Those living in the hinterland contend with myriad health problems. Last week, the National Youth Service Corps launched a new initiative to care for their medical needs. Adeyemi Adekolajo writes

Pa Adekola Mukaila has spent the greater part of his 75 years on earth in his home-town of Igbo-Owu, a rusty village in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. According to him, he has only been to Ilorin, the state capital, about four times. The first one he could remember vividly, his younger brother had asked him to follow him to go and buy a motorcycle in the mid-70s. The second time he was taken there by his own son during the latter's wedding ceremony. When asked what he went for during the other two occasions, he bluntly told this reporter that he could not recollect. This septuagenarian has not been to hospital more than a couple of occasions and during these occasions, he was never admitted. However, he said he always felt a sharp pain on the left side of his chest once in a while but, to him, it is a minor thing that comes and goes after a long while. Pa Mukaila was to later learn that he had high blood pressure that has been with him for over one and a half decades.

The diagnosis of the man was made possible through a new scheme by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), called the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers. Since the coming into office of the current director-general of the Scheme, the idea has been to take the NYSC beyond performing the annual ritual of gathering young graduates together, conduct orientation for them for a couple of weeks and after that post them to places of primary assignment. The idea is to make the Scheme to be more relevant to the society and also contribute its own quota to national development.

The Journey

The HIRD idea came as result of the need to take health care delivery into the interior. According to Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, the idea before was to post medical doctor corps members to general and specialist hospitals where they would carry out their primary assignment. While he felt there was nothing wrong in this and it would not be discontinued, there was also the need to make the NYSC more relevant to rural dwellers in the area of health care delivery, especially in those places where health facilities are not readily available.

"This initiative will be replicated in all the states of the Federation and is designed to mobilise Volunteer Corps members for the provision of healthcare intervention services to the rural dwellers thereby facilitating access to prompt health services and improve the general wellbeing of rural dwellers throughout the nooks and crannies of the country."

This shift in paradigm and social responsibility for the NYSC in the area of health care delivery necessitated the maiden launch of the HIRD in Igbo-Owu Community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara state. It is more or less like a mobile clinic where instead of rural dwellers going to seek attention of medics, such come to their doorsteps where they are attended to. They will be given health tips, tested, given drugs and those who need referrals will be given and told the specific hospital they are to go to. The NYSC boss explained that "the Initiative is part of the vision and Four-Point Agenda of the Scheme which focuses on increasing the visibility and capability of the NYSC to deliver more service to the people while also expanding partnership with stakeholders and other sundry organisations for greater positive impact of its activities on our communities."

Speaking further, the Ekiti State born army officer said the idea was initiated to make up for the shortage of medical infrastructure and personnel in rural areas across the country. He also appealed to individuals and private organisations across the country to buy into the idea by supporting the initiative.

"The programme is meant to fill in the gap created by dearth of the medical infrastructure and reluctance of qualified medical experts to settle in rural areas and offer qualitative health services to our people To drive the programme, the scheme will leverage on its spread and abundant human resources which consist of corps medical personnel and other corps members in allied disciplines. To enable the programme achieve its objective of improving the lives of our people, through the conduct of medical outreaches, the Corps Volunteers will require basic facilities such as vehicles, drugs and other medical equipment. We appeal to both public and private organisations as well as individuals to support and strengthen this programme".

The Choice of Kwara

Kwara State being chosen as the take-off point of the new initiative by the NYSC was never by chance. The state government, according to the NYSC, has always shown continuous interest in community health development. Besides, the state has always supported the Scheme in all its activities. And to make the new initiative a resounding success, the NYSC partnered with a non-governmental organisation, the Royal Heritage Health Foundation, which deals in development of community health infrastructures. General Olawumi has this to say concerning the choice of Kwara State: "Kwara State has, in many ways, been identifying with the developmental strides of the scheme since its inception in 1973. Therefore, what we are witnessing today is another manifestation of the development focused partnership that has been existing between Kwara state and the NYSC."

The launch of the initiative saw in attendance, the monarch of the town, the Olowu of Igbo-Owu, Oba Abdulrazaq Abodunrin Oyede. The Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Hammed who was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr. Saheed Popoola. Also in attendance was the chief executive officer of Royal Heritage Health Foundation, Mr. Olusoji Shogunro. Mrs. V.B Okakwu, the acting director of NYSC's CDS, who coordinated the initiative, was not left out while the Kwara State Coordinator of the Scheme, Mr. M.A Amusa, was also in attendance.

Cutting the Tape

Activities marking the flag-off of the initiative were kicked-off with performances from the Kwara State Cultural Troupe and drama presentations by serving corps members. The Royal Heritage Health Foundation boss, Shogunro, expressed his satisfaction and excitement at the launch as he commended the NYSC for the idea while also promising continuous promotion of the health of children and women in communities. He also generally gave an account of the activities of the Royal Heritage Health Foundation in other areas including Moro, Kaiama and Irepodun Local Government areas of Kwara State where they have catered especially for the physically challenged.

The Initiative was officially launched through commissioning of the mobile clinic/ambulance and also a large medical supply provided by the NYSC and Royal Heritage Health Foundation. The commissioning was performed by the representative of the state governor, Mr. Saheed Popoola, who is also the state commissioner for youths and sports after which the monarch of the town and his wife were registered into the initiative by corps members as the first two beneficiaries of the scheme. Other community members were also subsequently registered and attended to. The NYSC boss and also the boss of Royal Heritage Health Foundation inspected the medical supplies and equipment in the mobile clinic while also commending the efforts of all corps members who participated towards seeing to the success of the initiative.

The peak of the event was when General Olawumi, the NYSC boss, was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Bobajiro of Igbo-Owu by the monarch, Oba Oyede. The traditional ruler commended the NYSC for choosing his town as the place where the new initiative was kicked off. He said the NYSC has continued to contribute to national development since its launch in 1973.

"I am exceedingly full of joy and appreciation to God Almighty for successful journeys to Igbo-Owu and our sincere gratitude goes to the Kwara State Governor Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed, and our royal fathers. I wish through your Excellency Sir, to give Kudos to the NYSC and Royal Health Foundation that brought about this project for their unalloyed support to my community."

Changing Face of NYSC

It must be noted that the NYSC has continued to evolve in its focus and contribution to public interests through a number of activities that are being introduced and initiated since January, 2014 when General Olawumi became the boss of the Institution. To the new DG, the NYSC has to revolutionise its activities to accommodate and be a stakeholder on cogent issues in the society such as entrepreneurship, skills development, public health, economic development and so forth. He believes that apart from being an institution that was set up to promote national unity through the compulsory youth service, the NYSC must now continually carry our other social responsibilities for the good of all and sundry. The acting director of the Scheme's community development services, CDS, Mrs. Okakwu, said the new idea was another sign of what has changed in the Scheme positively in the last one year.

"We thank our Corps members who are the deliverers of health services. Since January, the DG has put in place programmes to help in the sustainability of the Scheme. This is just one of such programs. With the flag off of this program, NYSC is saying the good days of good health to rural dwellers are here. Our rural areas deserve special attention."

If there is one thing the NYSC should be commended for, it is the way the Scheme is trying to re-invent itself lately. It is one idea many thought had outlived its usefulness and hence, it should be scrapped. But since the coming into office of the new director-general, he has shown that what the Scheme needed was not abolition but to rediscover itself and make itself more relevant to national development. With the launch of this new initiative, the Scheme has scored another big point. And if not for such new idea, people like Pa Adekola would have just dropped dead one day without his family knowing the cause of his death. But with HIRD, perhaps, his death is not yet near.

Quote: The diagnosis of the man was made possible through a new scheme by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), called the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers…The idea is to make the Scheme to be more relevant to the society and also contribute its own quota to national development.