Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, on Thursday inaugurated the Oyo State edition of the Future Assured Initiative, which she described as an opportunity for women to do breast examination and cervical cancer screening. She said the initiative would also provide a window for women to check their blood pressures and blood sugar levels.
About 2,500 women were screened at the venue of the inauguration and according to the Governor Abiola Ajimobi, 30 per cent of them were found to have been suffering from one or more of the ailments which the initiative was meant to address.
While declaring the free health screening programme open, Buhari said the health of women was not just a gender issue but a major developmental issue that provided a basis for assessing the level of development of countries worldwide regardless of their wealth.
She said, “The Nigerian situation in terms of the poor health outcomes for women and children prompted me as a mother of the nation to embark on advocacy towards improving the health and wellbeing of women and children in our dear country.”
The President’s wife said under the programme, she had organised outreach screening programmes similar in all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, targeting women and children in need of medical services.
She added that, “I am here to provide medical services in the form of blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, breast examination and cervical cancer screening to women in the state through the initiative. This is part of efforts aimed at complementing government’s effort in providing health care services to the citizens of this country.
“In addition to the benefits, this exercise is also intended to raise awareness on the importance of regular medical checks. This initiative will contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals which is about ensuring healthy lives and promoting the wellbeing of all.”
In his speech, Ajimobi praised Buhari for the initiative, stressing that it was an expression of kindness required of leaders.