Medical Students Advised to Contribute to Healthcare through Volunteerism
The wife of the governor of Ondo State, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has advised Nigerian medical students to borrow a leaf from their American counterparts by contributing to an improvement in healthcare services through volunteerism in order to curb the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the country.
The first lady gave the advice at the 8th Regional Convention of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association (NiMSA), held at the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD)
Akeredolu who spoke on the top ‘Revitalising the Role of Medical Students in the advocacy of Breast Cancer’ as the guest lecturer at the event, decried the high cost of cancer care, and averred that ” volunteering in breast cancer advocacy, conducting Clinical Breast Examination and provision of psychosocial support by NiMSA, would go a long way in early detection, and consequently, reduce cancer burden.”
Read Also:
Read Also: Medical Students Evacuated From Ukraine Should Be Absorbed Into Nigerian Universities, Reps Say
Mrs Akeredolu, who founded the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, (BRECAN) twenty-five years ago, further encouraged the students to be volunteers of some advocacy groups like BRECAN, adding that “You can also provide voluntary service in primary healthcare centres where medical Doctors are lacking.”
She further encouraged the establishment of medical student-run clinic to care for underserved populations and homeless individuals, as witnessed in the USA.
The BRECAN Founder, who revealed the WHO 2020 statistics of 26,000 new cases of breast cancer in Nigeria with about 11,500 deaths yearly, identified late detection, presentation and poor health care services as major causes of the increasing burden of the disease in Nigeria.
She further encouraged the establishment of medical student-run clinic to care for underserved populations and homeless individuals, as witnessed in the USA.
