The Rotary Club of Akowonjo in collaboration with National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA has urged Nigerians to go out and register for their health insurance, stating that 5% of the country’s population that has registered is still way behind.
This was said in the organisation’s weekly meetings that were held on July 10, in Ikeja. The programme themed: Maternal and Child Health was hosted by Dr. Mrs Temiope Omikunle and Morounke Mannie-Udoh. They said that Malnutrition is the cause of illness in kids and that lack of awareness has made it difficult for many Nigerians to enroll in NHIA.
Speaking at the event, Rotn. Dr. Sunkanmi Esther Sam-Amoye, President of the Rotary Club of Akowonjo, in her welcome address, said that the last meeting was well attended. “It was a fantastic start with about 28 members in attendance and over 40 guests and visitors. Your presence, and support toward the success of our Night of Blues, are greatly appreciated. People are still talking about the Akowonjo Night of Blues.
“This month, our focus is on Maternal and Child Health (M&CH). It is a crucial theme that highlights the importance of ensuring the well-being of mothers and children in our community. And I enjoin us all to join hands and work towards creating a healthier and safer environment for them.
“I want to draw your attention to an upcoming project on 27th July 2023. The Service Project Chair and his team are working hard to ensure the program is well executed and I am sure he will shed more light on it during the meeting. I encourage each one of you to support this project wholeheartedly. Together, we can make a difference. DG’s Visit: We also have an important event coming up on August 7th, 2023. It is the visit of our District Governor and the launch of a new project. Let us prepare ourselves to welcome our esteemed guest and showcase the dedication and commitment of our club,” she said.
According to her, The Akinlade Challenge (TAC) is an important thing for the organisation, and saying that the challenge states that any member who brings in three quality members will have their next year’s dues paid.
“Tonight, we start our ToW series and we have brought the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Yaba to Akowonjo. The speakers we have tonight are 2 powerful women who will help us understand health issues and how to access healthcare for our families, the types of routine tests we must ensure we run or ask our doctors to run, and the importance of following the rules when it comes to our health,” the President said.
She concluded by saying that the committees are Kings and Queens and should be treated like such. “Lastly, I want to emphasize the importance of supporting our committees. They are working tirelessly to reach out to our community and create hope in the world, starting with our club. They are the powerhouse of ALL that we do and will need everyone to show them, love. Your involvement and support in their initiatives will make a significant impact,” Rotn. Sam-Amoye said.
After the welcome address, Rotn. Oyinola Sale, Editor in Chief, The Achievers’ Bulletin was called by the president to introduce and read the profile of guest speakers for the night.
One of the speakers, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope O. Omikunle. Consultant Family Medicine and HoD, NHIA both of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos said that 1 million Nigerians barely about 5 million have enrolled under NHIA. “lack of awareness is actually why many haven’t enrolled and its actually cheap.
“We have two centers in Lagos, one in Ikeja and the other in Yaba, you can go there and register. It’s 45,000 for three people, which is 15,000 per person but you have to go with extra two persons making three in total to be attended to,” she said.
According to her, Children are dying every minute of malaria due to malnutrition, which is why we want to bring this awareness to everyone to avoid some sickness. “family planning also plays a key role in the health of the mother and the family. Because if the family plans the number of children they want, sickness can be avoided.
“What we say is the family should have children by choice or not by chance, and they should help the mother to have adequate rest in between the children,” Dr. Omikunle said.
On her part, Mrs. Morounke Mannie-Udoh; Deputy Director, Medical Laboratory Services Lagos said that sometimes due to ignorance or poverty, many mothers ignore going to the hospital to check their child’s health, rather than rely on the previous medication that worked for the other child to do some work, while assuming they are ill with of same symptoms.
“You need to avoid concussion drugs, take the kids to the hospital, go for check-ups when your child or children are ill, and if the clinician says that the medication is going to span within five to seven days or two weeks or whatever is because this clinician knows that it would take that long for complete recovering, and if on the fourth day and your child is jumping please make sure the child completes it.
But if you think that the child is now ok and send the child back to school without consultation, what you doing is that you’re introducing what we refer to as recall resistance and faulty resistance. So please stand the conclusion,” she said.
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