OHAI Operates 250 Cleft Patients Amidst COVID-19 Prevalence

By Alpha Maidawa

Despite the challenges posed by the novel Coronavirus in health care provision and other services, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Oral Health Advocacy Initiative (OHAI) has carried out over 250 cleft surgeries in Bauchi, Niger and Yobe states through its routine medical outreach.

Executive Director of OHAI, Dr. Ngutor Ver-or who disclosed this to our correspondent via telephone explained that the organisation trained its clinical and other staff on COVID-19 protocols to enable it continue to provide health care services to the mostly less privileged of the society.

“As health care providers, we cannot afford to shy away from the challenges posed by COVID-19 as that will be against the Hippocratic Oath we take during induction. That is why we have in addition to training our staff on preventive measures against the virus, produced health information and education materials relevant in the COVID-19 era for distribution.

“You know that our method of health care delivery is basically outreach. We target the difficult to reach patients who reside mostly in the hinterlands. So, our volunteers as they go about their work in the rural communities, we ensure that they have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for themselves, patients and relatives of the patients”, Dr Ver-or said.

He also disclosed that OHAI has recruited 300 college graduates as volunteers in its fold as a result of the lockdown of the country occasioned by the outbreak of corona virus.

According to the OHAI boss, the volunteers have been trained as community mobilisation officers and currently working in the rural areas.

“”The volunteers who cut across various disciplines have been trained as community health mobilisation officers and dispatched to the local areas to mobilise cleft patients. They have equally been trained on COVID-19 preventive protocols”.

To ensure that the adequate awareness is created amongst the rural population about COVID-19, Dr. Ver-or disclosed that OHAI has produced information and education materials for distribution especially as its focus is more on the hard to reach population of the country.

Recall that the OHAI has carried out over 4000 cleft surgeries in Nigeria with the support of the Federal and state governments through the ministries of health, Smile Train among other partners.