In Benue, almost a whole community of Ikyor in Kwande local government Area of the state was rendered blind because of the Onchocerchiasis. The damag… - Cecilia Omaile Ojabo

Benue is a hyper endemic area for the river blindness and if you take it because I also take it, worms will not blind your eyes. The other causes of blindness like glaucoma, glaucoma is our worst enemy. You may be carrying it and may not know until a specialist tells you that you have glaucoma and then you start early treatment. If glaucoma blinds you it’s irreversible but if diseases like cataract blinds you, it’s good news because it is reversible. So people should access the metizan drugs, use it to help themselves.

For instance, the Hausa community said because government does not want their population to grow, they have brought these drugs. They are alienating themselves from taking it and it is free. It has cost American government money to make these drugs available but because of the belief and lack of understanding they are not accepting the use of those drugs.

In recent years, the health sector has not been functioning as it should. A well-functioning healthcare system operates on three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Unfortunately, primary healthcare has not played the crucial role it was intended to. As we know, about 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, while only 20 percent resides in urban centers. However, healthcare services are concentrated in urban areas, with 80 percent of healthcare facilities located there, leaving just 20 percent in rural areas. This creates a disparity between the distribution of the population and healthcare services. Our goal is to ensure that healthcare delivery is strengthened where the majority of the population resides. To achieve this, we have established a board at the state level for primary healthcare, aimed at ensuring effective connections and a strong referral system to make healthcare delivery more sustainable.