By Mike Adeyemi
The Master of Public Health (MPH) students of College of Health Sciences, the University of Ilorin, have donated Primary Health Care facilities in six Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The students disclosed this on Thursday during their Field Posting Report Presentation held at College of Health Science, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
The MPH students in their presentation said the field posting programme had afforded them opportunity to provide health care facilities in about six LGAs in the state.
According to them the LGAs are Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Asa, Ifelodun, Irepodun and Moro.
Speaking to Pilot Health on the sideline of the programme, the Head of Department of Epidemiology and Community health, University of Ilorin, Prof. Kayode Osagbemi said the MPH field posting programme is the practical aspect of the training for the concerned students.
“The said objectives behind the programme is to afford the MPH students a firsthand knowledge of community health needs, instead of relegating them to hospitals and classrooms only.
“Today, we are showcasing our community and grassroots activities from our master’s program students.
“We normally give them two semesters of academic training and we attach them to various local government.
“Community members have come to tell us what they have done. And I can tell you confidentially that there is no other master’s programme in the whole of university of Ilorin that has such impacts on the community,” Osagbemi noted.
He said the impacts of the programme on the primary health care delivery basically is on health care delivery in yhe primary health sector.
“We don’t need anybody to tell us that primary health care services are low in the rural area. We send people from the department to show primary health care provider how things are done.
The don however said the challenge is the sustainability of the projects by the benefitting communities.
“The moment we leave the place; the local government usually are unable to carry on with the standard.
“Also, logistics and the terrain poses big challenge because roads leading to the communities are in deplorable state,” he added.
Osagbemi, however, appealed to individuals, pharmaceutical companies and stakeholders in the state to assist the university towards providing fund for expansion of the programme.
The MPH field posting according to him, is a yearly programme with purpose of promoting primary health care services.
The event had in attendance community leaders in the 6 LGAs, who attested to the impact of the medical outreach in their communities.
