The Kogi State Government has organized a four-day free medical screening exercise for staff of the Government House, Office of the Deputy Governor, and that of the First Lady as part of efforts to promote workers’ welfare and enhance productivity in the state.
The exercise, organized by the State Ministry of Health targeted civil servants, security personnel and others within the Government House.
The exercise covered examinations of Body Mass Index, evaluation of blood pressure and blood sugar levels, viral screening and eye examinations among others.
Speaking during the exercise, the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams represented by the Reproductive Health Care Coordinator, Dr Grace Afolabi, said the initiative is in line with the state government’s commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of its workforce.
According to her, the medical outreach provides workers with an opportunity to know their health status and take early action, particularly in view of the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases among the working-age population.
“This medical outreach by the state government through the Ministry of Health demonstrates the interest of the government in enhancing productivity amongst workers in the state because good health enables workers to deliver on their responsibilities,” she said.
Dr Afolabi added that beneficiaries would also receive free drugs and blood pressure monitoring equipment where necessary to enable them to continue monitoring their health after the exercise.
She explained that the initiative was designed to ensure that workers, regardless of their cadre or employment status, have access to basic health checks that could help in the early detection and management of potential health challenges.
Also speaking, the Matron of the Government House Clinic, Aishat Omeiza, commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, for his continued efforts towards improving access to quality healthcare services across the state.
She added that the exercise demonstrated the governor’s priority to workers’ health, noting that a healthy workforce was essential to sustaining productivity across different sectors of the state.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Manager of the Government House Cleaning Unit, Aliyu Zubair, expressed appreciation to the state government for introducing the initiative.
He said the free screening provided workers with an opportunity to check different aspects of their health which they might otherwise overlook, particularly where payment for such services was required.
