Rotary Club of Yenagoa Creek Haven Holds Free Maternal, Child Health Outreach in Kalaba Community
By Ifeanyi Eduzor
The Rotary Club of Yenagoa Creek Haven has organized a free maternal and child healthcare outreach for residents of Kalaba Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State as part of its commitment to improving access to quality healthcare in underserved riverine communities.
The outreach benefited women, children and other vulnerable residents through free medical services and health education.
The humanitarian programme featured the donation of adult and children’s weighing scales to the Kalaba Community Primary Health Centre, distribution of free delivery mats, essential medications worth millions of naira, and awareness campaigns on the importance of antenatal and postnatal care.
Speaking at the occasion, President of the Rotary Club of Yenagoa Creek Haven, Rotarian Ebute-Metta Kuroakegha, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring safer pregnancies, healthy deliveries and reducing preventable maternal and infant health complications.
Rotarian Kuroakegha urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal and postnatal clinics regularly instead of relying solely on traditional birth attendants, stressing that routine hospital visits enable health professionals to monitor pregnancies and detect complications early.
He explained that the club intentionally selected Kalaba Community because of the limited access to healthcare services in many riverine areas, adding that the intervention was supported by generous donors.
District Chairman for Maternal and Child Health covering Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo and Delta States, Rotarian Ine-Ebi Egei, described Rotary Club as a humanitarian organisation dedicated to improving lives through voluntary service.
She commended the Rotary Club of Yenagoa Creek Haven for its impactful initiative and expressed confidence that the club would continue to expand its humanitarian programmes.
A medical practitioner, Dr. Selena Liverpool, also advised pregnant women to register for antenatal care as soon as pregnancy is confirmed, noting that regular check-ups help detect complications early and ensure appropriate referrals when necessary.
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The Officer-in-Charge of Kalaba Community Primary Health Centre, Miss. Mark Pretty, appreciated Rotary Club for the donations, saying they would help bridge healthcare gaps in the community and improve service delivery.
Beneficiaries, Mrs. Chiamaka Obidike and Mrs. Grace Israel, described the outreach as timely and impactful, expressing gratitude to the club and appealing for similar healthcare programmes to be organised regularly for the benefit of more women and children.
