Navy partners USAID on healthcare delivery to communities in A’Ibom

Akpan Umoh

The Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Jubilee in Ikot Abasi is collaborating with USAID to ensure adequate healthcare delivery to communities in Akwa Ibom.

Base Medical Officer, NNS Jubilee Lt. Mamuda Saidu, said this while speaking with newsmen on a tour of the healthcare facility led by the Commander of the Base, Commodore Abdulmajid Ibrahim.

According to him, the clinic offers free medical services to the public and gives out free drugs within their capacity to patients.

He stated that they record an average daily patients of 15 and over 112 patients on a monthly basis.

Saidu said that partnership with USAID was in the area of HIV/AIDS, as the clinic recorded an average regular visit of 100 persons on HIV/AIDS cases before the COVID-19 lockdown.

The base medical officer said the HIV/AIDS visits which slowed down during the COVID-19 lockdown has picked up agains post COVID-19 lockdown.

According to him, USAID supports the facility with kits for expectant HIV/AIDS mothers amongst other things.

“The HIV/AIDS incidences where so high around this Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt area, that is the reason why this site was activated to capture all those ones that are positive.

“From the records, we have more than a 100 persons coming around before COVID-19 lockdown. The lockdown affected people from coming out but after the lockdown, people have started coming around,” he said.

The commander has earlier said that the base maintains a good civil-military relationship with its host community through its Corporate Social Responsibility.

He said that the base has been organising free medical outreach to residents of the community from time to time as part of their CSR to the people.