The Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State chapter, has offered free medical outreach to over 400 Almajiris at Hayin Katsinawa, Shika in Giwa Local Government Area of the state.
The association’s chairman, Dr Nana Hauwa-Madugu, made the disclosure on the sidelines of the exercise held at Hayin Katsinawa, Shika on Friday.
The exercise also encouraged the beneficiaries to lean different kind of trades so as to become self-reliant.
The exercise also featured presentation of gifts such as food, detergent and biscuit in addition to series of lectures on skills acquisition, health education on personal hygiene, sexual abuse and how to seek for help and dangers sign of hematuria.
Hauwa-Madugu said the exercise was part of preparations towards the association’s Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference expected to commence on Nov. 30.
She said: “As part of preparations for this conference, we decided to start today with an outreach, that is why we are here and we have gone round and have decided to choose this village.
“Because this village seems to be having issues regarding the way the Almajiris are treated that is why we are here to see how we can help them in terms of their health needs and also if there is anything we can give them.
“We actually targeted 300 people but as you can see they are more than what we targeted as we have even those who are not Almajiris around and we cannot discriminate.
“So we gave them what we have for them, at least they all benefited from the health talks we delivered to them, the medication and the gifts.”
She said the most important thing was the awareness, adding that they needed enlightenment on health education and personal hygiene to take care of themselves.
In his lecture, Dr Mustapha Yaqub, Amir, Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria, charged the Almajiris to avoid going to the river.
He advised them to report any sickness or any problem to their head teacher (Malam) so as to find lasting solution to it before it escalate.
Yaqub urged them to always wash their hands after visiting toilet as well as before and after eating food and wash their clothes regularly.
In their separate lectures, Dr Hauwa Umar-Shu’aibu and Dr Fatima Abdullahi both of ABUTH observed that in Islam, hygiene is part of faith, hence the need for every Muslim to be clean, neat and pure.
They advised them to avoid taking contaminated food or water in order to remain healthy.
Responding, the Proprietor of School, Malam Abubakar Dauda popularly known as Alaramma Abubakar Mai-Almajirai appreciated the association for the gesture.
