Osinbajo flags off integrated medical outreach

VICE President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday flagged off the Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP), a nationwide strategic approach to improve immunization outputs and strengthen primary health care. The I-MOP is a programme of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, targeting the unreached, underserved and vulnerable communities in 409 Councils in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Flagging off the programme at the Bwari Township Primary Health Care Centre, Abuja, the Vice President said that the health workers will target to reach over 20 million people with free basic healthcare services. According to him, the flag-off ceremony of the programme was “attempt to take basic healthcare services, health education, basic surgeries and screening for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, tuberculosis, HIV aids and cancer to these underserved areas.
“Not only does it provide free health services to communities that had never in the past enjoyed those services but it also provides our public health institutions with invaluable disease identification opportunities and outreach lessons.” Osinbajo explained that the I-MOP intervention was aimed at strengthening and scaling up access to routine Immunization and other primary healthcare (PHC) services in the selected low performing 409 councils in the country. He encouraged Nigerians and all other nationals residing within the country to take their children under two years to the nearest health facilities for screening and administration of all due antigens. He said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria maintains a policy to provide immunization services free to all against all vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).