Union urges collaboration to tackle health challenges

Union urges collaboration to tackle health challenges
NAN-HG-3
Clinic
By Awayi Kuje
Wamba (Nasarawa State), Feb. 23, 2018 (NAN) Northern Nigeria Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventist Church (NNUC) has called for collaboration among stakeholders to tackle healthcare challenges.
Mr Francis Dariya, the President of the union, made the appeal on Friday in Wamba, Nasarawa State during the dedication prayer of Arum-Tumara Clinic.
He said that the union has spent more than N3 million on the renovation of the clinic in order to improve healthcare delivery to the people of the area and the state at large.
Dariya, who was represented by the Secretary of NNUC, Mr Yohanna Harri, said that the church decided to renovate the clinic which was constructed by the union in 1973 as part of its commitment to complement government efforts in providing medical services.
“ The mission of the church is to preach the gospel of Christ and if you want to preach the gospel of Christ complete and successfully, it has to go with health ministries, hence the need for the gesture because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.
“The clinic which was constructed in some years back and now renovated was under the Adventist Health Services of the church in order to bring medical services closer to the door step of the people at the grassroots in order to improve on their health status.
“So, we have extended a hand of fellowship to the people by providing them with medical care and we called on the people of this area to continue to safeguard the facilities in the interest of their health and for the overall development of the country,” he said.
Dariya called on members of the church to continue to donate generously to the development of the humanity, saying government along cannot do everything for its citizenry.
He added that people should always give thanks to God no matter their situation in order to get more favours and blessings, noting that givers never lack.
The priest also called on Nigerians to be peaceful, law abiding and respect constituted authorities, and to live in peace and unity irrespective of their background for the overall development of the country.
The president of the union restated the commitment of the church to continue to key in to good policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the people and solicited the support of the people to succeed.
Dr Chikwe Amaike, the Director, Health Ministries of the church, said that the clinic has been providing primary healthcare services to the people.
Amaike assured that the church had planned for the upgrade of the facilities in order to provide secondary healthcare services to the people.
Amaike, who is also the Medical Director, Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Jengre, Plateau, said: “The clinic have laboratory facilities and for now, we are rendering primary care services thereby treating minor cases in order to improve on the health status of the people.’’
Responding, Mr Enoch Atsiya, the Village Head of Arum-Tumara, appreciated the church authority for the gesture, adding that it will go a long way in improving the health condition of his subjects and Nigeria at large.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dedication prayer was attended by Mrs Tina Kwaskebe, Director, Health and Temperance of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, clerics and other well wishers.
Women of the church were not left out in thanking God for the gesture through singing and praises. (NAN)
AKW/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola