Date: 2021-03-30

Kwara State AIDS Control Agency (KWASACA) has embarked on the provision of healthcare services to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Patigi and Ilorin East local government areas of the state.

Speaking during the health care intervention programme, the Project Manager of KWASACA, Dr Selim Alabi, said that the activities of the agency were not all about HIV/AIDS, but humanitarian services.

The KWASACA Project Manager said that the agency is concerned about the general well-being of IDPs in their different camps in the state, added that medical professionals provided such health services as mental and basic healthcare services to the people in Patigi and Kulende areas.

Dr Alabi said that the psychiatric team on the ground assessed the mental wellbeing of the IDPs, adding that the team identified that the people had faced traumatic experiences of losing their primary homes.

"Approach to our mandate has gone beyond the scope of HIV/AIDS services. We have taken humanitarian services to the internally displaced persons in Patigi community and Kulende, in Ilorin.

"The IDPs in Patigi are people who are domiciled geographically around the riverine area.

"During the rainy season, their homes and farms are flooded and the Federal Government provides succour with a standard IDP camp.

"However, due to unavailability of some amenities such as bedding, security, electricity and water in the camps, most of the IDPs relocated back to their communities," he said.

Speaking during the event, the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Umar Bologi, commended KWASACA for its humanitarian services and pledged to support the agency.

Also speaking, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of the National Commission for the Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Mrs Afusat Ahmed, said that the absence of necessary amenities in the IDPs camp made the IDPs relocate to their towns.

Malam Usman Ladan, an IDP, explained that they had challenges of insecurity, bedding, electricity and water, however, commended the KWASACA for the medical outreach.

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