Synlab Nigeria in collaboration with over 30 partners, has just concluded its 2019 edition of the yearly Doctors-on-Air Medical Mission in Ojuwoye LCDA, Ilupeju, Lagos. Close to a thousand residents were hosted to a holistic one-day premium healthcare outreach at the program. The yearly Doctors-on-Air Medical Mission, stems from a weekly health talk-show that focuses on creating public awareness around common health issues is aimed at enlightening the public on practices to stay healthy.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Pamela Ajayi, who is the founder of the Doctors-On-Air program as well as the CEO of Synlab Nigeria, emphasized that the yearly program is an important part of the weekly Doctors-on-Air. She stated that preventive health-care is what the outreach focuses on. “There are different types of preventive health-care: The primary secondary and tertiary prevention. We focus on the secondary prevention which is trying to catch the diseases at the very early stage and try to prevent it from actually showing up. Dr Pamela said.
She further revealed that the Doctors-on-Air medical Mission involved checking the blood pressure, the blood sugar level, weight, height as well as very important screenings such as breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, prostate screening, eye screening and others. Adding that various specialists were on ground. “We the ophthalmologists checking for glaucoma, the cardiologists checking the heart, oncologists and many more. They are providing very specialized care to indigent locals who would ordinarily not have access to such premium and high-quality health-care.” she said.
“Health-care is expensive, but even more important, is raising awareness about the need for people to pay attention to their health and know how to seek the proper care for their health issues. A lot of people go to the pharmacy, to herbalists, spiritualists, or self-medicate which often time does not yield the best results. We therefore believe that raising awareness about common health issues and how they can be prevented and cured is a critical part of the healthcare mix. The barest basic is to “know your number”, Dr. Pamela Ajayi concluded.
The Chairman of the Ojuwoye LCDA, Mr. Rasaq Ajala, who was also on ground to participate in the program, affirmed that “there cannot be sustainable or meaningful development without wellness. No society thrives when the people are sick. Even though the currency of today’s world is ideas, we must acknowledge that without health, it will be extremely difficult for any nation to develop its ideas no matter how lofty they are. So, an investment in the health of the people as the Doctors-On-Air program has done, is surely a move in the right direction. Government alone cannot do it. Public instituted organizations must come on board and assist government.
Mr. Olabode Ogunlolu, who is a resident of Ojuwoye LCDA and one of the beneficiaries said, “It’s a wonderful one and I really want to thank Lagos State and the medical. I had my blood pressure checked and I also had my cholesterol level checked for the very first time. I learned so much about how to pay closer attention and better manage my health. I can say confidently that I am now better equipped to take proper care of my health”.
Aside the personalized counselling that the participants received at the different medical checks, there was also the general enlightenment segment that had different medical personnel talk to the members of the public in English, Pidgin and the local Yoruba languages. The importance of the “know your number” campaign which is championed weekly by the Doctors-on-Air program was reiterated and everyone was encouraged to ensure regular check of their vitals including blood pressure, blood sugar and Body mass index (BMI) was also emphasized.
