In a bid to promote community health services across the nooks and crannies of the country, the Federal Government of Nigeria is making concerted efforts to involve the National Youth Service Corps Members.
Disclosing this on Thursday when she led some staff of the Ministry on an advocacy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, the Acting Head of Health Promotion Division in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Ezioma Madu, said “Corps Members are agents of social change, whose presence in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the country with enviable track records of previous participation in several national assignments cannot be underestimated.”
Mrs. Madu who spoke on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, said “Corps Members’ selfless and tremendous efforts during the outbreak of COVID-19 and also the fight against HIV/AIDS and other notable national assignments are worthy of commendation.
“She stated further that there was a need to promote the total well-being of Nigerians with community health, through awareness creation by using the Corps Members.
“We have the National Health Promotion Forum which involves NGOs, MDAs, Faith-Based Organisations, donor agencies, CSOs, and traditional leaders among others, whereby there was a consensus that there is the need to involve Corps Members in the health promotion activities.
“We want to leverage NYSC’s experience at the systematic level”, she said.
She requested that Corps Members pick up health promotion as part of their CDS group because they would be able to create awareness of health issues and improve the lifestyles of the people, especially at the grassroots.
The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General YD Ahmed in his response said the Scheme would do everything possible to ensure the well-being of all Nigerians.
He said a technical committee would be constituted to work out modalities on the request adding that the Scheme has over the years successfully participated in several national assignments.
