I feel those who have chosen to stay back in the country and practice as doctors should not encounter any encumbrance on the road either going for call or returning home from their respective duties.
“Like I told the service bosses, an average Nigerian Resident Doctor is a Law abiding citizen. I am happy that we are able to make impact as an association by giving back to the society and the community we belong,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 80 officers of the FRSC, 117 of the NPF and 40 DRTS, formerly VIO were the beneficiaries.
(NAN)
Health
Stakeholders Applaud A360 Impact On Adolescent Health
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector say the institutionalisation and scale-up of the Adolescent 360 (A360) Amplify project have greatly improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes in participating states.
They made this known at a dissemination meeting on the project on Thursday in Abuja.
It was implemented by the Society for Family Health (SFH) and partners, and later adopted into government systems following documented successes.
Launched in 2020, the A360 project was designed to provide adolescent girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The programme was implemented in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa States using a human-centred design approach that engaged governments, communities and young people to improve uptake of family planning and maternal health services.
Dr Aisha Sadiq, Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said institutionalising A360 had delivered measurable improvements in adolescent health indicators and community wellbeing.
She said Kaduna currently provides A360 youth-friendly services in 623 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.
The Matasan Mata Arewa (MMA) initiative, she added, had reached 75 communities and empowered more than 15,000 girls with entrepreneurship skills and seed capital.
According to her, more than 60,000 girls have accessed contraceptives through the programme, with a reduction in discontinuation rates as more young women sustain use and transition to maternal and child health services.
“These changes have shown a marked reduction in maternal mortality among those communities. It has also reduced negative neonatal outcomes,” she said.
Sadiq recounted an elderly woman’s remarks from a programme community, calling them a strong reflection of the project’s success.
“These girls have spent their whole lives believing they will remain tolerable liabilities to the husbands they marry, but now they are realising the value of becoming appreciated assets,” she quoted.
Sadiq added that Kaduna’s 16 per cent health budget allocation and the integration of A360 activities into the state’s 2025 Annual Operational Plan demonstrated sustained political commitment.
Also speaking, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director, SFH, said the four implementing states had successfully embedded A360 approaches into government systems, community structures and routine health practices.
He was represented by Dr Kenechukwu Erichalo, Deputy Managing Director, Project Delivery.
Idogho said the project had reached more than one million adolescent girls with family planning services and engaged over 500,000 others with comprehensive sexuality education messaging.
“We recorded more than 50,000 antenatal care visits, ensuring that girls received skilled care that saved lives, and supported over half a million girls to learn income-generating skills,” he said.
He said A360 pioneered the MMA and Niger Girls models, demonstrating that culturally sensitive, human-centred programmes can succeed even in conservative communities.
“Our most significant achievement is institutionalisation. Today, all 1,750 A360-supported facilities are fully government-led,” he added.
Mrs Roselyn Odeh, A360 Project Lead, said the initiative was developed in response to poor adolescent health indices in the country.
She said the programme ensured respectful, youth-friendly services at PHCs and supported school reintegration and entrepreneurship for girls.
She said the decision to scale the programme in northern states was based on data.
“When you look at maternal mortality among young people, you know the section of the country it is coming from. Data drove our decisions in alignment with government priorities,” she said.
Odeh identified challenges including weak PHC infrastructure, funding gaps, commodity shortages and the need to engage husbands in conservative communities.
“But creatively, we worked with governments to mobilise domestic funding through health revolving funds and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund,” she said.
Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Youth, Jigawa State, assured of continued commitment from implementing states to sustain and expand the project’s gains.
“This project may be nearing closure, but for us, it has just begun. We have gone beyond its life cycle to embed its approaches in the things we do,” he said.
The dissemination meeting brought together policymakers, community leaders, development partners and beneficiaries to review lessons learned and outline future priorities for scaling adolescent health interventions nationwide.
(NAN)
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