MTN Y’ello Doctor Scheme to Deliver Free Healthcare Across 6 Nigerian States

…as MTN Foundation Donates Six Mobile Clinics to Bridge Access

MTN Nigeria, through its Foundation, is to provide free medical care to Nigerians across six states of the country in the third phase of the ‘MTN Y’ello Doctor Medical Intervention Scheme, which seek to deliver healthcare services to Nigerians by bridging access to medical care with dedicated ‘Market Doctors’ engaged to render mobile services to patients.

To deepen healthcare service delivery, MTN Foundation donated six mobile clinics to six states of the federation.

The six states benefiting in the third phase of the MTN Y’ello Doctor initiative are Lagos, Anambra, Rivers, Kano, Gombe and Kwara. The selected communities and markets in these states will have access to medical screening, diagnosis, consultations, treatment and drug prescription, as well as referral services.

“The well-being of Nigerians is important to us and in aligning with UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good health and well-being; we will continue contributing to the expansion of access to healthcare services by making primary healthcare available to people in communities nationwide,” said Sanya
Odunayo, the executive secretary, MTN Foundation, while speaking at the commissioning of the project.

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One of the interventions of the MTN Foundation aimed at providing support to the Nigerian Primary Health Care System, the ‘MTN Y’ello Doctor’ initiative is designed to improve access to primary healthcare through mobile medical clinics.

This service largely caters to women and children in the participating states.

Odunayo states further that the Foundation will continue to work with the state ministry of health and the national primary healthcare development agency at the state level to execute the intervention.

According to her, Taraba, Abia, Ogun, Delta, Katsina and Niger States are past recipients of the first two phases of the ‘Y’ello Doctor Initiative’ started in 2014 with a direct impact on over 646, 719.

Akin Abayomi, Commissioner of Health, Lagos State, said normal healthcare delivery is usually interrupted whenever there is a health emergency, hence, when Covid-19 hit, it was like other illnesses and health challenges in the state were neglected for the Coronavirus.

According to him, there are now about ten oxygen plants in Lagos, which means that whenever there is a health emergency that requires oxygen; there is one in a local government closer to the patients.

Abayomi, who was represented by Finnih Awokoya, special adviser to Lagos state governor on health matters, aaid even though Lagos was able to respond to the Covid-19, however, other health challenges suffered because people were scared of visiting health facilities for fear of getting infected by Covid-19.

Raji Abdulrasaq, the commissioner of health, Kwara State, said Nigeria should not neglect other diseases because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). According to him, MTN brings healthcare intervention to the doorsteps of Kwarans with the MTN Y’ello Doctor Medical Intervention Scheme.

“Intervention in the health sector is resource challenging, hence MTN should be applauded,” he stated.