Primary healthcare receives boost in Lagos, 5 other states as third phase of Y’ello Doctor kicks-off
The Nigerian healthcare sector is set to receive a boost as MTN Nigeria through its Foundation will be donating six state-of -the-art mobile medical vehicles to six states in the country.
The mobile clinic, launched out through the MTN Y’ello Doctor Medical Intervention Scheme, is expected to boost access to primary healthcare services in semi urban and rural communities across the country, and contribute to Nigeria’s journey to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 on ensuring good health and well-being.
The United Nations in its Voluntary National Review 2020 said for Nigeria to achieve SDGs 3, “there must be more investment in public health and to ensure the most vulnerable are reached through universal access to essential services.”
The six states that will be benefiting from the third phase of the intervention are Lagos, Anambra, Rivers, Kano, Gombe, and Kwara.
The selected communities and markets in these six states will enjoy free medical services including medical screening, diagnosis, and consultations, treatment, and drug prescription, as well as referral services.
The MTN Y’ello Doctor Initiative is one of the health interventions under one of the Foundation’s key focus areas which is National Priority, that provides free medical care and drugs for people in semi-urban and rural areas in Nigeria through mobile clinics.
The intervention is being carried out in partnership with the State Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency at the state level.
“If Nigeria is to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 on ensuring good health and well-being of Nigerians, we must invest heavily in our health sector especially at the primary level, by ensuring the prevention and treatment of common communicable/childhood diseases and non-communicable disease such as malaria.
“The government needs support from the private sector to ensure every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare services. MTN will continue to partner with the government to ensure we improve the well-being of Nigerians by making primary healthcare available to people in the communities”, said Odunayo Sanya, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation.
Taraba, Abia, Ogun, Delta, Katsina, and Niger states have benefitted from the first two phases of the Y’ello Doctor intervention since 2014, which has impacted over 500,000 people and 100 communities that have been provided with healthcare.
