By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Students of Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), posted to Ugwu Aaron health centre, have celebrated their annual health day in Ishi Iyi community, Enugu North Local Government Area (LGA), urging members of the community to make beneficial use of the primary health center (PHC) in the locality.
The event featured a medical outreach for the community and a health talk with the theme ‘Good nutrition for all, preventing malnutrition through primary health care’.
A public health specialist and Associate Dean, Faculty of Health Science and Technology, UNEC, Dr Ijeoma Judith Ilo, in an interview, stated that the programme enabled the student nurses to translate what they learnt in theory into practice.
She said that the event started about 30 years ago and was initiated by Professor (Mrs) Ijeoma Ihemere.
“Ihemere started this program at Nike and had very good support from Igwe Julius Nnaji and since then the program has extended to several communities,” she disclosed.
According to her, “this is a course called 461. During their 300-level, we teach them 321 and 322, and these courses are called primary health courses, and Nigeria is using primary health care to teach nurses to take health care to where people live in the remotest areas.
“When they get to this primary health care centers,they try to implement what they are taught in 321 and 322 courses.
“Today, being the annual health day, they bring all the people they have treated, mobilized and given health care education and do a sort of ceremony.
“We have an outreach where we make some diagnosis like the instant malaria kit test; we have worm expeller, malaria drugs, antibiotics, antacids and multivitamin drugs that we get free. We source for this drug from philanthropists like AC Drugs, Juhel and other drug companies.”
She urged the students to use what they have done in the community for future programs, stressing that they are the future nurses that will take care of health care.
The Associate Dean also pointed out that community mobilisation, program and evaluation will help them improve for the future.
Turning to Ishi Iyi community, Dr. Ilo implored them to make use of the primary health care center as the first point of call, emphasizing that it will reduce quackery, untimely death and expenses.
She called on government to fund the outreach program by the UNEC students.
The officer in charge of Ugwu Aaron health center, Mrs Nkiru Orji, in her speech, commended the student nurses for their “excellent character” and active participation during their service in the community.
She advised members of the community to embrace the sensitization, education, and enlightenment given to them by the student nurses, and also keep their environments clean.
“I took the students nurses to the hills where some of this community people are living, and we mobilized and educated them on poor nutrition, environmental sanitation and the need to come to the health center for their medical care services. I encouraged the pregnant ones to come to the health center for antenatal care but these community people believe in market and mushroom health facilities,” she said.
Traditional ruler of Ishi Iyi community Ugwu Aaron, Chief Anderson Agbo, in an interview, commended the student nurses for creating awareness and sensitizing the community on the importance of immunization, and the need to go to the health center for medical care.
He urged members of the community to go to the health center for medical check-up, immunization, antenatal and other medical care services.
He further called on government to support the student nurses financially so that they can carry out their essential duties.
A student nurse, Oko Prince, in his speech, said that they were posted to the health center to practice their community health courses.
He noted that their duty is to mobilize, create awareness, sensitize and educate the community on the activities of the primary health center.
“Some people don’t know that there is a health center in their community. This health center has been here for a very long time and most of this community members are not aware and do not make use of it. They go to UNTH Ituku Ozalla, Park Lane, mushroom health centers, and native doctors.
“Today in our health topic, we educate them on malnutrition, which is the inadequate intake of nutrients. We advise them to eat balanced diet to avoid kwashiorkor and other diseases,” he said.
On her part, chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Enugu State Comrade Ngozi Ngene, commended the students for their dedication during the medical outreach, lauding their professionalism, compassion, and strong commitment to community services.
She described the outreach as a crucial step toward bridging healthcare gaps in underserved areas, and reaffirmed NAWOJ’s support for public health initiatives, urging the students to uphold ethical standards and strive for excellence in their nursing careers.
The annual health day witnessed dignitaries and members of Ugwu Aaron community and members of NAWOJ.
It also featured presentations, traditional dance, health talk, cutting of cake, distribution of free mosquito nets and diapers to pregnant women and aged persons.
