The United States Embassy in Nigeria is to offer free medical services to communities in Gboko local government area of Benue state.
The leader of the team, Mr. Arevalo Reuben while on a working visit to the state disclosed that a group of programme coordinators were already in the state to inspect the primary health care needs of some communities in order to ascertain their needed services.
According to him, US medical experts would be ready to give services to the affected communities including dental, eye test, de-warming and treatment of malaria, Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs), diarrhea, and snake bites as well as treatment for animals like pigs, goats and chickens.
Mr. Arevalo further explained that the offer was the American government’s way of rendering assistance to people in the rural areas to improve their living conditions and gave the assurance that the gesture would be extended to other communities of the state if the need arose.
Conducting the Team round, State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Orduen Abunku assured that the Health ministry in the state would make available more medical experts to assist in the programme and promised that the health problems of the people of the state would be properly attended to.
The commissioner who described the project as worthwhile urged the members of the affected communities to embrace the gesture by way of turning out en masse for the treatment exercise.
On his part, state Director of Public health, Dr. Joseph Kumba applauded the goodwill of the US and noted that it was a contract between the US Embassy and the communities so as to give the two parties a clear insight into the deplorable conditions of primary health care centres in the state. He said the efforts would also spur the control of primary health centres from the local government to federal.