By Damilola Akinmolayan

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Journalists have been urged to embark on regular medical check-up in order to stay healthy and avert untimely death.

Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ondo State Council, Leke Adegbite gave the charge yesterday during a three-day medical outreach organised for media practitioners in the state.

Adegbite said the medical outreach was aimed at ensuring healthy living for journalists due to the nature of their work.

He said it was also part of his welfare packages promised during his campaign to members of the union.

The outreach slated for June 7 to 9, 2022 took place at the NUJ Press Centre clinic having a team of three doctors and six nurses from the Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (OSPHCDA).

He noted that journalists are very busy set of people, as many don’t have time to visit their doctors or hospitals.

He stressed that the medical check-up was meant to be monthly but due to limited resources, the leadership of the union decided to make it quarterly.

“We believe that our members will be able to tackle any health challenge with this quarterly outreach, we don’t want untimely death in our midst. We don’t want anyone to break down but looking at the nature of our job, we are bound to break down because we don’t have time to take care of ourselves or go to hospitals to see doctors.

“We decided to partner with the Primary Health Care Development Agency because it is government owned, the Permanent Secretary is our friend and he has been very supportive to this union both officially and unofficially, very supportive to our members, individually or collectively.

“Apart from testing our members for Hepatitis B and C, blood pressure, sugar level, tests are also being conducted and if there is crisis or positive cases to any test being conducted, the union will support such person in getting better treatment.”

While appreciating the Permanent Secretary of the Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu for his support, Adegbite urged the members to take advantage of the outreach because it’s going to be quarterly.

Mr Israel Adeyemi, Director, Medical laboratory sciencies Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, commended the leadership of Ondo NUJ for coming up scuh outreach exercise, describing it as highly commendable and timely because “we are in a community where a lot is going on and people’s health tends to fail”.

Some of the beneficiaries of the medical check-up lauded the leadership of Ondo NUJ, noting that it’s a good development and initiative for the union on order stay healthy.