Since the inception of the Roli Mabo Foundation in 2020, the team and I have jointly developed effective healthcare support and outreach strategies. These were the very strategies that we used in our outreach at Jakpa, Ugbege, Ologbo, and many other remote communities.
Jakpa and Ugbege are remote communities set in the Niger Delta creeks while Ologbo is found within the boundaries of Edo State, but still within the Niger Delta region. This could only ring one message – no access to proper healthcare. Imagine living in a community where getting access to healthcare support and outreach campaigns requires a long, expensive journey. That’s the reality for many people who live in Jakpa, Ugbege, Ologbo, and other areas of the Niger Delta creeks.
I stumbled into the Jakpa community sometime during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Thanks to the fearsome pandemic, I wanted to spend my vacant time exploring the Niger Delta creeks. In this same time, I’ve also come to hear about the Ugbege and Ologbo communities, and paid them a visit.
When I landed in these communities, I met a community filled with women, children, and the elderly with no access to proper healthcare. I was moved with compassion and landed with my team at Jakpa months later after COVID-19…by boat. And now, my team and I are expanding healthcare support and outreach to the Ugbege and Ologbo communities.
Roli Mabo Foundation Effective Healthcare Support and Outreach Strategies
Over our stay at Jakpa, we developed a few more healthcare support and outreach strategies that proved to be helpful. And we have been using them in other remote parts of Nigeria to elevate healthcare practices.
Ready to learn more about them? Let’s go.
1. Setting Up Small Health Centers
Other team members in the Roli Mabo Foundation and I saw a problem – no quality accessible healthcare centers nearby. This means that people will need to make a 2-hour bus trip or more before they can get good healthcare. So, we set up small health centers around the community.
By doing this, we saved people from wrestling with traffic or spending a fortune on travel just to have healthcare support. After a few days of setting up these health centers, we began seeing the effect our work had on the community. These centers encouraged the people of Jakpa, Ugbege, and Ologbo to prioritize their health.
2. Giving Complimentary Pharmacy Provisions To Small Healthcare Centers Around
Giving out complimentary pharmacy provisions to small healthcare centers has been one of the effective healthcare and outreach strategies for the Roli Mabo Foundation. This means people in remote areas do not only get to see a qualified healthcare professional but might also walk out with the medication they need to feel better, all without breaking the bank.
The idea behind this is to help people in remote communities get checked out by professional medical practitioners and get immediate solutions. No more running around to different pharmacies or worrying about affording the meds. The Roli Mabo Foundation tackles both parts of the equation, making sure people get the treatment they need to get back on their feet. To make this a reality, we partnered with a pharmaceutical company that supplies drugs at a subsidized rate and sometimes even donates to the community.
3. Free Health Screenings And Diagnostic Testing
Free health screening and diagnostic testing is one popular healthcare and outreach strategy, and the Roli Mabo Foundation uses it too because it works. My team and I have found this strategy effective for early disease discovery.
For instance, offering health screenings and diagnostics testing has helped us detect 23 tuberculosis cases on time which help us give these people the proper treatment that was needed.
According to studies, early disease discovery may result in more cures or longer survival times. That’s why the Roli Mabo Foundation offers health screenings and diagnostic testing across numerous communities. We set up mobile clinics or partner with local community centers to offer screenings for things like diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers.
These quick and painless tests can catch health issues early on, when they’re often easier and more affordable to treat. Plus, the Roli Mabo Foundation doesn’t just drop in and disappear. We take our time to explain the results, answer questions, and connect people with follow-up care if needed.
4. Multiple Health Assessments To Monitor Potential Conditions
Doing multiple health assessments in remote communities like Jakpa, Ugbege, Ologbo and several villages in Ijaw, Ilaje, and Itsekiri is an effective healthcare support and outreach strategy for the Roli Mabo Foundation. During these health assessments, we check for things like blood pressure, weight, common diseases, and even ask about overall feelings.
Like I said, we don’t just do random tests and vanish. We still stay a while longer to run multiple assessments and monitor conditions. In cases where we can’t stay for long, we have the community health facility monitor the patients until they are back on their feet.
5. Supporting Individuals With Need For Surgeries
Embarking on a surgery for many people in Nigeria can be daunting when you look at cost. Worse, if you are coming from a remote community. There are people in these remote communities who need surgeries. And the Roli Mabo Foundation is doing everything in its power to give them the proper healthcare that they need.
So far, we did help with 4 major surgeries during our healthcare support and outreach at Jakpa and other remote communities. We recognize that not everyone has the resources to face these challenges alone. So, we step up to the plate, offering a helping hand to individuals who need surgeries or essential treatments.
Conclusion
I’m glad to see the Roli Mabo Foundation’s healthcare and support strategies yielding fruits in the Jakpa, Ugbege, Ologbo, Ijaw, Ilaje, and Itsekiri communities. Our free health screenings and diagnostic tests are helping with early detection while the new health centers we set up are making healthcare accessible to everyone.
And thanks to the partnership with a pharmaceutical company, we’ve been able to provide drugs to these communities, thereby improving the access to free health treatments. The Roli Mabo Foundation is also very much active in helping people who require surgery and special treatments.
We are also expanding these healthcare support and outreach strategies to other remote communities in the Niger Delta Creeks. Want to know where we’re headed next? Leave a comment below. What healthcare support and outreach strategy will you like us to take in our next project?