Health workers raise alarm over lack of clinics in markets, rural communities

• Say poor access to emergency care worsening mortality

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Health workers have raised concerns over the absence of functional medical clinics in markets and rural communities, warning that the situation could delay access to emergency care and worsen preventable deaths.

The health workers made the call during a medical outreach organised for traders at Karu Market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, where they urged governments to expand healthcare services to locations where people live and work.

Deputy Director of Nursing at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, Joy Nwankwo, who spoke during the outreach, said increased investment in the health sector was necessary to bridge gaps in access to basic medical services.

Nwankwo, who is also founder of the Joyful Rose Health Initiative, said the absence of medical services in some communities had contributed to avoidable health complications and deaths.

Speaking on the theme, “Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Healthy Traders, Wealthy Market,” she said the outreach was organised not only to provide medical assistance to traders but also to draw attention to health conditions that often go undetected.

According to her, many traders spend most of their day in their shops or stalls trying to make a living and often postpone medical attention until their health conditions become serious.

She said the situation made it necessary for healthcare services to be taken closer to markets and other places where people spend long hours.

“What I am proposing for Nigerian government is that they should do more. They are trying, but there are some localities that have not been touched. Even in this market, there is need for them to have a clinic,” she said.

Nwankwo said many traders remained at their places of business from morning until night, making it difficult for them to leave their shops to seek routine medical care.

“Most of our marketers stay in the shop from morning till night. They sit down in one place, eating so many things that may not really go down well with them as far as health concerns are concerned.”

She said the provision of clinics within or close to markets would enable traders to access medical attention without necessarily abandoning their businesses for extended periods.

The founder said the initiative targeted about 200 traders during the outreach, with beneficiaries receiving medical tests and drugs.

She, however, said the foundation intended to reach more traders beyond the initial number.

The medical tests conducted during the programme included blood pressure, blood sugar, malaria, eye and body mass index (BMI) checks.

Nwankwo said the programme was funded through public donations.

She said the foundation decided to organise the exercise after identifying the difficulty many low-income earners face in accessing healthcare.

According to her, regular medical screening was important because some health conditions could exist without obvious symptoms until they became severe.

Also speaking, a medical doctor, SomtoChukwu Benson, identified hypertension, high blood pressure and obesity among the health conditions requiring greater attention.

Benson said many Nigerians were unaware that they had chronic medical conditions because they did not undergo routine health checks.

“The common health challenge is actually the disregard for medical check-ups. There are a lot of people that have chronic conditions, but they don’t know because they don’t check up.”

He urged traders to make routine medical examinations part of their healthcare practices, regardless of whether they were experiencing symptoms.

Benson also linked obesity, hypertension and diabetes, urging members of the public to pay attention to their diet, engage in regular physical activity and undergo routine screening.

He advised traders to avoid waiting until they became seriously ill before seeking medical attention.

One of the beneficiaries, a trader, Adamu Abdullahi, said he was unaware that he had high blood pressure until he underwent the test during the outreach.

Abdullahi said the result had made him more conscious of the need to monitor his health.

He promised to pay greater attention to his health while continuing with his efforts to earn a living.

The health workers said regular screening and improved access to basic healthcare remained important in reducing complications associated with undiagnosed conditions, particularly among people who spend most of their working hours in markets and other informal economic centres.