Lions Club Takes Free Medicare To PH Poly

Students and staff of the
Port Harcourt Polytechnic Rumuola, in Port Harcourt were among beneficiaries of this year’s Free Medical Programme organised by the Port Harcourt New Garden City Lions Club.
The programme which took place Thursdays at the Conference Hall of the Polytechnic included Hepatitis Screening, HIV test, Blood pressure check as well as health talks.
Dr Ugwu Sunny of International SOS, who took the participants on health lecture  stressed the need for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of regular medical checks in order to ascertain their health status.
He said Hepatitis is a very important disease that most people know little or nothing about and commended the Lion’s Club for providing opportunity for people especially the students who are of the youth age to benefit from the free medical programme.
According to the medical doctor, the disease which means enlargement or inflammation of the liver is caused mainly by infection and toxins, adding that of the five kinds of Hepatitis, Hepatitis B is the most dangerous, having similar characteristic as the Human Immuno Virus (HIV).
“About 30% of the world population has been exposed to it at one point or the other”, and millions of people are carriers of this disease”, Sunny said.
He explained that though it’s symptoms do not surfaces at early stage but when it get to its viral stage such signs as fatigue, lose of appetite, yellow eyes, dark or yellow coloured  urine, pale stool, severe fever are common.
He said prevention from the disease is vaccination. In more developed countries the vaccines are free but here in Nigeria you don’t get it sometimes and when you do, you pay one or two thousand naira”, he said remarking that only proper and complete immunization that makes one free from Hepatitis B attack.
On how to treat the disease, Sunny said, “avoid herbal medication, eat a balanced diet, take a lot of fluid and rest. Don’t over task the liver, and once diagnosed as positive of the disease always  see your doctor.”
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Osiokor Alex, commended the club for the free medical programme especially for bringing it to the Polytechnic considering the large number of youths adding “I have known more about Hepatitis and how to go about it. I appeal to other organizations to emulate the club”, he said.
President of the Club, Prince Nwosa, said the programme was part of the club’s worldwide week of service for youths and the Polytechnic was made venue to enable the large number of youths in the area benefit and expressed joy over the large turnout.

Chris Oluoh