DEPOWA Flags Off Medical Outreach, Donates Equipment to DHQ Medical Centre
The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), today flagged off a 3-day medical outreach at the DHQ medical centre, Abuja.
The outreach, which aimed at creating awareness on common health conditions and preventive practices, as well as providing free medical services to wives of non-commissioned officers and adolescent girls from tri-service schools.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, the President of DEPOWA, Mrs. Oghogho Musa, said that the outreach was in line with her passion for supporting quality provision of maternal and child health services.
She noted that Nigeria has one of the highest death rates among women and children, hence the need for initiatives like this.
Mrs Musa also used the occasion to donate medical equipment to the DHQ Medical Centre, Mogadishu Cantonment.
The equipment included a CTG machine to monitor the fetal heart when a woman is in labour, a phototherapy machine, an ultrasound machine, and examination couches and screens.
The DEPOWA President said that the donation was made to show support to the good work the management of the Centre has been doing and to encourage them to do more.
She expressed confidence that the equipment will help to improve the quality of healthcare provided at the facility.
While recounting some of the events that informed the initiative, she said, “The DEPOWA medical outreach is expected to reach over 400 women and girls. The services provided will include free cervical cancer screening, blood pressure check, deworming, and medical check-up.
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“DEPOWA will also provide school supplies to orphans and vulnerable children, including children of fallen heroes.
“The outreach will round up with a road march/aerobics exercise to encourage women to be physically active and take care of their health”, She added.
On his part, Commander DHQ Medical Center, Captain Victor Cletus Igboezu, said that Mrs Musa’s visit meant a lot to the patients.
He noted that the smiles on their faces showed that the visit was healing, especially with the gifts that were brought.
According to him, in medical care, what matters most is showing care to patients. He appreciated Mrs Musa’s unexpected visit and was happy that she had chosen their facility.
Captain Igboezu also spoke about the importance of cervical and breast cancer screening, which he said is a major health challenge for women in Nigeria.
He noted that the illness affects not only the elderly, but also younger women.
He said, “early screening can help to prevent the spread of the disease, and that the DEPOWA medical outreach is addressing this issue in a timely manner.
“This intervention will educate women about early warning signs, prevention, and detection, and that he believes it will save many lives”, he added.
